I made my first flight today with my new Spark and this is to share it. I have some experience with "new" stuff from DJI but it was for me the first drone to fly using just an android phone, no RC, I was a little afraid.
So first read manuals, check forums (sign in to SparkPilots, so good experience with PhantomPilots ). First trial indoor (raining day) didn't give a lot of confidence as the Spark is so much powerful, I quickly see that any pilot error will finish in a wall. So I end up that trial, waiting for good weather to try outdoor flying.
So I just go in the field with nothing around. It is not supposed to go more fare than 100 meters with no RC, so not risk with tree.
I was using a Samsung S8.4 tablet, having also my phone (Samsung S6) ready just in case.
Take off and first minute, all fine. Then I send it as fare as possible to see up to what distance I can go. I followed a path where I can easily retrieve it. I was able to reach 96 meters, so almost the fence limit, so not bad but I got warning "no signal" on the tablet and I had no control on it. I thought, ok, worst case, return home will be activated and all good. But nothing happened, the app show GPS good and Lost signal alternatively, signal indicator was very low, no sure of the video link (was not B&W). So I closed the distance, being sure I would take control again. Nope. I was finally bellow it (about 30 meters altitude) and still no control and no signal.
Not a too big deal as I could wait for the battery go to low level and it would land or return home, but what a fail for first flight.
So I tried to restart the app and nothing changed.
Then I thought, I can try with my phone. Exit GO app on the tablet, took the phone, then I see that the wifi was connected, sounds wrong. Idiot I was, I didn't realize that it was also set to connect to the Spark wifi and it was. From later test, it seems that the Spark can connect only to one wifi device at a time. When the Spark was fare away, it lost the signal with the table but probably the phone has a better wifi and connected to it. Then the table was never able to reconnect to it. As soon I keep only the phone on, I was able to take control again.
Lesson learned, turn off wifi on other devices you carry set for the Spark wifi.
Out of this first experience, my first impressions (from a Phantom 3 pilot) are:
+ It is clearly not a Phantom or a Mavric but it is a nice piece of technology with a descent firmware. I expect many updates to come.
+ Very strong in high wind, gimbal do nice work and there is no comparison with low cost drone having no mechanical gimbal.
+ Gesture was working if you take it as independent command and you need to stop one to do another one (typically from hand control to bye-bye). But I don't see too much the use of this gesture mode as it can't do video and the pictures are with reduced resolution.
- I found strange it had not returned home when I had no control on it with the tablet because my phone connected to the Spark wifi (without the app running).
- I don't like to have to use the "Find my drone" function to check where the home point is set.
- No map view during flight (here in Europe range is low in any case) but in FCC mode, it would be needed (maybe again an iphone / android app story?).
- CSC from the app is not available and only "auto take-off" can be used, worked fine, but I don't like drones hovering at such low altitude.
- RC control with the app is very laggy, even at short distance.
- I am afraid of using it with just the app as control. I hope the RC will improve that (and arrive soon).
The next 7 days to get the remote control will be very long.
Sorry for so long post, you know waiting to get it and first flight...
So first read manuals, check forums (sign in to SparkPilots, so good experience with PhantomPilots ). First trial indoor (raining day) didn't give a lot of confidence as the Spark is so much powerful, I quickly see that any pilot error will finish in a wall. So I end up that trial, waiting for good weather to try outdoor flying.
So I just go in the field with nothing around. It is not supposed to go more fare than 100 meters with no RC, so not risk with tree.
I was using a Samsung S8.4 tablet, having also my phone (Samsung S6) ready just in case.
Take off and first minute, all fine. Then I send it as fare as possible to see up to what distance I can go. I followed a path where I can easily retrieve it. I was able to reach 96 meters, so almost the fence limit, so not bad but I got warning "no signal" on the tablet and I had no control on it. I thought, ok, worst case, return home will be activated and all good. But nothing happened, the app show GPS good and Lost signal alternatively, signal indicator was very low, no sure of the video link (was not B&W). So I closed the distance, being sure I would take control again. Nope. I was finally bellow it (about 30 meters altitude) and still no control and no signal.
Not a too big deal as I could wait for the battery go to low level and it would land or return home, but what a fail for first flight.
So I tried to restart the app and nothing changed.
Then I thought, I can try with my phone. Exit GO app on the tablet, took the phone, then I see that the wifi was connected, sounds wrong. Idiot I was, I didn't realize that it was also set to connect to the Spark wifi and it was. From later test, it seems that the Spark can connect only to one wifi device at a time. When the Spark was fare away, it lost the signal with the table but probably the phone has a better wifi and connected to it. Then the table was never able to reconnect to it. As soon I keep only the phone on, I was able to take control again.
Lesson learned, turn off wifi on other devices you carry set for the Spark wifi.
Out of this first experience, my first impressions (from a Phantom 3 pilot) are:
+ It is clearly not a Phantom or a Mavric but it is a nice piece of technology with a descent firmware. I expect many updates to come.
+ Very strong in high wind, gimbal do nice work and there is no comparison with low cost drone having no mechanical gimbal.
+ Gesture was working if you take it as independent command and you need to stop one to do another one (typically from hand control to bye-bye). But I don't see too much the use of this gesture mode as it can't do video and the pictures are with reduced resolution.
- I found strange it had not returned home when I had no control on it with the tablet because my phone connected to the Spark wifi (without the app running).
- I don't like to have to use the "Find my drone" function to check where the home point is set.
- No map view during flight (here in Europe range is low in any case) but in FCC mode, it would be needed (maybe again an iphone / android app story?).
- CSC from the app is not available and only "auto take-off" can be used, worked fine, but I don't like drones hovering at such low altitude.
- RC control with the app is very laggy, even at short distance.
- I am afraid of using it with just the app as control. I hope the RC will improve that (and arrive soon).
The next 7 days to get the remote control will be very long.
Sorry for so long post, you know waiting to get it and first flight...