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Lost spark

I think so.


Perhaps. I've never seen a case like this where there was definitely nothing beneath the drone (e.g. 3rd party accessories, fog).
It was really strange as I took it down that area for the fact it was so widely open with no obstruction, is there a way of DJI finding out if it was a software/malfunction issue? I would just like to get to the bottom of it
 
is there a way of DJI finding out if it was a software/malfunction issue?
There is a more comprehensive flight log on the drone and the drone of course contains the potentially defective hardware. If you're not able to find the drone, DJI is not going to be able to help. However, they might offer you a free replacement if they feel they are at fault.
 
There is a more comprehensive flight log on the drone and the drone of course contains the potentially defective hardware. If you're not able to find the drone, DJI is not going to be able to help. However, they might offer you a free replacement if they feel they are at fault.
Ok, I have sent an email already to DJI but I’m guessing being over the new year period they aren’t open? I am going to check the roof of that building tomorrow so fingers crossed it’s up there
 
I’m guessing being over the new year period they aren’t open?
I'm not sure. You can chat with them live here if you want to follow up. Click "Online Support" under "Other Support Options".
 
TRY USING AIR DATA APP IT SHOULD & WILL GIVE YOU MORE ANSWERS !
Here's the Airdata log if you want to review it and comment on your findings:

 
Here's the Airdata log if you want to review it and comment on your findings:

I notice the wind speed and direction is fairly strong when it was at the max alt whilst disconnected, could this change the search area? Also is it common for the battery to raise in heat like I does? I am still learning so the help is much appreciated
 
Im not sure if you have seen any of the other videos from my drone but there is one which recorded for 1 sec , are you able to see where abouts on the map it was? also at what height?
 
are you able to see where abouts on the map it was?
No. You really just need to head out and start searching that area. Assuming nobody else picked it up (which is entirely possible since it's in a public location), it should be somewhere near where you were standing.
 
I have searched the entire area around the club, the roof, the field over the road , I have exhausted all possible areas, I’m waiting on a response from DJI at the moment
 
It wasn't descending because the downward sensors were detecting an obstacle beneath the Spark. What they were detecting is quite a mystery.

Was it foggy? Check out the video link below where a guy took his spark to about 600ft just above a dense layer of fog, as the spark descended it actually thought the top of the fog layer was solid ground!

Vid in question!
 
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useually 98% are user error.. first when setting up to take off..

power on your remote first
power on drone
open app
click go fly
check status of the imu if its green its good
calibrate the compass
let the drone sit where its at for atleast 30 seconds.. check to make sure the app says home point recorded or a h appears if it does not
then go into the 3 dots and set the home point manually

then take off let it hover for 30 seconds this is to capture a picture with the downward camera of the landscape for precise landings..

then fly as normal.. and if you fly far out.. always look at your batt voltage and time.. only go 50% of the batt out.. then youll have plenty to come home with

dont let the app return to home your ensuring that it might fault that way..

i always rth myself via the app or the transmitter button

and make sure your hight for return to home is high enough far past trees etc....

follow these rules and youll most likely have flawless flights then youll know if its a gps error etc

also make sure you have 10 to 12 sats... and dont fly around alot of routers or other fliers... dji fracked up with the transmitter systems on these sparks
they should of used spread spectrum aka freq hopping but no they land on active wifi channels alot of times.. and the 5.8 channels are horrible too..

this is why i prefer to build my own quads... i can use my dx8 with the current firmware or a fsss hopping transmitter.. then i know its secure..
but they cheaped out and did the whole non fsss
and upped the power thats why the transmitter gets hot its like 1 watt and the drone gets hot just idleing its like 1 watt too...
aka they compinsated with high power..

the best drones are the phantom series they have a custom set.. although i think this is a lie because the fcc limits freq anyway
 
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Was it foggy? Check out the video link below where a guy took his spark to about 600ft just above a dense layer of fog, as the spark descended it actually thought the top of the fog layer was solid ground!

Vid in question!
It wasn’t foggy , it was a fairly clear day, although when it got to the height it did when I initiated RTH I noticed it looked cloudy on the camera,
useually 98% are user error.. first when setting up to take off..

power on your remote first
power on drone
open app
click go fly
check status of the imu if its green its good
calibrate the compass
let the drone sit where its at for atleast 30 seconds.. check to make sure the app says home point recorded or a h appears if it does not
then go into the 3 dots and set the home point manually

then take off let it hover for 30 seconds this is to capture a picture with the downward camera of the landscape for precise landings..

then fly as normal.. and if you fly far out.. always look at your batt voltage and time.. only go 50% of the batt out.. then youll have plenty to come home with

dont let the app return to home your ensuring that it might fault that way..

i always rth myself via the app or the transmitter button

and make sure your hight for return to home is high enough far past trees etc....

