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Spark doesn't impress me...

shaverdan

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Apr 9, 2018
Messages
17
Age
40
I thought I'd be in love with this little guy, and I'm far from it. Problem after problem after problem. I'm not one to rely on wifi connections so I bought the remote control, and one of those cables to use for a dedicated wired connection. Since I've had it, the video quality (I posted in a thread before) has been sketchy. Maybe the SD card? We don't know. But last week I was in Las Vegas with it, and my CEO wanted to check it out. Embarrassingly the damned thing wouldn't connect to anything. Finally after looking like I didn't know what I was doing and fiddling with it, I get it all to connect and take off. Then yesterday I had to fight the connection once again. The RC connects, but forget about seeing or recording anything. I'm more than annoyed by this **** thing, and am putting it all on the selling block. I wanted a portable drone as opposed to my Mavic Pro. I'm gonna dump this dude and get a Mavic Air I believe.
 
Hard to tell what exactly your issue(s) is just by what you have said here. Unfortunately I have to be "that guy" and say I have experienced none of the issues you have stated here with my Spark. There is a lot to learn with these devices as they are not toys and they pack tons of high tech under the hood. Would you mind listing the problems you have experienced one by one? Also, you should post what version of the app you're running as well as what device/OS you are using. What model of SD card are you using?

The Mavic Air is not going to be the magic cure all for you, you will be using the same SD card, device and app so it would behoove you to narrow down where your problems are coming in. Sorry to hear you're frustrated with your Spark but I would be happy to help diagnose whatever problems you may be having.
 
Hard to tell what exactly your issue(s) is just by what you have said here. Unfortunately I have to be "that guy" and say I have experienced none of the issues you have stated here with my Spark. There is a lot to learn with these devices as they are not toys and they pack tons of high tech under the hood. Would you mind listing the problems you have experienced one by one? Also, you should post what version of the app you're running as well as what device/OS you are using. What model of SD card are you using?

The Mavic Air is not going to be the magic cure all for you, you will be using the same SD card, device and app so it would behoove you to narrow down where your problems are coming in. Sorry to hear you're frustrated with your Spark but I would be happy to help diagnose whatever problems you may be having.
Be that guy, it's fine. I deal with IT professionals on a daily practice and know that sometimes I need to be specific. I have no problem laying it all out one by one, no offense taken on my end.

You're correct, I understand these aren't "toys" and they do pack a ton of intelligence under their shells.

App: I'm on a 128g iPhone 7 plus, most current iOS available, and the DJI GO 4 is up to date for the most recent version. As far as I know I'm on the most current firmware update too.

SD Card: I'm using the smaller SD card that came with my Mavic Pro after upgrading that one to a much larger sized card. You'd think it wouldn't be problematic coming from DJI. Maybe it's not.

Video Recording Problems:
Every 3 seconds or so it'll display a twitching mode. I have a sample video uploaded to youtube. You can view it here: https://youtu.be/cAnmUjA-HCc

Connection issues: On the Spark the other day in Vegas the Remote would not connect. I had to reset by turning everything off and on again. Then all was good after that.

Yesterday I was out in a field. Literally a field...50 miles from any large community or development, the OTG Cable I suspect is the culprit here. I like using the OTG Cable so that I have a wired connection from phone to remote instead of relying on the wifi connection to see the drone and record/take pics.

- The RC (remote control) connected to the Spark Fine
- I could successfully fly the Spark with the remote only
- The phone would not connect to the RC
- The cable would allow for a split second for me to "enter device" and read "connected" for a second here and there, but when I went into the camera mode the damned thing wouldn't connect. So I had no visuals.
 
Im a huge fan of the mavic pro, why not just stick with the mavic pro if you already have one.

The mavic pro is smaller folded than the spark (fixed body).

I have seen some issues with my spark here and there dropping signal, etc but the mavic is rock solid.
Im not on the mavic air band wagon yet so I wont bring up that topic.

From your issues you ay have had a bad unit, the video definitely does not seem normal to twitch on its own, not to mention the list of connection issues listed.
 
I thought I'd be in love with this little guy, and I'm far from it. Problem after problem after problem. I'm not one to rely on wifi connections so I bought the remote control, and one of those cables to use for a dedicated wired connection. Since I've had it, the video quality (I posted in a thread before) has been sketchy. Maybe the SD card? We don't know. But last week I was in Las Vegas with it, and my CEO wanted to check it out. Embarrassingly the damned thing wouldn't connect to anything. Finally after looking like I didn't know what I was doing and fiddling with it, I get it all to connect and take off. Then yesterday I had to fight the connection once again. The RC connects, but forget about seeing or recording anything. I'm more than annoyed by this **** thing, and am putting it all on the selling block. I wanted a portable drone as opposed to my Mavic Pro. I'm gonna dump this dude and get a Mavic Air I believe.

