Yesterday, while flying over the Gunpowder river doing some videography, my Spark "disconnected" from DJI Go Fly 4.  The app screen froze and went to black and white.  All video was lost.  But I still had control of the aircraft.  It was at altitude 186 ft and approximately 148 ft from home.  It was within my line of sight and I was able to fly it back to a controlled landing.

After landing, I moved to another spot to do some Active tracking and the Spark connected and performed admirably.  The aircraft never reconnected during the remainder of the flight.

I have looked over the flight log on Phantom Help Log Viewer and see no messages - but the flight log ends at 186 ft altitude and 148 ft from home.  


Have others experienced this?  Any suggestions as to what caused the disconnect and/or how to avoid it from happening in the future?

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Flight Record Gunpowder river

Do you recall flying near any large structures (metal or concrete) or power lines?

If not then the app could have just froze up on you. A device with a lot of apps on it or of a an older age can run into app related issues.

Cavu Films Posted at 9-1 14:57
Do you recall flying near any large structures (metal or concrete) or power lines?

If not then the app could have just froze up on you. A device with a lot of apps on it or of a an older age can run into app related issues.

OK, the power line issue may be related.  There are power lines that run parallel with the river about 2-300 yards away.  

I've been running my DJI quads on a Samsung S8.  it is an older device, but I haven't had difficulties like this before.  Also, I do not fly with Wi-Fi connecting the phone and the RC.  They are wire connected.

The powerline issue may be the cause.  Thanks.

Cavu Films Posted at 9-1 14:57
Do you recall flying near any large structures (metal or concrete) or power lines?

If not then the app could have just froze up on you. A device with a lot of apps on it or of a an older age can run into app related issues.

... power lines may also be the reason why I was able to do 4 other flights at low altitude.  It was only when I went high over the river, putting the drone in straight-line view of the power lines, that I had the issue.  The power lines sit high on a set of hills that border the river.

Hello there Baykayaker. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused and thank you for reaching out. Can you please try to fly in a different location to see if the problem persists? Also, DJI highly recommend you to fly in an open space away from any possible interference since the location that you are flying might have WiFi interference. Strong magnetic interference might cause some disconnection issues. In addition, I will post an official DJI tutorial video on DJI Remote Controller Antenna Best Practices. Please keep us posted. Thank you.

DJI Stephen Posted at 9-1 20:10
Hello there Baykayaker. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused and thank you for reaching out. Can you please try to fly in a different location to see if the problem persists? Also, DJI highly recommend you to fly in an open space away from any possible interference since the location that you are flying might have WiFi interference. Strong magnetic interference might cause some disconnection issues. In addition, I will post an official DJI tutorial video on DJI Remote Controller Antenna Best Practices. Please keep us posted. Thank you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7M9JtfVwQE

Interesting tutorial.  My antenna were at no time pointing at the aircraft.  There were no objects between the aircraft and my RC.  The RC was always linked to the aircraft and I had total visual control over it's movements.  What was lost was the video being sent back to the DJI Go Fly 4 app.

As soon as our weather improves I will be further testing the aircraft in a clear open area without local interference possibilities.  I failed to not previously, but this aircraft is a replacement.  I just received it and I'm somewhat reluctant to trust it's capabilities.  This "disconnect" did not strengthen my trust.

More testing is in order and I will keep this thread updated.  Thanks for your suggestions.  They provide possible explanations that need to be tested.

Best,

Baykayaker Posted at 9-1 22:16
Interesting tutorial.  My antenna were at no time pointing at the aircraft.  There were no objects between the aircraft and my RC.  The RC was always linked to the aircraft and I had total visual control over it's movements.  What was lost was the video being sent back to the DJI Go Fly 4 app.

As soon as our weather improves I will be further testing the aircraft in a clear open area without local interference possibilities.  I failed to not previously, but this aircraft is a replacement.  I just received it and I'm somewhat reluctant to trust it's capabilities.  This "disconnect" did not strengthen my trust.

Hi,
Just 2 points:
i) did you have your phone in airplane mode? It is important to do so to minimize interference.
ii) did you use an OTG cable or the Wifi network?

Cheers,
Wolferl

Wolferl Posted at 9-2 02:51
Hi,
Just 2 points:
i) did you have your phone in airplane mode? It is important to do so to minimize interference.

Very good points Wolfer.  

I do fly with an OTG cable, but I don't recall if I actually turned off Wi-Fi.  I'm thinking I probably did not.  I normally don't fly in airplane mode, but I do usually turn off Wi-fi.  I was hurrying to get the Spark in the air that morning because we had rain headed our way.

Going to Airplane mode before flight is probably a step I need to add to my check list.  Thanks.