I'm still waiting for my Spark to be delivered but wanted to find out, is there a way you can enable the Spark to follow with active tracking without using a controller? I know you can do palm launching/control but that involves having your palm up to the drone (I assume the Spark is just tracking the palm).
Using the spark without a controller?
- Thread starter technoflyer
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Sorry, I meant without the controller or mobile device. If I had just the drone with me, can I enable active tracking? What exactly can I do with just the drone alone?
Sparkbart
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I don't think so. At the very least you need a mobile device. I've never tried, but here is/was my experience when I first got my Spark; I tried using just my Iphone. It flew fine using the phone, then I put it in Gesture Mode. I was able to send it away by waving my arms. But when I tried to recall it, I couldn't. It wouldn't recognize the hand gesture to come back to me. I tried for several minutes and it wouldn't work. It was high enough there was no way I could reach it without getting a ladder. I wound up having to use my Iphone to bring it back to me and land it. Had I not had my Iphone I have no idea what it would have done (I'm sure when the battery got low enough it would have landed where it was)...
So personally, I wouldn't even try it....
So personally, I wouldn't even try it....
Yes, you can still use the intelligent flight modes when flying without a remote controller.
In Gesture Mode, when sending it out(waving move) it should be in active track and follow you..
But i read somewhere that even DJi advices to keep a connected device or controller near...
Not my video.
But i read somewhere that even DJi advices to keep a connected device or controller near...
Not my video.
Based on my experience, I cannot stress this enough:
DO NOT FLY WITHOUT A CONTROLLER CONNECTED.
Even though DJI advertises this feature. The full story is HERE, but the summary is that while in fully disconnected gesture mode, the Spark had an error after giving the WAVE gesture which caused it to fly away at high speed and low altitude, hitting a passing car some 52 metres away. The DAT files on the drone revealed a sudden compass error (no interference to max interference in an instant), an altitude of just under 2m, and a speed of 8.96m/s (32kph or 20mph). It should be very slow in this mode, and should only go 3m away and 3m up.
Note that it took off fine, hovered fine, and had just completed a successful flight, and I had many successful gesture flights before that. The indicator lights gave no information regarding any issues, and all looked good, until it wasn't. All I can think of is that had I had a remote of some kind attached, I could have brought it down before it crashed into something.
Anyway, this is my experience, and others have shared similar, though with less drastic endings. You can do whatever you want, just be aware of the risk. Even just keeping your connected phone in your pocket is a good idea.
But to answer your question, the WAVE gesture will enable Active Track. Do the other gesture to start recording, and have fun. Maximum 100M from take off point, though (unless connected to a device, I think, in the newest update)
DO NOT FLY WITHOUT A CONTROLLER CONNECTED.
Even though DJI advertises this feature. The full story is HERE, but the summary is that while in fully disconnected gesture mode, the Spark had an error after giving the WAVE gesture which caused it to fly away at high speed and low altitude, hitting a passing car some 52 metres away. The DAT files on the drone revealed a sudden compass error (no interference to max interference in an instant), an altitude of just under 2m, and a speed of 8.96m/s (32kph or 20mph). It should be very slow in this mode, and should only go 3m away and 3m up.
Note that it took off fine, hovered fine, and had just completed a successful flight, and I had many successful gesture flights before that. The indicator lights gave no information regarding any issues, and all looked good, until it wasn't. All I can think of is that had I had a remote of some kind attached, I could have brought it down before it crashed into something.
Anyway, this is my experience, and others have shared similar, though with less drastic endings. You can do whatever you want, just be aware of the risk. Even just keeping your connected phone in your pocket is a good idea.
But to answer your question, the WAVE gesture will enable Active Track. Do the other gesture to start recording, and have fun. Maximum 100M from take off point, though (unless connected to a device, I think, in the newest update)
Thank you all. I think I will heed all the advice here and make sure that I always have the controller or mobile connected. The main reason for the drone is to use it as a glorified selfie stick (i.e. I want to use it to capture photos/videos of me and my party in it). I don't currently have any desire to fly it away to capture shots of things that I am not in. Thanks for all the help.
I agree with all points. Tracking in gesture mode works very well now - except if you walk 10 metres with it following, it will stop dead, hover and display green lights, but then, for me, no further gestures of any sort are recognised.
At low batt it will RTH, but once it landed where it was. Could be disaster. Remote has so far always bound when this happens.
Just frightened about compass error stories etc. Masses of stories on dji forum, but very hard indeed to separate fact from fiction.
At low batt it will RTH, but once it landed where it was. Could be disaster. Remote has so far always bound when this happens.
Just frightened about compass error stories etc. Masses of stories on dji forum, but very hard indeed to separate fact from fiction.
Do you have an affiliation to this product or something? You keep linking to it all the time.
Roy Talangbayan
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No, gesture mode is mainly for selfies. Video on gesture mode sucks they need to fix that on the next FW update. 1 out of 10 tries.
It does track you in gesture, both following and backing away as above, but distance is limited, followed by loss ofcontrol.
Varied results for different people. Works most of the time for me.
Varied results for different people. Works most of the time for me.
Buddy411
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I agree. Last weekend I decided to test the gestures on my yard while the RC was charging inside. After a while the Spark got close to a tree in follow mode. It was too high up to do palm landing and I couldn't get it to recognize the beckon gesture. I tried to connect it with my phone, but realized that I had forgot to unlink it from the RC before takeoff. After this I did manage to get the Spark to recognize the palm control gesture. But when I was moving it down, it also moved sideways a bit, hit the branches and fell down with one propeller shattered.
I also managed to hit another tree the same day while controlling the Spark with just my phone. I was experimenting with TapFly mode and made the Spark to fly closer to my house. But when I turned towards the house, there was sudden interference in DJI GO 4 app, maybe caused by my home Wi-Fi. I noticed that the Spark was flying too fast towards a birch tree next to the house and I couldn't stop it from the app. Obstacle avoidance did kick in, but didn't recognize the leafless birch branches well enough. The Spark stopped midair, but then the wind swayed the branches and one of them hit another propeller. And again it fell to the ground.
Darren Roach
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