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Be carefull about selling your autonomous flying creations on e-bay! — Parallax Forums

Be carefull about selling your autonomous flying creations on e-bay!

Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
edited 2011-03-31 10:31 in General Discussion
If you are thinking of selling your autonomous GPS guided quadcopter with video cameras and digital data link on e-bay, think again: http://www.suasnews.com/2011/03/4822/dont-sell-rq-11-ravens-on-ebay/

Comments

  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2011-03-29 10:33
    The highly questionable export regs notwithstanding, he's also "accused of knowingly bringing an item into the United States contrary to law." That one begs further explanation.

    -Phil
  • sam_sam_samsam_sam_sam Posts: 2,286
    edited 2011-03-29 11:17
    Something smell real fish e here the goverment is saying what ....> "accused of knowingly bringing an item into the United States contrary to law" what could this be and how do they know that this person knew that what they bring in was against the law any way I would like to know this my self
  • Invent-O-DocInvent-O-Doc Posts: 768
    edited 2011-03-29 11:21
    He shouldn't have hands his hands on this item in the first place. Militaries are the only lawful customers to purchase this military inventory item. I'm not sure why they are prosecuting him there. It is a strange story.
  • sam_sam_samsam_sam_sam Posts: 2,286
    edited 2011-03-29 11:28
    Invent-O-Doc wrote: »
    He shouldn't have hands his hands on this item in the first place. " It is a strange story".
    I agree with you that this is a real is a strange story
  • hinvhinv Posts: 1,255
    edited 2011-03-29 18:32
    Invent-O-Doc wrote: »
    He shouldn't have hands his hands on this item in the first place. Militaries are the only lawful customers to purchase this military inventory item. I'm not sure why they are prosecuting him there. It is a strange story.

    Maybe you should read the bill of rights again. If you were a soldier, you took an oath to it.
    The second article covers all "arms".

    Also, noone is claiming AFAIK, that they have been dammaged by his actions, it is not unlawful. If he violated ome statute, that would mke it illegal. There is a huge difference.
    Homeland Security OTOH not only is illegal in it's existance, but also unlawful in it's opperation.
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2011-03-29 18:54
    The thing looks like a radio control model plane. The DIY drones group has been adding automatic GPS navigation to radio control planes for years.
  • HollyMinkowskiHollyMinkowski Posts: 1,398
    edited 2011-03-29 21:19
    That thing looks pretty ordinary to me, the posters on this forum
    could probably whip up a more advanced drone in a few weeks.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2011-03-29 21:25
    If they all fly as well as shown in the video, there's zero risk of a security breach. Let's sell them all to the bad guys on Ebay and drain their funding!
  • RavenkallenRavenkallen Posts: 1,057
    edited 2011-03-29 21:44
    I agree with others. That drone is nothing special. If it was a armed predator drone, that might be different:)
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2011-03-29 23:01
    HollyMinkowski,
    That thing looks pretty ordinary to me, the posters on this forum
    could probably whip up a more advanced drone in a few weeks.

    And that was really my point in posting. I can imagine a day when Cluso99, say, arrives in the USA proudly carrying his Propeller powered QuadCopter to show off at a Parallax gathering. BAM he's picked up by DHS and facing 20 years in the clink.

    M.K.Borri here already has a clause in his software license terms disallowing use for military purposes specifically because he has already had this problem.

    The States is becoming a worrying place to have to visit.
  • william chanwilliam chan Posts: 1,326
    edited 2011-03-30 00:20
    Will Propeller II be export restricted due to Homeland Security concerns?
  • PJAllenPJAllen Banned Posts: 5,065
    edited 2011-03-30 20:25
    If some total jackasses hijack jetliners and ram them
    into some skyscrapers on your turf I think you won't
    be talking your smart*** bull****.
  • RavenkallenRavenkallen Posts: 1,057
    edited 2011-03-30 20:46
    @Heater... I would still rather live in America, than any place in the whole world... The UK has their fair share of troubles to:)
  • Peter KG6LSEPeter KG6LSE Posts: 1,383
    edited 2011-03-30 22:02
    william chan wrote: »
    Will Propeller II be export restricted due to Homeland Security concerns?

    I doubt it .

    for what CPU speed ? My 6 YO Ibook g4 is faster then a P2 ( Intel or parallax ) .
    It will be a Very fast and useful Micro but that's about it .
    I remember when the G4 I had in 01' was controlled Export materials . I felt special.


    Heater. wrote: »
    M.K.Borri here already has a clause in his software license terms disallowing use for military purposes specifically because he has already had this problem.


    I doubt a person who does bad acts will Give a hoot of what a license says .
    just like how People who steal software ignore " Don't copy that floppy" from the 90s.


    Peter
  • UnknownUnknown
    edited 2011-03-31 03:55
    Why aren't the Youtube videos of the Raven classified? Why are they available all over the internet? It is ironic that some people can't talk about the stuff but the information is widely available.
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2011-03-31 06:07
    These export laws have always been kind of flaky as civilian technology moves faster than the laws change. Back in the early 90's before rules for strong cryptography were relaxed, you could get trouble for allowing someone outside the country to download software from your server that contained cryptography libraries. However, if you wrote an English language description of the program it was legal.

    @Peter KG6LSE, I imagine the license clause isn't to stop bad guys, but to show an attempt on the part of the author that their technology should not be considered a munition. I'm not sure how well that would work.
  • ctwardellctwardell Posts: 1,716
    edited 2011-03-31 06:25
    Not sure if many of you are aware of this, but when the FAA issues a "No Fly Zone" due to a VIP being in the area, IT INCLUDES BOTH TOY AND MODEL AIRCRAFT. I suppose they want to minimize the number of airborne targets that need to be tracked, but it seems to me to be some serious overkill. I guess they take the name of those COX "Killer Bee" engines a little too seriously.

    http://www.mh-aerotools.de/airfoils/cox_killer_bee.htm

    C.W.
  • TtailspinTtailspin Posts: 1,326
    edited 2011-03-31 07:35
    How many hours spent spinning in circles with an .049 on the other end of a string.? :sick: (good times.:smile:)

    I accidentally drove a Red Baron Bi Plane into My sisters back when she got to close to the Flight Circle..(good times.:smile:)
    I blame the authorities, if, for My safety, they had outlawed the Cox engines, it would not have happened..
  • ctwardellctwardell Posts: 1,716
    edited 2011-03-31 08:21
    Ttailspin wrote: »
    How many hours spent spinning in circles with an .049 on the other end of a string.?

    Quite a few, but it will never be too many.

    I once flew one into my own back, it was too windy and the lines went slack and it came right at me. I turned to run, heard the engine stop at the same time a felt a stinging pain right between my shoulders.

    They are hard to come by these days, I did find a kit and some supplies from a company called Brodak. I have a couple good Cox Black Widows that should last for awhile if I take good care of them. I'm hoping to get my daughter into flying them this summer. I suppose I should start looking at electrics, but the scream of those little .049's is something I would really miss.

    C.W.
  • TtailspinTtailspin Posts: 1,326
    edited 2011-03-31 09:19
    It took Me a long time to get past the scream of those engines..
    I was terrified of the scream of those engines, I recieved a COX chopper(motor cycle) as a gift when I was about
    seven years old, It sat on the shelf until I was ten years old...

    LOL, is it even possable to find Glow Plugs in a ten pack anymore?
  • Peter KG6LSEPeter KG6LSE Posts: 1,383
    edited 2011-03-31 10:31
    I had a ton of .049s when I was young in VA with 5 acres to play with !

    I was really good at RC but in Cali with .4 Acres and teh So cal fire issue I never flew again..


    Peter
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