Chuika 3.0 saves film crew in Izium Community

Editor of Obrii Iziumshchyny Kostiantyn Hryhorenko told how the drone detector from the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) works

The frontline publication Obrii Iziumshchyny reported on the first experience of using the portable FPV drone detector Chuika 3.0, which was recently given to the creative team for free by the NUJU.

The device has already proven its effectiveness in real conditions – during a joint trip with the film crew of the YouTube channel YE PYTANNYA to the village of Kamiyanka, the detector recorded a potential threat in the air.

“This time there was no need to leave the car or go to shelter, but the device demonstrated its effectiveness,” says editor-in-chief Kostiantyn Hryhorenko in his material. “At a certain point, Chuika recorded a signal and warned about a potential threat. Soon the activity in the air disappeared, and the situation stabilized.”

The report on the life of the frontline Izium Community was prepared by media worker Alena Savina, a former journalist for Suspilne, together with a cameraman. YE PYTANNIA is a channel created by professional independent journalists as a Ukrainian “anti-television”.

The detector reacts to changes in the radio frequency environment even before the drone becomes visible visually or audible to a person. The device does not “look” at the sky – it “listens” to it: barely noticeable changes in the noisy radio air, signal fluctuations, and characteristic electromagnetic deviations allow the system to detect the presence of drones at an early stage.

Chuika 3.0 manufactured by BlueBird Tech operates in three frequency bands – 1.2, 3.3 and 5.8 GHz, which covers a wide range of FPV drones that are actively used by the enemy. The device does not require additional settings and is ready to work immediately after switching on. The battery provides 6–8 hours of battery life. The detector is compact, weighs about 450–650 grams and has two screens – for displaying the video signal and an activity histogram.

Journalists of Obrii Iziumshchyny use the device when traveling outside the community and performing editorial tasks in frontline areas.

The newsroom emphasizes: in modern conditions of work in frontline areas, it is critically important for journalists not to neglect safety measures. This includes both personal protective equipment – ​​bulletproof vests, helmets, first-aid kits – and technical means of monitoring the air situation.

“Such tools do not eliminate the risk completely, but they allow us to increase the level of awareness of threats and respond in a timely manner to dangerous changes in the situation while working in the field,” concludes Kostiantyn Hryhorenko.

As earlier reported, the transfer of FPV drone detectors to frontline newsrooms is part of NUJU’s systematic work to ensure the safety of journalists covering events in high-risk areas.