You know your phone or tablet could be as much to blame as your DJI Spark. Forget the OTG, connect the WiFi through the normal hotspot your phone/tablet would have you do and chances are the problems will be history.

Mavic is great but launching it with people around is not very health. Flying over people makes them concerned. Spark is almost invisible once its in the sky and you look like just another iPhone obsessed person in the crowd. I never get bothered by sticky-beeks because they rarely know what I'm doing.

CEOs should know as little as possible about you and your hobby. Show them your best images and hide the rest. Thats all they want to see anyway.
 
I thought I'd be in love with this little guy, and I'm far from it. Problem after problem after problem. I'm not one to rely on wifi connections so I bought the remote control, and one of those cables to use for a dedicated wired connection. Since I've had it, the video quality (I posted in a thread before) has been sketchy. Maybe the SD card? We don't know. But last week I was in Las Vegas with it, and my CEO wanted to check it out. Embarrassingly the damned thing wouldn't connect to anything. Finally after looking like I didn't know what I was doing and fiddling with it, I get it all to connect and take off. Then yesterday I had to fight the connection once again. The RC connects, but forget about seeing or recording anything. I'm more than annoyed by this **** thing, and am putting it all on the selling block. I wanted a portable drone as opposed to my Mavic Pro. I'm gonna dump this dude and get a Mavic Air I believe.
Apparently, you either have a lot more to learn about “the little guy” or give up and find a new love.
But to blame the Spark for a possible learning curve is kind-a-silly.
It was nice having you in the Spark Lovers forum, only wish we could have learned more from your short-lived experiences.
Maybe you’ll fair better with the more expensive Mavic.
Cheers
 
Video Recording Problems:
Every 3 seconds or so it'll display a twitching mode. I have a sample video uploaded to youtube. You can view it here: https://youtu.be/cAnmUjA-HCc

Checked the video and maybe I'm being presumptuous here but it looks like this is just the feed recorded to your phone and not the feed recorded to your memory card. I say that because it's a 720p clip only but I could be wrong. I have a relatively slow memory card being used with my Spark (3-4 year old Sandisk Ultra 32GB MicroSD) and I have not had this issue but when I watch the feed that is recorded directly to my phone, it stutters or skips frames depending on the reliability of the video feed from the drone.

As for the OTG cable, as far as I know, it's not yet fully supported by DJI on the Spark. I usually connect in this order-

Turn on the remote control and the Spark, ensure there's a solid connection (video feed, option to take off, etc)
Plug in the OTG cable, then turn off WiFi on your phone

I've only been flying a week with this drone but this has worked 100% of the time for me
 
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Why are so many people obsessed with OTG wired connections? That has always been my biggest pet peeve with all other DJIs I have operated, 3 Phantoms and Inspire 2. Finally I don’t need that wire and people complain about it and yet it seems by forcing the issue of making it work, it actually impairs the functionality. When DJI says they don’t recommend using a wired connection, I am sure its for a very good reason. Its as if its some kind of security blanket. Unusual human behaviour.
 
Why are so many people obsessed with OTG wired connections?

To be completely honest, I'm only using one to eliminate one wireless connection and because I've heard it recommended by others. It may be silly but that's been my reasoning. This is my first drone really though, so maybe I'm ignorant.
 
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The video quality, range, and no latency is the reason most use otg cables. I use a iPad mini2 and a tablet holder. When I first tried to fly WiFi connected, I got strong interference warnings then it tried to fly away for a sec or two then I regained control and landed. Last time without the cable.
 
Be that guy, it's fine. I deal with IT professionals on a daily practice and know that sometimes I need to be specific. I have no problem laying it all out one by one, no offense taken on my end.

You're correct, I understand these aren't "toys" and they do pack a ton of intelligence under their shells.

App: I'm on a 128g iPhone 7 plus, most current iOS available, and the DJI GO 4 is up to date for the most recent version. As far as I know I'm on the most current firmware update too.

SD Card: I'm using the smaller SD card that came with my Mavic Pro after upgrading that one to a much larger sized card. You'd think it wouldn't be problematic coming from DJI. Maybe it's not.

Video Recording Problems:
Every 3 seconds or so it'll display a twitching mode. I have a sample video uploaded to youtube. You can view it here: https://youtu.be/cAnmUjA-HCc

Connection issues: On the Spark the other day in Vegas the Remote would not connect. I had to reset by turning everything off and on again. Then all was good after that.

