Always be careful where you take off from there are many hazards on the ground, take a look at this video, same will apply to spark.

I had a similar issue like this with the spark. I was next to a fountain downtown chicago next to the river. As soon as i took off it got a compass error and started drifting so i recalibrated same issue. Decided not to fly it.

Mimus Posted at 2017-8-10 08:15
I had a similar issue like this with the spark. I was next to a fountain downtown chicago next to the river. As soon as i took off it got a compass error and started drifting so i recalibrated same issue. Decided not to fly it.

If you get a message to move spark or calibrate, never try to calibrate always move to another location free of all magnetic interference. Calibrating compass in an area where there is metal objects rebar concrete cars etc will almost certainly lead to bad calibration.

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-8-10 08:28
If you get a message to move spark or calibrate, never try to calibrate always move to another location free of all magnetic interference. Calibrating compass in an area where there is metal objects rebar concrete cars etc will almost certainly lead to bad calibration.

This was when i was new to flying. At least i was smart enough not to fly it

Mimus Posted at 2017-8-10 08:38
This was when i was new to flying. At least i was smart enough not to fly it

Good job Mimus, it's a learning curve for us all....

excellent advice.

Hallmark007, would you happen to know about how far away i should be from any metal, ie: cars, power lines, etc..., when i calibrate? i never calibrate unless the app tells me to but i would like to know just in case. i could not find it in the manual.

Excellent advice, I can trace a few compass errors back to where I calibrated with possible interference.

Thor1 Posted at 2017-8-10 08:51
excellent advice.

Hallmark007, would you happen to know about how far away i should be from any metal, ie: cars, power lines, etc..., when i calibrate? i never calibrate unless the app tells me to but i would like to know just in case. i could not find it in the manual.

From cars large metal objects rebar concrete 10 metres should be ok, best to remove all jewellery watches and other metal objects and don't forget to keep RC at least 3 metres distance away.

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-8-10 08:46
Good job Mimus, it's a learning curve for us all....

I wonder if i palm launched , would i have the same problem??

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-8-10 08:59
From cars large metal objects rebar concrete 10 metres should be ok, best to remove all jewellery watches and other metal objects and don't forget to keep RC at least 3 metres distance away.

awesome, thanks!

Mimus Posted at 2017-8-10 09:01
I wonder if i palm launched , would i have the same problem??

You shouldn't pick up interference from palm launch, I've heard some say Apple Watch might be a problem but I have one , no problem.

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-8-10 09:14
You shouldn't pick up interference from palm launch, I've heard some say Apple Watch might be a problem but I have one , no problem.

I think setting it down on that concrete filled with re-bar and what else might be in there can screw with the compass.. hence the error later in flight.  Next time i am there, i will palm launch  and see how it goes. But it wont be for a while probably.

Beyond the alerts, how can you tell if there is strong interference with the compass? Sometimes the compass error passes and you don't really realize til your midflight which can result in a scary flight. Is there a way to check if you're in a comfort zone prior to launching?

Look at the direction the map shows his drone is pointing.

rockmsu Posted at 2017-8-10 09:31
Beyond the alerts, how can you tell if there is strong interference with the compass? Sometimes the compass error passes and you don't really realize til your midflight which can result in a scary flight. Is there a way to check if you're in a comfort zone prior to launching?

This link might help you

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... &fromuid=260008

Yes I've read this and follow those pre-flight procedures, but sounds like from a number of folks including that it happened to me once that these things can arise mid flight. Not sure if there's a better graph or histogram of interference in the area to avoid these calibration issues happening mid flight.

rockmsu Posted at 2017-8-10 10:21
Yes I've read this and follow those pre-flight procedures, but sounds like from a number of folks including that it happened to me once that these things can arise mid flight. Not sure if there's a better graph or histogram of interference in the area to avoid these calibration issues happening mid flight.

What happens during flight can sometimes be attributed to what happens preflight, if something happens at high altitude, then at least you will know you did everything to avoid, there is not much more you can do,

I wouldn't be surprised if the drone didn't get interference from the the ship transmitters:  two radars, vhf, satcoms, AIS, cellular modems with external antennas, routers, etc  that's a lot of stuff at close range

PascalG Posted at 2017-8-10 10:38
I wouldn't be surprised if the drone didn't get interference from the the ship transmitters:  two radars, vhf, satcoms, AIS, cellular modems with external antennas, routers, etc  that's a lot of stuff at close range

Yes there is a lot going on, but if you look at video you will notice compass triangle is backwards right from take off leading pilot to think he picked this up from the ground.

Thanks for sharing. If the aircraft has not taken off and the compass readings are abnormal. It is recommended to power off the aircraft, calibrate the compass in a different place and then fly again.
Besides, we recommend taking off as far as possible after powering on and self-checking finished, long time of standing on the ground might cause compass interference.
Radio transmission towers, power lines, base stations, electromagnetic interference devices, and large deposits of magnetic metal might cause compass error. As we could see there is a bridge near around, it might be the source of interference. We would suggest changing another open wide to fly.

rockmsu Posted at 2017-8-10 10:21
Yes I've read this and follow those pre-flight procedures, but sounds like from a number of folks including that it happened to me once that these things can arise mid flight. Not sure if there's a better graph or histogram of interference in the area to avoid these calibration issues happening mid flight.

This issue might occur because the aircraft is flying in a place where the compass cannot detect the interference correctly. We suggest landing the drone manually if possible and change another place to fly.