Guys. Good day.

I have posted this elsewhere in another  Spark forum but I have no satisfactory resolution to the problem.

I have had my Spark since Dec 2017 and did around 20-30 flights back then with no problems. I always followed the procedure when taking-off to wait for enough GPS lock and wait for the Spark to record a Homepoint. This is to minimise the chance of the famous Spark Fly-away.

Last week I noticed that during one afternoon flight session at the back of our village, I was about 1 minute into a flight and realized that the App had not announced that it had recorded a Homepoint, so fearing a fly away I manually landed the Spark immediately. Tried several times and still the same, no onscreen notification and no audio announcement. I have uninstalled the DJI Go app and installed it again on my android phone and made sure all software/hardware is updated. Still on the following 3 days, it's a hit and miss, few flights with Onscreen notification and audio announcement but mostly just a notice of Take-off and a green home peg on the map inset. All flights however returned home with a RTH command and I still have my drone.

I remember well that all my first flight back in Dec 2017 that all went routinely on the notifications on take off, the recording of a home point announcement etc...but up to today I get inconsistent notifications on my DJI GO.

Please see the video I posted. Am I missing something here?

I've seen a few other people mention this issue. I'm not sure what causes it, but I can tell you the home point has definitely been marked when you see the "H" symbol on the map.

Pehaps one of the Forum Administrators has heard this question and have a solution.  I have not.  

However, if it were me I would look at my phone settings.  In the context of sound settings I would search out all settings that could affect sound.  

Perhaps there are some volume settings on the phone operating system that would have this affect.  For example, if you turned on the Do Not Disturb (so that a phone call wouldn't interrupt flight communications) it might silence the speaker.  I'm not an Android user, but on iOS there are App settings and Global settings.  If there is something similar in Android you might review all of the related settings on a Global basis, then drill down to the App.

i always "manually" record the home point before taking off. there are times when this is not announced on the screen, as in your video, but the back LEDs are blinking yellow fast then green. that means the home point was recorded. even though i still insist one more time to update the home point and in 99% of the cases it will show on the screen that the home point was recorded.
i would say is best to "manually" record the home point and check on the map if it is accurate no matter if the App said it was recorded or not. just double check.

Mine sometimes does that and i do not take off until i know it has been recorded.  Yes it shows but no audio on it but sometimes comes after take off and a few feet away it tells me.

I encountered that issue with my DJI Spark and what I do when that happens is once I take-off and fly out to the approx. 50 foot distance from the Home Point, I hit RTH button and make sure the Spark goes to the Home Point. I cancel out of the landing once you see the Spark correctly landing and then I just carry on with my original flight plan. It's an inconvenience but nonetheless another added security measure not to lose your Spark, to say the least.

Hi, all. The situation was forwarded for further check. Please wait patiently.

@msinger

True. It seems that the H peg on the map indicates that indeed a Home point has been marked but this is hardly the normal procedure.
If you are the @msinger too in the other spark forum I posted this, you said you were not aware of this issue ...I'm not aware of any issues with the home point marked event not being announced when the volume is turned up on the mobile device. You could try upgrading to DJI GO 4.2.8 to rule out any possible bugs in older DJI GO releases.



@WebParrot

yes sir, that was my first reaction on the first flight I noticed it did not announce verbally that a 'Home point has been recorded ...Please check it on the map'. I immediately checked if the volume was of the phone was muted but it was not and so with the ensuing 15+ flights. Moreover I am not just referring to the verbal announcement missing but also the On-screen announcement as seen in my posted video.

@dj_dread

I am also aware of the the fact that there is an option to Manually set the Home point on the Menu system. I have done this also in some of my initial 30 flights just to make sure a Home point is recorded and my fear of the Fly-away that.  Every time I commanded it then to record a Home point Manually, it did announce it On-screen and verbally. (I am a strict follower of the first commandment -- to get enough GPS satellites before take-off-- and the second commandment --to wait for a HOME POINT recorded).

However, after I noticed the inconsistent behavior of the notifications, I resorted to setting the Home Point manually via the menu system after take-offs where there is no On-screen + no verbal announcement. The result is, indeed, it seems to set a Homepoint but again it doesn't announce it onscreen and verbally.

Furthermore, I have reviewed my initial 30 flights since Dec 2017 and ALL THE TIME, the spark/DJI app followed the normal sequence of Onscreen and verbal announcements. ALL flights. I have around 63 flights to date (mostly on 2 places 460km apart from each other). The last 30 so flights have shown inconsistent notifications.

@nmac and @davidmartingraf

thank you for sharing your observations and seemingly similar experience. The first time realised midflight that it hadn't announced the recording of a Home point, I panicked and had to put the bird down.  After 2 more similar anomalous flights, I had the guts to try the RTH button even If I was not sure it had recorded a Home point. Luckily it did not do the Famous Fly-away spark manuever.


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I have flown the Spark in high winds in the middle of a sea from a small sandbar and also against the high winds on a lake 1.4km from my backyard. The Spark is a sturdy beast, but is seemingly bugged by a poor programming that even a Fundamental notification vital to every flight has been inconsistent.