Yesterday I was out in a field. Literally a field...50 miles from any large community or development, the OTG Cable I suspect is the culprit here. I like using the OTG Cable so that I have a wired connection from phone to remote instead of relying on the wifi connection to see the drone and record/take pics.

- The RC (remote control) connected to the Spark Fine
- I could successfully fly the Spark with the remote only
- The phone would not connect to the RC
- The cable would allow for a split second for me to "enter device" and read "connected" for a second here and there, but when I went into the camera mode the damned thing wouldn't connect. So I had no visuals.
The video you posted is only 720p. Is this the video directly from the SD card or the cached version on the your phone?

I have never once had a "connection" issue with my Spark.
1. Don't use the OTG cable. You don't need it. Or if you insist on using the cable, get a different one.
2. With the WiFi connection, make sure that the Bluetooth on your phone is turned off.
 
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I'm going to say also that two things I have observed with this video.

1. Tap on the screen to focus to ensure you are in focus.

2. Upload using the SD card and not the cached video from your phone.

My cached video on my phone is always crap like the video you posted. It skip, its hazy and feels like it's bloated. But when I download directly from the SD card. As long as I made sure it was focus it's crystal clear and no skipping.
 
I'm going to say also that two things I have observed with this video.

1. Tap on the screen to focus to ensure you are in focus.

2. Upload using the SD card and not the cached video from your phone.

My cached video on my phone is always crap like the video you posted. It skip, its hazy and feels like it's bloated. But when I download directly from the SD card. As long as I made sure it was focus it's crystal clear and no skipping.
There's no "tap to focus" capability (or need) on the Spark.
 
The video quality, range, and no latency is the reason most use otg cables. I use a iPad mini2 and a tablet holder. When I first tried to fly WiFi connected, I got strong interference warnings then it tried to fly away for a sec or two then I regained control and landed. Last time without the cable.

OTG doesn't affect range.
 
Im a huge fan of the mavic pro, why not just stick with the mavic pro if you already have one.

The mavic pro is smaller folded than the spark (fixed body).

I have seen some issues with my spark here and there dropping signal, etc but the mavic is rock solid.
Im not on the mavic air band wagon yet so I wont bring up that topic.

From your issues you ay have had a bad unit, the video definitely does not seem normal to twitch on its own, not to mention the list of connection issues listed.
I see your point, but I have it, I spent money on it, my son likes to use it sometimes, so it needs to work properly. I do some pics here and there and the spark is good for being indoors where the Mavic..well you know.
 
Apparently, you either have a lot more to learn about “the little guy” or give up and find a new love.
But to blame the Spark for a possible learning curve is kind-a-silly.
It was nice having you in the Spark Lovers forum, only wish we could have learned more from your short-lived experiences.
Maybe you’ll fair better with the more expensive Mavic.
Cheers
What the hell are you talking about? Furthermore, who are you to tell me to "give up and find a new love"? It's possible my phone maybe the issue, but when something works just fine like it's supposed to, then doesn't all of a sudden (my Mavic Pro has NEVER caused intermittent issues to note) then I have a easy, a VERY EASY reason to be annoyed with the performance. Maybe you should bow out and go find some other forum to be a dick head on. No?
 
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Checked the video and maybe I'm being presumptuous here but it looks like this is just the feed recorded to your phone and not the feed recorded to your memory card. I say that because it's a 720p clip only but I could be wrong. I have a relatively slow memory card being used with my Spark (3-4 year old Sandisk Ultra 32GB MicroSD) and I have not had this issue but when I watch the feed that is recorded directly to my phone, it stutters or skips frames depending on the reliability of the video feed from the drone.

As for the OTG cable, as far as I know, it's not yet fully supported by DJI on the Spark. I usually connect in this order-

Turn on the remote control and the Spark, ensure there's a solid connection (video feed, option to take off, etc)
Plug in the OTG cable, then turn off WiFi on your phone

I've only been flying a week with this drone but this has worked 100% of the time for me
So I think you're right in what you're saying. I've uploaded so many videos that I may have goofed and taken this from the phone and saved it that way. I plugged the drone into my Macbook yesterday and extracted video from Sunday and man I'm telling you...night and day difference. This is exactly what I was wanting to see when I bought the drone. I learned a valuable lesson here though, upload direct every time. Thanks for your input! I appreciate the POSITIVE response!!
 
The video you posted is only 720p. Is this the video directly from the SD card or the cached version on the your phone?

I have never once had a "connection" issue with my Spark.
1. Don't use the OTG cable. You don't need it. Or if you insist on using the cable, get a different one.
2. With the WiFi connection, make sure that the Bluetooth on your phone is turned off.
Thank you for this. I'm going to perform some field testing this week to get more familiar and hopefully be more trusting of the wireless connection.
 

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