The obsession with increasing distance...

[Lastrexking]

Maybe I'm an old fart - but what's with the obsession on increasing the Spark's flight distance? I kind of get it in the CE regions, although I'm in the UK and the distance is more than enough for me.

Surely, if you want something that flies further then you'd just buy a Mavic or a Phantom?

 

[RaspPiGuy]

I agree.. Anything beyond the possible range is likely outside of the government's regulations anyway (US/Canada/UK/Others), and wellllll out of VLOS.

 

[VETTE198620002000]

I agree, these drones go beyond the line of sight.

 

[Girth67]

I think it's to do With having a restriction placed apon the spark when it has the ability to do so much more. People like to upgrade or to tinker to improve performance it's human nature.
What I would say is frustrating with the spark isn't the distance for me im happy with how far I can get it to fly, it's the signal consistency. I'd prefer to have a clean video signal with no lag out to an imposed limit than the restricted laggy video feed we often get with the spark close in.
I'd like to know that I can reach that item I want to video at 400m with out any issues...everytime.
Not everyone, myself included,have the spare money to buy a mavic and the phantom also is too big for my needs.
The final thing I hear is the mavic and the spark operating in the same CE region have the same restrictions in terms of distance, line of sight etc and altitude, yet the spark which is capable of much more in other regions seems much more heavily restricted than the mavic. Maybe this is due to restrictions on video output and the spark not being on the same system , but it does seem very restricted.

 

[Stef]

Girth67, I tend to agree with you. But remember, the Spark is probably regarded as the baby cousin of the bigger DJI drones, more for fun. It has a lot of potential, maybe DJI are exploring the more "amateur" market to launch their products? Still, their products are top notch.

 

[RayNg]

It's also probably related to RC output power as well. And having a drone is being able to see beyond than what you can normally see. From above and from a distance. What's the point of only being able to fly to the end of a field, when you can just see with your naked eye, although from ground level. But I get the idea there needs to be a distance limit, cos people tend to push their drone. With a flight time of around 15mins, it might not get back in time and crash (emergency RTH when flying against the wind won't help). And being small, after a couple of hundred meters (and still flying), when you look down to your screen to watch the video, you'll have a hard time looking for it visually, and video lag becomes a does help.
And DJI wants to minimise crashes; to keep consumers happy and keeping cost down on replacements for those with DJI Care Refresh.

 

[freedomsoftware]

After about 1000ft I started to get sketched out when I lose sight of my drone.

 

[TedStriker]

After about 1000ft I started to get sketched out when I lose sight of my drone.

And there is no good reason to fly much further than that.

 

[J-4ce]

It's always nice to be able to fly further on the farm when line-of-sight is a few kilometres and there are no people nearby. That is the only reason I'm against the European limitation on range we have here in South Africa. Also, I don't fully understand why the bigger drones are not really limited on range like the Spark is.

 

[delovelady]

It's always nice to be able to fly further on the farm when line-of-sight is a few kilometres and there are no people nearby. That is the only reason I'm against the European limitation on range we have here in South Africa. Also, I don't fully understand why the bigger drones are not really limited on range like the Spark is.

I envy you your eyesight!

 

[Girth67]

Girth67, I tend to agree with you. But remember, the Spark is probably regarded as the baby cousin of the bigger DJI drones, more for fun. It has a lot of potential, maybe DJI are exploring the more "amateur" market to launch their products? Still, their products are top notch.

Yes I get that, maybe DJI also have a sales thing going on as well. After all why would you buy a Mavic if the spark did almost the same thing and you had no need for 4k.
I have other quads which go further but i always end up keeping to 500m anyway, I love my spark and it isn't getting sold. I may invest in a mavic at some point but you can't beat the portability of the Spark, next time I go on holiday abroad it's coming with me.

 

[delovelady]

Interesting reading here. I get the impression many/most of those posting here believe the Spark's horizontal limit is artificially imposed (presumably by software/firmware), and some are upset by that. I honestly don't know this (never tried), but I presume the limit is more at the mercy of the technology (try hooking up with your home WiFi, which is the same technology, from a mile or more away!) rather than some control-freak conspiracy. Even if there is some firmware limit, you have to be at or beyond the fringe of the signal's capability! I would welcome the vendor's attempt to protect me from losing my hard-earned property.

So is that where we are: being upset with the vendor for not providing a $2000 communications solution in a $700 drone? Or am I misreading this and being naive?

 

[Girth67]

Interesting reading here. I get the impression many/most of those posting here believe the Spark's horizontal limit is artificially imposed (presumably by software/firmware), and some are upset by that. I honestly don't know this (never tried), but I presume the limit is more at the mercy of the technology (try hooking up with your home WiFi, which is the same technology, from a mile or more away!) rather than some control-freak conspiracy. Even if there is some firmware limit, you have to be at or beyond the fringe of the signal's capability! I would welcome the vendor's attempt to protect me from losing my hard-earned property.

So is that where we are: being upset with the vendor for not providing a $2000 communications solution in a $700 drone? Or am I misreading this and being naive?

It's always great when a post is going along quite nicely with opinions and discussion and someone feels it necessary to stir it up by using a condescending slant to their post.
I suggest you read my posts again I use the term "frustrating" which is very different from "upset". No other posts suggest anyone is "upset". As far as I can see this was a genuine question asked by the original poster that others were making observations on, everyone playing nicely.
You will also see my posts are Very complimentary of the spark and I totally get safety, again read my posts.

