Spark to Mavic Air!

Smoothcruizer · Jan 31, 2018

I'm no expert on tech stuff, but I have hands on all kind of rc planes helis quads etc for going on 11 years... Ok the mavic air looks pretty and bells and whistles... Physically where they incorporated the antennas was a dumb move from my opinion. It flips down on the front leg, cool but the air is more maneuver able and do you think after plopping it down those legs will fatigue and break off eventually or in the air???? Gulp....

Blue Baron · Jan 31, 2018

Why so much confusion about antenna output? Just read the spec:

2.4/5.8 GHz, Aircraft;Remote [dBm]:

Spark FCC: 25/27; 26/28
Air FCC: 28/31; 26/30

Spark CE: 18/14; 18/14
Air CE: 19/14; 18/14

As you can see, there is a 1 dBm advantage on the aircraft side at 2.4 GHz in CE mode, and a 2-4 dBm advantage at 5.8 GHz in FCC mode only.

Not sure where the 4x CE range is supposed to come from, certainly not from that 1 dBm ...

I hear the FCC mode can still be activated in the EU with the Air. Otherwise, I can see some disappointment from European Air users soon ...

strobing_nyc · Jan 31, 2018

I noticed he was in 5.8Ghz not 2.8Ghz for his range test? I wonder why if he is in Texas? I have tried both frequencies with the spark 5.8 gets me pretty far but 2.8 is the best for longer distance.

webvan · Jan 31, 2018

Well for a start that would be 2.4Ghz, NOT 2.8Ghz ;-) Also as most (all ?) Spark users have found the video feed is a LOT better in 5.8Ghz as it gets laggy and choppy quickly using 2.4Ghz.

Blue Baron said:
Why so much confusion about antenna output? Just read the spec:

2.4/5.8 GHz, Aircraft;Remote [dBm]:

Spark FCC: 25/27; 26/28
Air FCC: 28/31; 26/30

Spark CE: 18/14; 18/14
Air CE: 19/14; 18/14

As you can see, there is a 1 dBm advantage on the aircraft side at 2.4 GHz in CE mode, and a 2-4 dBm advantage at 5.8 GHz in FCC mode only.

Not sure where the 4x CE range is supposed to come from ...

I hear the FCC mode can still be activated in the EU with the Air. Otherwise, I can see some disappointment from European Air users soon ...

Thanks for looking that up. dBm uses a logarithmic scale so a 4dBm increase is pretty significant, but yes for CE it's hard to see how the range could be improved as much as they claim it is. We shall soon find out ;-)

sinaus · Feb 1, 2018

Splaterspark said:
I was tempted to wait as well, but my gamble is that the Mavic 2 will be bigger than the Air and mostly likely around the size of the existing Mavic Pro. That's too big folded for my needs and especially so when flying (i.e. tight spaces and drawing attention). If I could afford or justify keeping the Spark and dropping >£1,200 on a Mavic 2 then, yeah, problem solved. However, the Air provides the Spark's portability and most of the other benefits of the existing MP at a 'cost to change' of around £450.

I'll be 10/10 furious if the MP 2 is the same size as the Air with Ocusync and a 1" sensor.

When you mentioned attention, I think you better go with the Magic Pro Platinum as it is way quieter.

sinaus · Feb 1, 2018

Andy Fleming said:
I'm currently flying the Spark and was loving it with very little jealousy of people with the Mavic Pro, however....... with the Mavic Air released and the price point i am now filled with Drone envy for the Air!
Question is if i decided to purchase the Mavic Air will i need a separate remote or can i pair my Spark controller to it to save the need for 2 remotes? looking at the marketing info i cant see much of a difference between the 2 controllers?
Any advice appreciated.
Thanks in advance

Get the fly more combo. Mavic Air alone is not worth it.

the88man · Feb 2, 2018

webvan · Feb 2, 2018

Wow...good news is that he found it and will be posting a video tonight apparently ;-)

Beario · Feb 2, 2018

The second video was posted I think he is extremely lucky that he was about to land and find it. Always take the wind into consideration, especially when using such a small drone.

Fly High From Above · Feb 3, 2018

Victoria said:
I have the same situation) but noticed some discussions about mavic 2 and decided to wait

Me to I bought the Spark in January. I bought it because of it's sze. I am still waiting to fly it outdoors. Still very cold in Montreal.
I am so sad that I did not wait. I could have buy the Mavrik air. But I will fly my SPARK this summer. I am thinking to use it as an addition to my portrait and fashion photography. So the limit on range will not be a huge issue for me. We have restrictions in Canada. You can't fly a drone over 90 meters high.
I will practice with my spark. And wait. By the time I might want to upgrade there will be something even better.

