BlueMark Innovations DroneBeacon db152fpv

The DroneBeacon db152fpv from BlueMark Innovations is a Remote ID board for small FPV drones. It is designed to be built in and has no GNSS receiver of its own: instead it reads the data of an external receiver in NMEA or UBX format and passes it on to the flight controller. At 2.9 g including the antenna it is meant for light builds.

It transmits over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy on 2.4 GHz. The voltage range of 4.75 to 15 V allows the board to be powered through its GPS-OUT connector. Because the position comes from an external receiver, the quality of the identification depends on the GNSS receiver the drone already carries; a poor fix is broadcast one to one.

In the EU a module must transmit to ASD-STAN EN 4709-002 and carry an EU declaration of conformity; US standards alone are not enough. Direct remote identification is mandatory on drones of classes C1, C2, C3, C5 and C6 and, in the specific category, since 01.01.2024; class C0 (under 250 g) and class C4 are exempt. The module has to accept the operator registration number and send serial number, time, position, altitude, course and speed throughout the flight.

When choosing, check whether the registration number can be entered and whether the flight controller can pass the GNSS data stream through. The board works in the same 2.4 GHz band as ExpressLRS receivers, so the antennas should be kept apart rather than routed side by side. On FPV drones solder joints and connectors are the wear points, because vibration and crashes load them.