I recently picked up a used Promark P70-VR (it may not be the best thing around, but it's better than nothing - and I don't have the money for the latest and greatest). I got a registration number for it and am practicing in my back yard (staying well within the property lines and not over 100 feet). Problem is, it appears that there is someone hacking into the drone and trying to take control of it.

It started about a week ago, after I'd had it for a couple of weeks. I had flown up above my tower (60 feet) to record (video) a connection in an antenna, and suddenly the thing started climbing above the trees (to maybe 150 feet) - and then spun around a couple of times and then took off south towards the main road. I finally was able to command it to go down, but it was bobbing up and down as it descended and and spun around a couple of times around before went below the tree line (took me an hour to find it). I checked the batteries in the control - they were good.

Today I was practicing, flying no more than thirty feet up (most of the time only about 5 feet up) - learning to control it smoothly and evenly and doing things like figure 8s and circling my tower at an even distance. Suddenly the drone started climbing and heading south. I ran towards it with my control held high and finally the control (fresh batteries) seemed to regain control - minor crash #1. I tried flying it again... and after a minute it suddenly started straight up again. I ran up near the drone with full down, and finally it came down. I commanded it to land... and it did and the motors spun down... then suddenly the motors spun back up, and it took off straight up into the limbs of a tree - climbing, turned south, and started heading that direction when it hit the limbs. Now I have a busted prop and one of the motors is squealing a bit every now and then.

We have someone in the neighborhood who is quite technically capable and who hacked into our cable internet modem THROUGH THE CABLE (turned on the wireless and basically took over our internet - the cable company ended up getting us a special high security modem/router). I wouldn't put it past them to be hacking something like a drone.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is there a solution? Any suggestions (remember - VERY limited budget here!!!)???