Welcome DJI Spark Pilot!
Jump in and join our free Spark community today!
Sign up

A kind of newbie question that I have not seen covered before

Vmc

Member
Join
Jul 14, 2017
Messages
5
Age
63
Hi Everyone......I have had my Spark for a while, and I live in Costa Rica.... My question, which I have not seen covered is as follows:

Where I live (My house) has a large amount of metal in it, and from my deck, or in front of my house, my Spark will not acquire satellites, and will often prompt me to calibrate the compass, which is no issue for it when away from the house..... Once away from the house, it is fine. What I want to know is if I launch from these areas, will it acquire the satellites, normalize the compass, and be safe to fly once it is away from the house, and what problems are possible when I bring it home?

Yes, I have plenty of non-problematic places to fly, but I want to launch from here and not lose my Spark.

I'm chicken to try it without picking the brain of someone who maybe has had a similar situation...LOL

Thanks for any advice, guys, and Happy Flying!
 
Hi Everyone......I have had my Spark for a while, and I live in Costa Rica.... My question, which I have not seen covered is as follows:

Where I live (My house) has a large amount of metal in it, and from my deck, or in front of my house, my Spark will not acquire satellites, and will often prompt me to calibrate the compass, which is no issue for it when away from the house..... Once away from the house, it is fine. What I want to know is if I launch from these areas, will it acquire the satellites, normalize the compass, and be safe to fly once it is away from the house, and what problems are possible when I bring it home?

Yes, I have plenty of non-problematic places to fly, but I want to launch from here and not lose my Spark.

I'm chicken to try it without picking the brain of someone who maybe has had a similar situation...LOL

Thanks for any advice, guys, and Happy Flying!

No, it needs to acquire GPS satellites and confirm a normal compass before you take off, not after.

To do otherwise is inviting disaster.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vmc
Away should be ok if you have calibrated the compass at an area without metallic stuff.
Better to launch it not from the ground if you suspect that there are metal bellow. Take immediately some altitude.
If you fly back to your home and come too close to area where there are metal stuff nearby or a metallic wall, there could be some strange movement before the Spark declare a compass error and switch to ATTI mode. So keep distance to wall and floor and be ready for potential issue. Always better to learn flying in ATTI mode with some cheap drone.

The drone has different mode of flying.
  • GPS is the best and most stable. It need a good view of the Sky. If a compass error is detected if will exist this mode and go for OPTI or ATTI
  • OPTI mode uses a camera bellow the Spark to keep its position if it can detect a visible pattern on the ground (light, height, a pattern exist).
  • Finally ATTI is the minimum using barometer for altitude and accelerometer/gyro sensors. In this mode, you control the tilt angle of the Spark to move it in a direction or brake. In this mode it there is no help from the Spark to control it, only it keep its altitude.
GPS mode is very easy to fly.
OPTI mode is normally mainly useful for indoor. There is never a guarantee that it will work.
ATTI is normally always available but it is the most hard to fly.

As @DesertWindAero said there are risks in your situation if you try it without being prepared to what can happen. A good rule is if don't fell it as good, don't do it.
 
Away should be ok if you have calibrated the compass at an area without metallic stuff.
Better to launch it not from the ground if you suspect that there are metal bellow. Take immediately some altitude.
If you fly back to your home and come too close to area where there are metal stuff nearby or a metallic wall, there could be some strange movement before the Spark declare a compass error and switch to ATTI mode. So keep distance to wall and floor and be ready for potential issue. Always better to learn flying in ATTI mode with some cheap drone.

The drone has different mode of flying.
  • GPS is the best and most stable. It need a good view of the Sky. If a compass error is detected if will exist this mode and go for OPTI or ATTI
  • OPTI mode uses a camera bellow the Spark to keep its position if it can detect a visible pattern on the ground (light, height, a pattern exist).
  • Finally ATTI is the minimum using barometer for altitude and accelerometer/gyro sensors. In this mode, you control the tilt angle of the Spark to move it in a direction or brake. In this mode it there is no help from the Spark to control it, only it keep its altitude.
GPS mode is very easy to fly.
OPTI mode is normally mainly useful for indoor. There is never a guarantee that it will work.
ATTI is normally always available but it is the most hard to fly.

As @DesertWindAero said there are risks in your situation if you try it without being prepared to what can happen. A good rule is if don't fell it as good, don't do it.


I knew it would launch in ATTI Mode, but I was wondering if it would switch to GPS and fly normally once clear of the interference....I figure it will switch back to ATTI Mode on final approach somewhere, and I am prepared for that, and can bring it in fairly well, if it doesn't freak out or something....It's the freaking out that I want to avoid and the reason I have asked about this

thanks for the replies so far....keep em coming, if anyone has any other insight..
 
I think it will switch back to GPS after in the air at some meters of altitude. Before take off, I would check that there are plenty of satellites available.
What is sure is that you need to the 100% sure that you compass is normally operating in normal location.
If you can be one meter of above ground (plastic or card box) two meters of structure no error should be indicated but it not always means it will flight nicely.
I would not try palm launch or landing as it will hover and possibly drift at head height.
Also if you try it, do it with zero wind condition.
 
It will switch to GPS mode, and the compass error will disappear when away from the interference.

But!!

There is no way to predict how the Spark will react after aquisition. It makes fly fine, it may fly away. I have flown m P3A in exactly the way you ask without issues, but I never let it get too far or trigger RTH. My concern would be if I goes into RTH, "home" may not be where you think it is.

Personally, I'd not fly in those conditions.
 
It will switch to GPS mode, and the compass error will disappear when away from the interference.

But!!

There is no way to predict how the Spark will react after aquisition. It makes fly fine, it may fly away. I have flown m P3A in exactly the way you ask without issues, but I never let it get too far or trigger RTH. My concern would be if I goes into RTH, "home" may not be where you think it is.

Personally, I'd not fly in those conditions.
Agreed - I have seen folks who had too much interference launching from a balcony (metal all around) so they held it up and hand launched ... fifteen feet or so it switched back to GPS mode but when bringing it back it was not able to get within 10 feet of the take off spot w/out going back into ATTI. How the unit handles the transition is the q and w/out trying it and taking the risk you may never know.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vmc
If I set my drone on concrete with rebar in it, or on a metal surface, it will request a compass re-calibration. Once I remove it from that surface it's fine. With the spark and its ability to use its camera to maintain its bearings when there's no GPS signal, I almost always take it off without a GPS signal and it'll get a solid one in the air after a few seconds. This is a drone that is safe to use indoors with no GPS signal, so I'm not terribly worried about launching without GPS outside.

What I WON'T do is launch it when it's saying it needs compass calibration (if it's on the aforementioned concrete or metal). If you launch without solid compass bearing, it will often spin in midair and be uncontrollable.
 
  • Like
Reactions: suprPHREAK
If I set my drone on concrete with rebar in it, or on a metal surface, it will request a compass re-calibration. Once I remove it from that surface it's fine. With the spark and its ability to use its camera to maintain its bearings when there's no GPS signal, I almost always take it off without a GPS signal and it'll get a solid one in the air after a few seconds. This is a drone that is safe to use indoors with no GPS signal, so I'm not terribly worried about launching without GPS outside.

What I WON'T do is launch it when it's saying it needs compass calibration (if it's on the aforementioned concrete or metal). If you launch without solid compass bearing, it will often spin in midair and be uncontrollable.

This. Never takeoff without a good compass.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
14,593
Messages
118,799
Members
17,987
Latest member
csdisme