RTH accuracy?

[ThorA]

My Spark is always landing a few meters off the recorded RTH-position, so I have to manually land the last bit to get it onto my "landing carpet". My landing accuracy is usually about 3-4 meters off recorded RTH.
- What is your experience?

 

[sparkfortheclouds]

My Spark is always landing a few meters off the recorded RTH-position, so I have to manually land the last bit to get it onto my "landing carpet". My landing accuracy is usually about 3-4 meters off recorded RTH.
- What is your experience?

This is pretty much normal, the drone uses GPS which is acurrate within a few meters,. When looking at dji go for4 at the top will see how many gps satellites you are currently locked on to the more the better and the accuracy goes up. Sometimes cloud cover specifically can influence how many satellites your drone can lock on to that and location often determines how many gps satelites is available to your drone in your area. In the area i fly the most i isually have 18 or 20 satelites and my RTh is max about 6 inches off i would say. But id i get below 15 gps satelites it can be 2 to 3 meters. The most it ever been out for me is 3 meters.

 

[sparkfortheclouds]

I wod suggest you perhaps try another location as test see what ur results are. I another thing i have read online is that some spark jacket /covers or vinyl stickers contain metalics that can interfer with gps signal, i dont know how practically true it is but i fly my spark as is, no stickers or jackets etc.

 

[Mikero]

My Spark is always landing a few meters off the recorded RTH-position, so I have to manually land the last bit to get it onto my "landing carpet". My landing accuracy is usually about 3-4 meters off recorded RTH.
- What is your experience?

To ensure precision landing, the Spark must take off vertically and to a height greater than seven metres.

 

[graywoulf]

I think too that a good visual home point reference is important. A parking lot or grass or any surface that blends in to it's surroundings does not give the visual positioning sensors/camera a significant reference point. Those portable landing pads do that job well but I have seen a lot of creative pads used by some.

 

[Bob Hospadaruk]

To ensure precision landing, the Spark must take off vertically and to a height greater than seven metres.

I've always heard something like this, but don't understand exactly. when you take off the spark goes up just a couple of feet, should you then drive it up to 25' and let it dwell there, how long? Is there a button to press?

 

[pmshop]

I've always heard something like this, but don't understand exactly. when you take off the spark goes up just a couple of feet, should you then drive it up to 25' and let it dwell there, how long? Is there a button to press?

Nothing else to do.
Just go straight up in P mode till about 22 ft.
Go fly around and then hit the RTH button.
When it says "Landing" you shoud see a green text popup stating something about "precision landing"

The craft should land within inches of the launch point.

With precision landings, the Spark takes "internal use photos" of the departure.
Then on the landing, matched the overlays with what it is "seeing" on the way down.

To activate, must be a straight up take off in P mode (Not Sport) and up to at least 22 ft (7m)
The higher the better - up to 50ft (15m)

 

[Bob Hospadaruk]

Nothing else to do.
Just go straight up in P mode till about 22 ft.
Go fly around and then hit the RTH button.
When it says "Landing" you shoud see a green text popup stating something about "precision landing"

The craft should land within inches of the launch point.

With precision landings, the Spark takes "internal use photos" of the departure.
Then on the landing, matched the overlays with what it is "seeing" on the way down.

To activate, must be a straight up take off in P mode (Not Sport) and up to at least 22 ft (7m)
The higher the better - up to 50ft (15m)

Is there some amount of dwell time there at 7 meters while pictures are taken?

 

[pmshop]

Is there some amount of dwell time there at 7 meters while pictures are taken?

No sir, it takes the pictures on the way up automatically.
No dwell time required
But it would be nice with a pop up or audible "Precision landing captured"

 

[Speedmeister]

Much easier to do auto take off when testing your precision landing. It hovers at VPS range and once it saves homepoint you fly out to RTH range. It lands when close to homepoint when you RTH. The key is slow vertical take off.

 

[quad]

Much easier to do auto take off when testing your precision landing. It hovers at VPS range and once it saves homepoint you fly out to RTH range. It lands when close to homepoint when you RTH. The key is slow vertical take off.

the above is true. also there is some discussion about landing pads in the documention available for download on-line. the 1 meter diameter landings pads sold online have a clear pattern. made my own target with some bright tape criss crossed on a white panel about 18" square. placing it on a round bright table cloth spread on the ground enables the spark to land within inches of where it took off. i do let it hover over the home point for a moment above 6 or 8 meters.

 

[John Harvey]

I do a manual take off,, rise to 7 meters, wait a sec or two, then fly off. When RTH is selected my Drone does the auto land back on the landing pad.. sometimes spot on and sometimes a little bit off the pad,,,

 

[Kidroc]

Another thing to add is your take off point should have a pattern so the camera can find something easily verify where it needs to land

 

[Caaibr]

This is pretty much normal, the drone uses GPS which is acurrate within a few meters,. When looking at dji go for4 at the top will see how many gps satellites you are currently locked on to the more the better and the accuracy goes up. Sometimes cloud cover specifically can influence how many satellites your drone can lock on to that and location often determines how many gps satelites is available to your drone in your area. In the area i fly the most i isually have 18 or 20 satelites and my RTh is max about 6 inches off i would say. But id i get below 15 gps satelites it can be 2 to 3 meters. The most it ever been out for me is 3 meters.

Mine is some where 1 feet or two

 

[Sparky007]

My Spark is always landing a few meters off the recorded RTH-position, so I have to manually land the last bit to get it onto my "landing carpet". My landing accuracy is usually about 3-4 meters off recorded RTH.
- What is your experience?

I had the same experience last night while flying. I got out of range and the RTH kicked in and I just let it go to see how it responded and it was off by a few meters. I did not check to see how many satellites it was locked on to.

 

[Brojon]

My understanding is that teh Spark does not have precision landing. I'll have to try the rise to 7 m thing and see if it makes a difference.

 

[Speedmeister]

My understanding is that teh Spark does not have precision landing. I'll have to try the rise to 7 m thing and see if it makes a difference.

Try the auto lift off and wait for recorded homepoint saved message then go to distance where RTH can be executed. For better result, use a landing area where it has visible varying pattern. I use a 32” landing pad and it always hit the letter H everytime when I did my testing. I hardly use RTH in my flying but I atleast know what to expect.

 

[sparkindia1990]

My Spark is always landing a few meters off the recorded RTH-position, so I have to manually land the last bit to get it onto my "landing carpet". My landing accuracy is usually about 3-4 meters off recorded RTH.
- What is your experience?

About a feet from where I set the home point. Have you tried calibrating the IMU and compass?
Also do you set the home point everytime before takeoff?

 

[Speedmeister]

Phantom 4 pro have a documented “precision landing” feature that uses bottom sensors. It is and option when auto take off is initiated in DJI GO 4 for phantom 4 Pro. Spark has no precision landing feature in the documentation but share the same bottom sensor technology as its bigger brother. So we are all hoping that spark uses the same feature even though not an option on DJI GO4 for spark.