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To put it simply, a UAV is simply a component of a UAS. In simple terms, a UAS is the totality of everything that makes a UAV work including its GPS module, ground control module, transmission systems, camera, all the software, and the person on the ground controlling the drone. What is a UAS?Īn Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) is, thankfully, very easy to differentiate from a UAV. This is an important distinction to make as we look at the difference between a UAV and a UAS. On a more pedantic level, a UAV refers only to the aircraft itself and none of the other accessories and equipment that make it work. On the other hand, we can make the safe assumption that all UAVs are drones. Although the terms “UAV” and “drone” are used interchangeably in practically all articles, websites, and news, we must make a distinction that not all drones are UAVs. What is a UAV?Īn Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) narrows down the definition of a drone only to aircraft that can fly autonomously or remotely.
#Drone definition tv#
It’s a good word to use for popular media such as movies and TV but may insufficiently specific for technical conversations. The term can be used to refer to both fixed-wing and multicopter models, although the latter type has definitely become much more common nowadays. In many ways, “drone” is a term that can be used as a non-technical catch-all for both UAV and UAS. Thus, a simpler way of defining a drone is simply as any vehicle that can operate without a drive or pilot inside it. In modern times, the definition of drone has expanded to include vehicles that can be controlled remotely, on top of those that are capable of autonomous movement. From a technical standpoint, a drone can refer to any vehicle – even those that travel in water or land – that can travel autonomously.
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“Drone” is the most commonly used term to refer to any unmanned aerial vehicle, mostly because it’s a term that the media knows will catch the attention of casual viewers. However, a drone can also refer to a $20 flying toy meant for a child to fly using a simple mobile app.Īdding to the confusion is the fact that most laws and federal regulations concerning these “drones” refer to them as either “UAV” or “UAS.” The most obvious example is the Part 107 rules which are officially called the “Small Unmanned Aircraft Rule” and uses the term “UAS” liberally in its text.įor us to clear the confusion, let’s clearly define the three terms – drone, UAV, and UAS. The Predator XP, an unmanned aircraft used by the United States Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency equipped with sophisticated cameras and sensors for surveillance, is referred to as a drone. As a result, bandwidth can be used more efficiently.The problem with the term “drone” is that it’s been used by the media for just about any type of unmanned vehicle.
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The spread-spectrum signals add minimal noise to the narrow-frequency communications, and vice versa. Spread-spectrum transmissions can share a frequency band with many types of conventional transmissions with minimal interference. An eavesdropper may have difficulty intercepting a transmission in real time if the pseudorandom sequence is not known.ģ. A spread-spectrum signal may merely appear as an increase in the background noise to a narrowband receiver. Spread-spectrum signals are difficult to intercept. The process of recollecting a spread signal spreads out the interfering signal, causing it to recede into the background.Ģ. Spread-spectrum signals are highly resistant to narrowband interference. Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum is a method of transmitting radio signals by rapidly switching a carrier among many frequency channels, using a pseudorandom sequence known to both transmitter and receiver.Īdvantages over a fixed-frequency transmission: Advantagesġ.
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