Newbie with a few questions

[S7ewie]

Hey Everyone,

I just bought a spark, my first ever drone, and I have a few questions.

I bought it second hand from a guy who flys a Mavic. He said he bought it as a gift for his dad but it just sat on the side unused for 10 months so he decided to sell it. It was in perfect condition, still had all the protective stickers on and still has a warranty so I quite believe him. On that note though they obviously activated it when they first got it. I don't know if that registers it to your account or anything like that so firstly, is there anything I need to do to reactivate it to me? or is that just simply to get it to turn on?

Secondly I'm having an issue with the Wifi, where I seem to have to reset it (by holding the power button down for 10 seconds) every time to get it visible on my phone. Works with my iPhone though, just not my Galexy S7 so I presume that's more of a phone issue?

One of the first thing's I've realised is that I need to get myself the controller. I've seen a map in some of the images of DJI GO 4 but I don't have one so i'm assuming that's a feature that comes with the controller?

Also it didn't come with an SD card so I've ordered one for delivery tomorrow. I presume that without this I cant use any of the quick capture features? Also I only have one capture mode for photos available but again, I'm guessing that will change with the SD card?

I'm a bit confused by the Return To Home feature. Do you have to set a home point every time you fly at a new location? I don't really understand Dynamic Home Point either.

Is there a best Joystick Mode? I've seen from polls that most people use mode 2 but is there any particular reason to that? There are other's that feel a bit more natural to me but if that's the most widely used mode then I'd probably rather get used to that in case I ever fly someone elses.

Thanks

Stuart

 

[Asset4air]

Hey Everyone,

I just bought a spark, my first ever drone, and I have a few questions.

I bought it second hand from a guy who flys a Mavic. He said he bought it as a gift for his dad but it just sat on the side unused for 10 months so he decided to sell it. It was in perfect condition, still had all the protective stickers on and still has a warranty so I quite believe him. On that note though they obviously activated it when they first got it. I don't know if that registers it to your account or anything like that so firstly, is there anything I need to do to reactivate it to me? or is that just simply to get it to turn on?

Secondly I'm having an issue with the Wifi, where I seem to have to reset it (by holding the power button down for 10 seconds) every time to get it visible on my phone. Works with my iPhone though, just not my Galexy S7 so I presume that's more of a phone issue?

One of the first thing's I've realised is that I need to get myself the controller. I've seen a map in some of the images of DJI GO 4 but I don't have one so i'm assuming that's a feature that comes with the controller?

Also it didn't come with an SD card so I've ordered one for delivery tomorrow. I presume that without this I cant use any of the quick capture features? Also I only have one capture mode for photos available but again, I'm guessing that will change with the SD card?

I'm a bit confused by the Return To Home feature. Do you have to set a home point every time you fly at a new location? I don't really understand Dynamic Home Point either.

Is there a best Joystick Mode? I've seen from polls that most people use mode 2 but is there any particular reason to that? There are other's that feel a bit more natural to me but if that's the most widely used mode then I'd probably rather get used to that in case I ever fly someone elses.

Thanks

Stuart

Hi Stuart and welcome,

You put so many questions in your message that my brain can only deal with a few at a time (although I want to help) firstly get a controller, get delivery of your SD card and then try and sync all three by following the instructions. You want them synced together. Then post for help. [emoji106]
I'm fairly new on here but it's full of very knowledgeable people so you are in good hands.

 

[Spark 317]

What he said.

 

[Northwood Mediaworks]

As long as you have decent GPS signals, the homepoint is autmatically set. Dymanic home point is so that you can roam around on the ground and the aircraft will RTH to your current location. I've never used it, never seen the need. I take off from an open area free of any obstacles. Then once I am in my flight, I can walk around and keep line of sight, knowing that if I do need to action RTH its got a safe place to land. I use the default stick mode. Cant see any reason to change it. Get a fast micro SD card, dont cheap out, and get two.... one will eventually crap out on you just when you need it not to! Fly safe!

 

[S7ewie]

Thanks Northwood,

The homepoint is automatically set to what then? Where you take off from?

I’m not sure which one is the default mode. Presumably Mode1? Or is that Mode2? I done some googling last night and found that Mode3 generally feels more natural to gamers so I guess that explains that. But if everyone used mode2 then I’d rather get used to that so that I could easily fly another one if I ever got the opportunity.

