ASTM F3411 message types: what's inside a Remote ID broadcast
Remote ID isn't one blob of data — it's a set of defined message types under ASTM F3411 (mirrored by ASD-STAN in Europe). Each carries a different piece of the picture. Understanding them explains why a receiver sometimes shows a serial number but no position, or a drone but no operator.
What is ASTM F3411?
ASTM F3411 is the technical standard that defines drone Remote ID: the data fields, the message types, and how they are broadcast over Bluetooth and WiFi. It is the specification receivers decode, and the reason a broadcast from one brand can be read by another's receiver.
The Remote ID message types
There are six: Basic ID (identity), Location/Vector (live position and motion), Authentication, Self ID (free text), System (operator/take-off location and area), and Operator ID (operator registration). A drone need not send all of them.
| Message | Carries |
|---|---|
| Basic ID | The UAS ID — serial number (CTA-2063-A) or registration — and UA type |
| Location / Vector | Live latitude, longitude, altitude, height, speed and track direction |
| Authentication | Optional data to verify the broadcast's integrity |
| Self ID | A short free-text description of the flight or operation |
| System | Operator or take-off location, plus operation area and classification |
| Operator ID | The operator's registration ID |
The two that matter most to a bystander are Location (where the drone is right now) and System (roughly where the pilot is) — see finding the drone operator for how the System message reveals the take-off point.
What is a Message Pack?
A Message Pack bundles several message types into a single broadcast, so a receiver can get identity, position and operator location from one transmission instead of waiting to collect each separately. Drones on WiFi commonly send a pack; Bluetooth Legacy, with its tiny packets, tends to spread the messages out.
What does a receiver actually show?
A receiver merges every message it hears from the same aircraft into one entry — so identity from the Basic ID, the moving position from Location, and the pilot's spot from System all attach to a single drone on your screen. If a field is blank, that drone simply hasn't sent that message type yet, or doesn't populate it.
This merging is exactly what D.A.R.S. does: it decodes each ASTM F3411 message, keeps the latest of each type per aircraft, and presents one live entry with the drone's ID, its track on a map, its altitude, and the operator location when broadcast. Because the same drone can arrive over two transports, D.A.R.S. also de-duplicates so you see one drone, not two copies of it.
Why a serial with no map pin? You received a Basic ID but not yet a Location message — common right after a drone appears, or when it has no GPS lock. The entry fills in as more messages arrive.
Frequently asked questions
Do all drones send every message type?
No. Basic ID and Location are the core; Self ID, System and Operator ID are sent by many but not all aircraft, and Authentication is often absent. A receiver shows whatever the drone actually broadcasts.
What is the UAS ID in Basic ID?
It is the drone's identity — usually a manufacturer serial number in the CTA-2063-A format, or a registration/session ID. It is the value you'd quote to identify a specific aircraft.
Is ASTM F3411 the same as the EU standard?
They are aligned. Europe's ASD-STAN prEN 4709-002 mirrors ASTM F3411 closely enough that the same receiver decodes both, which is why a single device works across regions. See EU Remote ID for the regulatory side.
See the decoded messages live
D.A.R.S. decodes every ASTM F3411 message and shows one live entry per drone — ID, track, altitude and operator location — on your phone. One-time €34, per device.
See D.A.R.S. →