About

Gender

Male


Location

Salinas, CA


About Me:

Amateur radio operator, freelance tech writer and self-professed geek of all trades (but master of none).


Please tell us a bit about your UAV interest

Experimentation, emergency-service applications such as SAR or vegetation surveys for fire-behavior prediction, and a general coolness factor.


Hometown:

Salinas


Activity Feed

Alan Jump left a comment on ArduCopter User Group
"@Essam Your operating altitude is going to depend on the field of view of your selected lens. If you need the camera to capture a single image to cover 120 acres, and your lens has a 38 degree viewing angle, my maths say you'll need to fly at around…"
Jan 3, 2014
Alan Jump replied to Bo Wingo's discussion Questions About eCalc in ArduCopter User Group
"From what I've heard and read, both here and on RCGroups, ecalc is notoriously pessimistic when any "custom" settings are used. I use ecalc as a design starting point only. "
Dec 9, 2013
Alan Jump replied to Neuro's discussion Takeoff weight??? in ArduCopter User Group
"Did you run your design through ecalc.ch? I think you've got a good power system design, although I don't see your specific motor on the site. While ecalc is known to be pessimistic when it comes to its calculations, especially with battery…"
Dec 4, 2013
Alan Jump replied to Coen's discussion Which propellers from hobbyking can I buy for ArduCopter? in ArduCopter User Group
"From a practical standpoint, there's minimal difference between a 10x4.7 and a 10x4.5. According to ecalc, the higher pitch would increase the power per motor by a whopping three watts.
Going the other direction, reducing the pitch from 4.7 inches…"
Nov 25, 2013
Alan Jump replied to the droid's discussion Dual day/Night camera
"You may wish to examine the Roswell Flight Test Crew's setup for their demonstrator hexacopter. A recent "viewer response" Q&A video outlines the expenses involved in that particular project. Short version, if the manufacturer hadn't donated the…"
Nov 21, 2013
Alan Jump replied to Neuro's discussion RTL initiating and i dont know why , help needed in ArduCopter User Group
"Looking through the logfile you provided, I'm seeing ERROR messages for subsystem 5, which is the throttle failsafe. Since you say the problem comes up when you're flying at a high forward speed, I'd start by checking the wiring between the receiver…"
Nov 20, 2013
Alan Jump replied to Paul Henckel's discussion (noob, hexacopter) How do you get this thing off the ground? in ArduCopter User Group
"Randy Mackay has a good YouTube video on the pre-arm checks the APM goes through in ArduCopter 3.0 and later. I'd suggest you view that video, then look at your log files the way Randy did and see if there's something in your configuration that…"
Nov 16, 2013
Alan Jump left a comment on ArduCopter User Group
"Marc, if you're completely new to flying quadrotors, I'd strongly suggest you start by learning to fly one of the small ready-to-fly aircraft on the market, e.g. Traxxas QR1 or similar. Multirotors are typically more stable than conventional…"
Nov 4, 2013
Alan Jump commented on Thomas J Coyle III's blog post UAS proliferation protested
"The people who are opposed to UAVs, UAS, or drones have some very real and valid complains regarding WEAPONIZED UAVs and UAS. Unfortunately, due to the valiant efforts of the American media to convince the public that those are the only uses for…"
Apr 7, 2013
Alan Jump commented on Thomas J Coyle III's blog post UAS proliferation protested
"Most of the American public only knows of UAVs what they hear from mainstream media, and that's largely a matter of hearing about what went "boom" in Afghanistan. Ignorance, however, is NOT bliss."
Apr 7, 2013
Alan Jump commented on Matthew Beck's blog post Pilot Spots Possible Drone 1,500 Feet Above NYC's JFK Airport... FAA launches investigation
""Voluntary guidelines" are exactly what both AMA and SUAS have tried to put together. The problem is that first word: voluntary. The evidence, such as it is, points to someone not thinking those guidelines should apply to them. And even AC91-57…"
Mar 6, 2013
Alan Jump commented on Matthew Beck's blog post Pilot Spots Possible Drone 1,500 Feet Above NYC's JFK Airport... FAA launches investigation
"AC 91-57 is a guideline, this is true. However, AC 43-13 is ALSO a "guideline"...one that aviation mechanics are required to follow in order to obtain their certificates as aviation mechanics. The FAA can, and does, fine persons who operate outside…"
Mar 5, 2013
Alan Jump commented on Chris Anderson's blog post Amateur drone video leads to shutdown of polluting factory
"This made it to Slashdot, too. Excellent job by the owner/operator of that UAV."
Dec 29, 2012
Alan Jump replied to Josh Potter's discussion Can I add a second air radio to a current ground/air radio pair?
"Presuming you're talking about the RC side of the operation, absolutely...that's how transmitters with multi-model memories function. :-)"
Dec 28, 2012
Alan Jump commented on Andy Lesniak's blog post DJI style case for 3DR Gps Modules
Dec 20, 2012
Alan Jump commented on Chris Anderson's blog post And now, a Lego ArduCopter!
Dec 20, 2012
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