Victoria · Feb 3, 2018

Fly High From Above said:
Me to his bought the Spark in January. I bought it because of it's sze. I am still waiting to fly it outdoors. Still very cold in Montreal.
I am so sad that I did not wait. I could have buy the Mavrik air. But I will fly my SPARK this summer. I am thinking to use it as an addition to my portrait and fashion photography. So the limit on range will not be a huge issue for me. We ave restrictions in Canada.
I will practice with my spark. And wait. By the time I might want to upgrade there will be something even better.

How many degrees? I am going to fly in -20C next week) just keep the batteries in a warm place)

Hank · Feb 3, 2018

Splaterspark said:
I know the feeling. My Air is on the way and my Spark is on eBay. Spark is a great little drone but the Air really is the best of all worlds with the portability, extra camera quality and - most importantly for me - the 3-axis gimbal. If the Spark was 3-axis I'd have probably resisted the temptation but I've had too many shots ruined by yaw shake in the Spark.

First time I've heard the term "yaw shake" because the 2-axis gimble. Dang, my Spark's only a month old.

Andy Fleming · Feb 3, 2018

Splaterspark said:
I know the feeling. My Air is on the way and my Spark is on eBay. Spark is a great little drone but the Air really is the best of all worlds with the portability, extra camera quality and - most importantly for me - the 3-axis gimbal. If the Spark was 3-axis I'd have probably resisted the temptation but I've had too many shots ruined by yaw shake in the Spark.

Yeah I convinced myself the 2 axis would be fine but....... also I’m missing the RAW files with the spark.

Wayne Lincoln · Feb 3, 2018

Andy Fleming said:
I'm currently flying the Spark and was loving it with very little jealousy of people with the Mavic Pro, however....... with the Mavic Air released and the price point i am now filled with Drone envy for the Air!
Question is if i decided to purchase the Mavic Air will i need a separate remote or can i pair my Spark controller to it to save the need for 2 remotes? looking at the marketing info i cant see much of a difference between the 2 controllers?
Any advice appreciated.
Thanks in advance

I was looking at what all was said about the Mavic Pro II, but like some of you, I like the small package for my needs. I have large quads and they can be a pain to transport. About the remote ... if it does work with both, which I doubt it will, I would still prefer to have dedicated controllers for each quad. Just my 2 cent worth.

Scott.Allen · Feb 3, 2018

webvan said:
Isn't he more of a beta tester than an engineer ? Anyway there's no mention of "power output x2" !

Found this on the DJI website.. might explain what he was talking about.

uasav8r · Feb 3, 2018

Splaterspark said:
I know the feeling. My Air is on the way and my Spark is on eBay. Spark is a great little drone but the Air really is the best of all worlds with the portability, extra camera quality and - most importantly for me - the 3-axis gimbal. If the Spark was 3-axis I'd have probably resisted the temptation but I've had too many shots ruined by yaw shake in the Spark.

It is nice to have a backup drone when yours is at DJI for repair

dwallersv · Feb 3, 2018

webvan said:
Thanks for looking that up. dBm uses a logarithmic scale so a 4dBm increase is pretty significant, but yes for CE it's hard to see how the range could be improved as much as they claim it is. We shall soon find out ;-)

The reason dB is a log scale is because power falls off as 1/r^2 for omnidirectional antennas (under ideal, vacuum conditions). So it's a reasonable approximation for power/range estimation in this context.

Double power, and you get roughly 40% more range (sqrt(2) == ~1.4).

dwallersv · Feb 3, 2018

Hank said:
First time I've heard the term "yaw shake" because the 2-axis gimble. Dang, my Spark's only a month old.

Been doing this a little while, started with a P4, then MP, Spark, and now have a Mavic Air.

The Spark is only limited in capability for anything other than what it was intended for. See the marketing. The lack of gimbal yaw stabilization makes it near worthless for shooting any video that's not just "fun" stuff. Guaranteed to ruin some of the footage repeatedly.

I'm keeping my Spark, but will likely fly it very rarely unless they dramatically improve the gesture control in future updates. The gesture control (called "Smart Capture") on the Mavic Air is superb, reliable, more functional, and far more useful in "fun" situations than the flaky Spark gestures. It works perfectly on the Air. Only "con" is there isn't yet a way to initiate it without a remote connection.

Still, you can connect with phone only (no remote), start the feature while on the ground, put your phone in your pocket and completely control it well with only gestures. With the little drone-only case the Air comes in, it's actually easier and more compact to carry around by itself than the spark.

My advice: Do not buy a Spark any more, period. Given it's limitations, it's not worth saving the $300. The Air truly is a pretty good melding of the best features of both Spark and Mavic Pro.

zubykou · Feb 3, 2018

Pro 2 is happening. Unfortunately for those without patients that go and buy the air, make dji enough sales followed by the release of pro 2. My theory and estimated mid to late march 2018 pro 2 arrival. Same time frame as the red mavic air