New to RC - Is it possible to build a vehicle to navigate through underground storm drains?

[MikeAW2010]

Backstory:

So, this is going to sound crazy but, my new ex-g/f and I had a fight and in her vengeance, she took my cat and dumped him in the wilderness. I have been out there in tall grass (filled with snakes, coyotes, foxes, deer, bob cats, eagles, owls, and just about everything else a domesticated cat has no chance against) searching for him for the last two weeks and have come up with not even a trace of him. I'm quite terrified of being out there alone but I'm also very worried about my pet. There are storm drains in the area that feed from local businesses and residential areas.. ..I've been going near them and placing wild life cameras around them but only getting Racoons, Possums, and an occasional Feral Cat.

Mission:

I'm heavily tempted to explore those storm drains further to see if my cat may be hiding in one, I know an RC vehicle will easily fit inside but I don't know if I will be able to maintain control of the vehicles functions after it goes deeper into the drains, basically, will the signal be able to penetrate the ground, concrete or whatever the drain is made of and still reach the vehicle to control it, and also - will my camera be able to? .. What should I look for? be mindful I have absolutely 0 experience with RC vehicles, these are literally 2am thoughts for me but if I am able to build a vehicle, strap lights and a camera to it, and explore the drains then is there any way I can maintain control of the vehicle even if I am not directly near it, lets say I cannot follow it - will this still be possible? also will I beable to maintain visual from the camera while its underground?

Thanks.

 

[tntpoof]

Hello. and sorry about this read. revenge is (adult word).not sure how far away kitty got dropped . but he or she would seek out human life 1st as that where its food came from. as for rc only thing I can advise is a quad copter with flir.. maybe hire a good quad copter flyer to look 4 ur cat. you might get a crawler that can navigate the sd maybe maybe with a high resolution fpv camera
flir= forward looking infrared camera basically a night sight
fpv=1st person view. the person with goggles on can see what camera sees
does your kitty have a favorite toy or cat treat you can putout in a live trap?do a door to door search around are kitty was dropped..not sure what else to tell you is it tagged or collared? with your phone?

 

[baris41]

Omfg, what an evil person, i can't believe what i read. She must be punished.

You must hire a drone pilot to cover whole area on air. They surely can use it quicker than you. For drains, ill throw an idea. There are plumbers cameras (Sewer/Drain/Pipe Inspection Camera) which are ez to use, perfect in the dark maybe you can rent the equipment or hire someone.

Btw I don't know how large of an area you are talking about, but if you place his litter box, a t-shirt you worn or other items from your home, like pillow, blanket, your chance to find him, will be increased.

As a cat owner, don't be hopeless, they can survive better than we expected. Keep looking.

 

[Tunedfrog]

I hope your ex is recovering nicely as we speak... If your cat is still alive, he will make his way home. All cat's do for some freaky but cool reason.
Give it some time, he may show up back home. If the ex shows back up, I'm sure there is a storm drain that will accommodate her nicely....

 

[tntpoof]

wow tuned .. darn why dont we give her some (can't say I might lite a fuse).. anyway when I was 14 fishing in Detroit river by rouge steel(1967) I hooked something while jigging for walleye and reeled in a cement filled feed pail from way back it had humane remains in it smelled atrocious..

 

[tntpoof]

Ok A cat (feline) has thousands of years of built in survival skills to fall back on .. I hope you find kitty.. Get on Facebook and post about this maybe your story will hit someone either have your cat or help you get her back soon

 

[Tunedfrog]

wow tuned .. darn why dont we give her some (can't say I might lite a fuse).. anyway when I was 14 fishing in Detroit river by rouge steel(1967) I hooked something while jigging for walleye and reeled in a cement filled feed pail from way back it had humane remains in it smelled atrocious..

Just a joke is all. It's terrible she would pull something like that. I have no use for people like that and even the people who take it out on the other persons personal items, whether it be their car, stereo, tv, anything. A cat? Pets are family. She needs to be locked up...

 

[tntpoof]

I figured your where just j/k ing but now adays people take things way out there. I'm a passAfist right to the eye orbit LOL...people are hateful. I lost all my granns recopies when I walked outa that mess.. but I got most of my rc gear out . still missing a few fire arms...had 1 of my fur buddies jump out the front door at 1 am once. went right for her cat treats . raking the package she did a U turn 100 feet away from door.right back in was like That was nuts(shorties words The cat)....

 

[Tunedfrog]

I've went through a couple of divorces and luckily they were both somewhat civilized so on both accounts we left as understanding, agreeable adults and never got out of hand so to speak.
I've seen some bad ones with others however.
Didn't mean to hijack your thread @MikeAW2010 and I hope you are reunited with your cat....

 

[MikeAW2010]

I will look into hiring someone who can cover the area by drone. I am kind of worried about something. There is large undeveloped land that is owned by a ranch, we are talking something approximately 30 - 40 square miles. It is fenced off but storm drains do lead inside of it and its nothing but wildlife as the owner is holding off on selling it until he gets the right price so its literally a jungle smack in the middle of an urban area. I'm 'hoping' he didn't venture into it. I don't know what the legality is of flying over it and searching for him but when I requested to explore that area, I was denied...

I've put signs out (many got taken up by the city)
Fliers and Ad's
Nextdoor, Facebook, Called every shelter and also shared the ad's with them.
There is a large campus not far from it which is heavily secured and their security frequently checks in on me and they know about the missing cat too, fortunately they are animal friendly and understand my cause but are also warning me to becareful because there are rattlesnakes in the area that he was lost in.

And yeah I'm very tempted to find my ex and toss her out there in the wilderness as well.

 

[baris41]

Don't forget, cat's generally would found in a close area which was lost.

 

[Rolex]

I once had a white Persian with 4 5 week old kittens stolen by a junkie neighbor. I put an ad in the local paper and a few days later a girl called me up and said she was feeding a cat like that in the garage and said it was a nursing female. It had one green eye and one yellow eye. I went to that house, 2 miles from where I lived, and sure enough, Ribbit came out of the garage and climbed all over me. The girl (about 11 or 12) said that the cat would come out of the field across the road knowing that she could get fed at that house. We followed the cat into the field and through a wooded area till she stopped next to a stream where the grass was all pressed down. That's where she'd been keeping the kittens but they were now gone. I guess some kids playing by the stream found them and took them home.
If not for the kittens, I'm sure the cat would have found her way home on her own. Somehow a lot of them do.