There are plenty of posts on why the spark is out performed by the mavic some due to tech some due to restrictions, I think "frustration" arises when the signal is dropping out or lagging badly for some at 100m or less in CE mode with the remote controller, when our FCC friends can achieve a strong safer signal for greater distances. Flying the spark when it develops lag is poor at best as turns cannot be coordinated and there is a strong possibility you won't get it back in one piece......at 100/200m?
Remember the spark cost £519 in the UK, it's not a cheap piece of tat its a sophisticated expensive bit of kit. I personally would just like to have a non lagging stable signal on a more regular basis which would in fact be safer.

 

[The Editor]

It's always great when a post is going along quite nicely with opinions and discussion and someone feels it necessary to stir it up by using a condescending slant to their post.
I suggest you read my posts again I use the term "frustrating" which is very different from "upset". No other posts suggest anyone is "upset". As far as I can see this was a genuine question asked by the original poster that others were making observations on, everyone playing nicely.
You will also see my posts are Very complimentary of the spark and I totally get safety, again read my posts.

There are plenty of posts on why the spark is out performed by the mavic some due to tech some due to restrictions, I think "frustration" arises when the signal is dropping out or lagging badly for some at 100m or less in CE mode with the remote controller, when our FCC friends can achieve a strong safer signal for greater distances. Flying the spark when it develops lag is poor at best as turns cannot be coordinated and there is a strong possibility you won't get it back in one piece......at 100/200m?
Remember the spark cost £519 in the UK, it's not a cheap piece of tat its a sophisticated expensive bit of kit. I personally would just like to have a non lagging stable signal on a more regular basis which would in fact be safer.

Then I would suggest you blame OFCOM who set both the limits and spectrum allocation for RF radiating devices within the UK and not bash DJI who are wholly at the mercy of the Governmental regulations for EIRP and frequency/channel allocation in different countries.
In the UK, this is limited to 20mW whereas in the US, the FCC allow up to 1W.

 

[delovelady]

It's always great when a post is going along quite nicely with opinions and discussion and someone feels it necessary to stir it up by using a condescending slant to their post.
I suggest you read my posts again I use the term "frustrating" which is very different from "upset". No other posts suggest anyone is "upset". As far as I can see this was a genuine question asked by the original poster that others were making observations on, everyone playing nicely.
You will also see my posts are Very complimentary of the spark and I totally get safety, again read my posts.

There are plenty of posts on why the spark is out performed by the mavic some due to tech some due to restrictions, I think "frustration" arises when the signal is dropping out or lagging badly for some at 100m or less in CE mode with the remote controller, when our FCC friends can achieve a strong safer signal for greater distances. Flying the spark when it develops lag is poor at best as turns cannot be coordinated and there is a strong possibility you won't get it back in one piece......at 100/200m?
Remember the spark cost £519 in the UK, it's not a cheap piece of tat its a sophisticated expensive bit of kit. I personally would just like to have a non lagging stable signal on a more regular basis which would in fact be safer.

Sorry for my choice of words. Frustration, to me, is about being unable to do something I must do. If it's about something I want to do, I might get upset. But that's me, and you're right: I introduced the word.

 

[delovelady]

Here's my take on this from a different perspective. I might get upset (some may get frustrated if they like) by the fact that my auto won't do 200 miles per hour. As I get closer and closer to that, the engine starts to sputter, maybe even overheat, and it's very difficult to control. Yeah, it's a nice car and all that. Very comfortable and spacious... I can take it anywhere with me; there's a lot to like. But the manufacturer keeps rolling them out with this limitation, and I don't think they should.

If you got this far without anger, thank you. But please read my original post again. I did not intend to be condescending at all, and really was just trying to verify if I had a grasp of the topic at hand.

 

[Stef]

There's no doubt the Spark is a nice drone considering its capabilities and size. I think the performance frustrations come from external factors such as the FCC vs CE regulations. The DJI does a good job in including/updatimg extra features over time , such as the Pano sphere. As I mentioned before, Spark can be regarded as a more fun and accessible DJI drone compared to the more expensive models. Humans are always pushing the limits of things, it's human nature, and it's actually interesting to see what folks are all doing with their sparks. Most issues arise when pushing limits. But I believe majority of owners buy the Spark for its actual purpose: fun and photo/videos.

 

[Lee sparkyblue]

Stop the bus! I want to get on!
I have all the phantoms, a mavic and sparky. Done over 2000 flights all up and maybe a handful of those went out over 1km. So the brilliant little sparky does most of what I want... That is take a decent photo with a minimum of fuss/noise/intrusion. Those seeking 'world record distance' bought the spark for a play toy.... It's a lot more than that! I just can't believe the quality of 360 pans my sparky is producing against its bigger brothers.

 

[Buddy411]

I agree.. Anything beyond the possible range is likely outside of the government's regulations anyway (US/Canada/UK/Others), and wellllll out of VLOS.

The US has no distance limit, just VLOS so night flying is the way to be a long ranger and still stay legal. The stock lighting on the Spark is visible for quite a distance. Add some Strobons and you can keep VLOS as far as the Spark will go.. and then some!

 

[RaspPiGuy]

The US has no distance limit, just VLOS so night flying is the way to be a long ranger and still stay legal. The stock lighting on the Spark is visible for quite a distance. Add some Strobons and you can keep VLOS as far as the Spark will go.. and then some!

I thought the FAA requires day time flying?