Dusk to dark flying

[Ronsenvy]

Hello,
I encountered a problem while flying at dusk:30. Spark was out about 1000 ft. and 300+ ft high, when a power loss, then increase, kind of sputtering on, off, loosing altitude all the time. I increased the left stick, no effect at all. I then pressed the hold button and it stabilized. My friend who was next to me said go to go 4 and disarm obstacle avoidance. This done I resumed control of spark. Why did this happen and has anyone else had this problem, and is that the right cure for the problem?

 

[Dronason]

If you want more advise, you need to retrieve the .DAT flight recorder data from the Spark as describe HERE.
The .TXT from the app could be uploaded to DJI Flight Log Viewer and the link to the uploaded file posted here for quick evaluation.
The .DAT file you can share it through dropbox or similar and post a link here. It contains more data but is more complicated to evaluate. The main advantage is that it give info from the Spark point of view and not from the app. The downside is that there is a limited space in the Spark for these DAT files and the oldest is automatically deleted when space is needed for a new flight.

In general, best source for info HERE.

 

[Ronsenvy]

Thank you for the reply. I will try to recover it. But many more successful flights have been accomplished since then. It may be wiped out.

 

[Dronason]

Thank you for the reply. I will try to recover it. But many more successful flights have been accomplished since then. It may be wiped out.

Yes, most probably the .DAT is gone. But the .TXT from the app should be still present.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

The OA will have difficulty in low light or shiny surfaces like water... even bright sun can trick it.

 

[Mikel Manitius]

Do you know about the KP-Index?
If not, Google it.
It's worst around sunset, but some days are worse than others and there are plenty of resources to look at the forecast.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Do you know about the KP-Index?
If not, Google it.
It's worst around sunset, but some days are worse than others and there are plenty of resources to look at the forecast.

While the KP index is something to be aware of but... I would not ever not fly due to it unless other electronics are affected too (which hasn't happened yet). I have flown multiple different models in all different KP levels over many years with no ill effects. YMMV.

 

[Ronsenvy]

Hi Mike, Just when I thought this was corrected, you discover another condition to worry about. Just kidding. I researched KP index and that may be a very real influence on flights. I find it hard to analyze the model for my area to pin down the exact period that I would be affected. I think more study by me will help. Thank You for your input.
Ron

 

[Dronason]

In general the described issue is a loss of altitude which is defined by barometer, not by GPS.
Solar activity could influence radio transmission, it is a fact. It could in theory also bring disturbance to electronic circuits, but it would need very high KP level which are very rare.
But in these days, electronic is designed to be more resistant to EMC, GPS receivers have improved algorithm and number of satellite have increased a lot.
I am using the android app "Solar Activity" that gives indication of KP and "UAV Forecast" that use KP to evaluate effective number of GPS satellites. I have never been able along these years to establish any relationship between flight issues and KP, with pilot errors, firmware bugs or hardware failure yes.