Thanks

 

[Asset4air]

Hi, you will see there are 2 options for setting the homepoint. 1. From where you take off and the other is where the controller is. That updates as you go. Useful if you are on a boat or similar.
Default controller is mode 2. Gamers like mode 3 because the sticks are opposite to mode 2 but common set up for games on ps4 and Xbox. So there is familiarity in the controls from the start. Personally I fly mode 2. Hope this helps [emoji106]

 

[S7ewie]

Ahh I see. I assumed those two buttons were for setting the home point (so had to be pressed before you take off). I didn't realise they updated automatically. Fair enough I'll just set it to the take off point then

Thanks. Yeah I think mode 3 is more natural to me but if mode 2 is the more commonly used I'll try to get used to that

 

[lmel2005]

Thanks Northwood,

The homepoint is automatically set to what then? Where you take off from?

I’m not sure which one is the default mode. Presumably Mode1? Or is that Mode2? I done some googling last night and found that Mode3 generally feels more natural to gamers so I guess that explains that. But if everyone used mode2 then I’d rather get used to that so that I could easily fly another one if I ever got the opportunity.

Thanks

Yes, home point is set every time you takeoff, automatically.

Spark uses two WiFi bands.
5.8g is not supported by some devices, in specific regions, so this may be the reason your phones are "seeing" spark or not.
When you reset it, you change WiFi band.

You absolutely need a controller. Without it spark is very limited, almost useless.

Mode 2 is the default mode for every drone in the market, so it's useful to get used to it.

Rth is a little complicated function. Read manual carefully, as drone, when rth is initiated, does something different depending on distance.

Welcome to the club, and the forum!

 

[S7ewie]

Ahh I see, that makes sense.

Yeah don't worry. Controller is on the list haha.

Thanks

 

[Koala Tails]

Hi S7ewie, the controller should be top of the list, it greatly improves the whole experience.
The homepoint sets automatically on takeoff if you hover in place for a few seconds. It is a very important feature!
The Spark works best with apple products, other phones can be used, but may have issues.
Read through the manual, it’s available online.
Welcome to the forum, as you see it has some really helpful members.
Hope you get your bird in the sky soon. Fly safe.

 

[MannyCAM2001]

Also, when establishing a homepoint, let it hover for a few seconds inbetween 20 and 30 feet. This is essential for a more precise landing when in the RTH flight mode.

This of course is when you are at a stationary or fixed point position.

Read and reread your Spark flight (Users) manual.
Cheers

 

[Ronman29]

Thanks Northwood,

The homepoint is automatically set to what then? Where you take off from?

I’m not sure which one is the default mode. Presumably Mode1? Or is that Mode2? I done some googling last night and found that Mode3 generally feels more natural to gamers so I guess that explains that. But if everyone used mode2 then I’d rather get used to that so that I could easily fly another one if I ever got the opportunity.

Thanks

Use whichever mode feels most natural to you.

 

[S7ewie]

Thanks guys.

Yeah I'll be getting the controller any day now Just waiting for that pay cheque haha.
So presumably if I use the option for the RTH controller then the drone will always come back to me even if I move? Where as RTH drone will stick to where it took off from?
Yeah I'm using it with my work phone now (iPhone).

Thanks everyone

 

[Spark 317]

the drone will always come back to me even if I move?

Only if your device is GPS enabled and the Spark is set to follow you in the RTH settings.

Dynamic Home Point setting, I think?

I fly with a WiFi only mini4 so I can't roam around much.

I haven't tried with my Droids yet.

 

[S7ewie]

Oh okay so what happens if you have the controller RTH without dynamic home point? I guess it just sets your location as the home point when it takes off? but doesn't move if you move?

 

[Spark 317]

Yes. Launch point.
Yes. It does not move.

 

[tmgrood]

All I can add is since you're a new pilot go through the manual. You can find it on the DJI website.
Read it a couple times to understand it better.
When you start flying get to know how it handles. Fly in a close proximity and move on from there.
Soon you'll be posting awesome videos on YouTube and sharing the links here for all of us to enjoy.

 

[S7ewie]

Got my controller today and had a quick scoot around the village. Was so cool! Lost signal a few times which was annoying but it came back fairly quick. Footage from the SD card looked really nice

 

[smashitup11]

Got my controller today and had a quick scoot around the village. Was so cool! Lost signal a few times which was annoying but it came back fairly quick. Footage from the SD card looked really nice

The spark is awesome, I just got mine about a month ago. When I first played with it , I used the return to home button to land it and after a couple times it just wasnt that practical although super cool. The cool part about RTH function is that if your battery is too low it will automatically return to home. But honestly I dont use it much.

 

[Speedmeister]

I use RTH mostly for testing compass. I did however went through the different instances of RTH so I can have first hand experience with it. It is scary experiencing failsafe RTH, smart RTH, or emergency RTH the first time around.