follow these rules and youll most likely have flawless flights then youll know if its a gps error etc

also make sure you have 10 to 12 sats... and dont fly around alot of routers or other fliers... dji fracked up with the transmitter systems on these sparks
they should of used spread spectrum aka freq hopping but no they land on active wifi channels alot of times.. and the 5.8 channels are horrible too..

this is why i prefer to build my own quads... i can use my dx8 with the current firmware or a fsss hopping transmitter.. then i know its secure..
but they cheaped out and did the whole non fsss
and upped the power thats why the transmitter gets hot its like 1 watt and the drone gets hot just idleing its like 1 watt too...
aka they compinsated with high power..

the best drones are the phantom series they have a custom set.. although i think this is a lie because the fcc limits freq anyway
I appreciate all of the advice, however, I had ensured all those steps had been done before takeoff, also I had app57% battery remaining when I initiated the RTH, instead it dropped around 65% signal almost instantly and dropped all connection, a few seconds later it increased altitude from around 650ft to 1150 feet, I had absolutely no control of my drone whatsoever and on the split moment where it came back on connection I had tried to cancel the RTH to bring the drone straight back down to decrease the altitude it failed the command and the error was a timeout, I have searched high and low around the area where it supposedly landed which was by the takeoff point and I extended the search wider around the immediate area and across local fields etc
After looking at the flight logs there were no magnetic interference the weather was clear and not foggy, the satellites were on average 15 and until the RTH was started I had 90-100% signal, I was flying around 35ft away from the takeoff with altitude of 600-650ft (I appreciate this is above the uk legal limit now hence why I RTH)

I do appreciate the advice though as I realise there are a lot of factors which can make it user error when flying, on this occasion I truly believe there was nothing more I could have done to ensure I made no mistakes
 
I truly believe there was nothing more I could have done to ensure I made no mistakes
If something like this ever happens again, you should do these things:
  • After initiating RTH, immediately cancel RTH if the Spark climbs higher than the RTH altitude. You can then manually fly the Spark back to the home point and land.

  • Reposition the remote controller antennas so the flat side is pointing at the Spark. When the Spark is directly overhead (like in this case), the antennas should be parallel to the ground.

  • If repositioning the antennas does not reestablish the remote controller connection, then back away from the Spark so you're not standing underneath it.
 
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If something like this ever happens again, you should do these things:
  • After initiating RTH, immediately cancel RTH if the Spark climbs higher than the RTH altitude. You can then manually fly the Spark back to the home point and land.

  • Reposition the remote controller antennas so the flat side is pointing at the Spark. When the Spark is directly overhead (like in this case), the antennas should be parallel to the ground.

  • If repositioning the antennas does not reestablish the remote controller connection, then back away from the Spark so you're not standing underneath it.
I couldn’t cancel the RTH, it timed out , I was 37+ft away from the drone so not directly underneath, I had actually moved the antennas to face in the position I thought the drone was (I had lost sight by that point) I am still waiting on a response from DJI but am yet to get one, it has been nearly a week now and I have been going over and over the flight logs and UAV data, there was nothing I could possibly to do change how the outcome went, if I was in the same situation and similar things happen again I will do everything that I did before which is the same as you have advised
 
I couldn’t cancel the RTH, it timed out
I guess it depends on when you tried to cancel it. The log shows your remote controller was connected for quite a bit of time before the Spark started auto landing.

After it started auto landing, there would have been no way to cancel RTH (since it was landing due to the battery level). That's why I suggested you cancel RTH right away. Instead, you chose to throttle down for some reason.

I get it. Hindsight is 20/20.
 
I guess it depends on when you tried to cancel it. The log shows your remote controller was connected for quite a bit of time before the Spark started auto landing.

After it started auto landing, there would have been no way to cancel RTH (since it was landing due to the battery level). That's why I suggested you cancel RTH right away. Instead, you chose to throttle down for some reason.

I get it. Hindsight is 20/20.
I get what you are saying and tbh I tried everything I could but nothing responded and it just displayed that it was disconnected, even the rudder response time is extremely poor on the UAV log so perhaps that could be something to do with the fact nothing was happening, but when I have no sight of the drone after it increased in height so much after RTH I couldn’t see what was happening, the camera wasnt showing anything and nothing was responding and when I tried cancelling the RTH which I’m sure I did on a few occasions it showed error command timed out, it’s frustrating and I apologise now if I sound out of tone with my replies I’m just gutted that it’s gone , I even bought a smaller drone before I bought the spark to practice without the GPS so I had a good understanding on what to expect while flying a drone

I loved the spark for the two days I had it for! And I am keen to get back out as over the week I have been reading so much on what should and shouldn’t be done, I hope DJI can help in the situation to get to the bottom of what actually happened that day
 

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