Discussions

Hey guys,

Me and my team at Jamaica Robotics Group has been in contact with Wayne Garris for quite a while in regards to drone use here on the island to help protect the fisheries around the mainland and in the cays.

We lose millions of US dollars annually and our fishing stock is all but ruined, we have lost so much as a matter of fact that fisherfolk are actively looking to sell their vessels, some for as little as $3000 USD, to escape the industry. Most of our losses are due to fishermen from south and central america who posesses vessels that far outmatch the ones we have locally, also, some of the countries from which most of the poachers are from are actually closer to our most prized fishing areas than us here on the mainland. Patrolling thus is a pain for the local coast guard who possesses just three modern coast guard vessels.

I approached the government in late 2013 on the use of drones to protect these fisheries and the idea instantly found favor with then Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Roger Clarke(now deceased). Having been in contact with Wayne from 2012 in regards to drones and his Techpod, I spoke to Wayne and he offered to donate an airframe through us to the Ministry for use in protecting the local fishing industry.

Several months later and we are assembling the Techpod :)

Due to technical limitations and the many agencies scrambling to get their hands on our unit(including the local police force) they have decided to use it to patrol our coastal fisheries which are no more than 3-5km from shore. The prized fishing grounds however is beyond the reach of most drones the country can afford, being 200km away from the mainland in some cases.


Our configuration of the Techpod includes the use of a high power video transmitter( 2.4ghz 3W) combined with a regular 100mW 3DR radio. The plan is to allow the operators to upgrade to a more powerful RFD900 when needed. Directional antennas will be used with both the video and the telemetry to allow the radio to reach the required 3-5 km. The platform will be based on the trusty APM 2.6 with LEA GPS+compass.

Our config will also include:

• 2x 5000mah 3S venom batteries
• 2836 turnigy 18A outrunner
• 700tvl sony camera
• 7" feelview monitor for base station
• 9dbi Patch antenna 2.4Ghz
• 11dbi yagi antenna
• flysky fst6(did several tests and spoken to my radio engineers, the video transmitter doesnt seem to interfere with the signal from this radio), this will be used for takeoff and landing
• Base station will run on a single 1300mah venom battery and will be built into a small carrying case

Some photos:

Skeleton of techpod

A mockup of the base station, was planning to fabricate an easy to carry case but shelved it for a cheap carrying case

The techpod laid out:

The guy in the photo is Maverick, the best(and only :D ) scratch builder of model aircraft in Jamaica

Me with my base station mockup contraption ^_^

In the end we are hoping that our contribution will atleast put a tiny dent in the current plunder of our resources because... well... tens of thousands will lose their only source of income if we do not find a solution to the problem of poaching.

Jamaica Robotics Group is also doing some work around ensuring that regulations that are set in Jamaica in regards to UAVs are beneficial to us, we currently sit on a committee that is drafting these rules. To make it easier we are developing a "license plate for drones" that incorporates a ADS-B receiver that will make drone fliers aware of aircraft in their area. You will hear more about this soon :)

Thanks again Wayne!