hallmark007 Posted at 2017-7-30 01:57
I have tried both OTG and wifi, there is no difference, spark to RC is working like a dream for me, and no cables is something I don't miss.

I think  you mean that you don't miss using cables, rather than you don't miss not using cables.

mtnlandpix Posted at 2017-8-1 16:39
The FAA definately thinks it matters. I have a commercial sUAV license and VLOS is a rule for me, not a suggestion.  If you are a mile and a half away from your drone, how would you know if you were on a collision course with a helicopter.  Flying where you cannot see could be very dangerous.

if there is a helicopter comign at your drone, do you really think a half mile out having VLOS will help?
  i dont ...again basically flying drunk with using VLOS.

but  good job on passing Part 107, by the way part 107 (commercial sUAV) requires you have someone spotting with you if you have a live view/FPV, even if you are not using it.  so i imagine you broken the rules yourself a handful of times at least without realizing it. you have to deal with a lot of extra restrictions...

if the FAA want to have a word with me they can, where i fly, is no air traffic.  i called a tower once, they said im fine and when i asked if i should call every time he laughed and said no, unless im unsure of a new area controlled by that flight tower.
dont get me wrong, i dont have a total disrespect for the law, but if the FAA cared they should make things easier, more streamlined and clearer.   my area has no overhead traffic, 2 areas i fly in do but like 35,000 feet.... so i think im ok..  if i saw regularly airtrafic flying overhead i would definatly keep it lower and closer..

paulhummerman Posted at 2017-8-1 16:57
I think  you mean that you don't miss using cables, rather than you don't miss not using cables.

I think you would be right, at least somebody is awake. Thank you.

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-1 17:10
if there is a helicopter comign at your drone, do you really think a half mile out having VLOS will help?
  i dont ...again basically flying drunk with using VLOS.

I see you are not really an expert on part 107 rules.  I will not debate you on this.  For the sake of being congenial, I will not answer your post, sorry.

mtnlandpix Posted at 2017-8-2 07:56
I see you are not really an expert on part 107 rules.  I will not debate you on this.  For the sake of being congenial, I will not answer your post, sorry.

I don't wish to contribute to any disagreement, but I am studying for the part 107 test, and I wish to convey my understanding as well as a question.

My understanding is that visibility must be 3 miles, that there be a designated visual observer.  This could be the pilot.  If the pilot is using a device which prevents "eyes on", then another person must be designated as the visual observer.  Under normal circumstances, the UAS should not go above 400ft ground level, and another manned vehicle (helicopter) should not go below 500ft (except in unusual circumstances, such as emergency services).  All operators of craft (manned and otherwise) have responsibility to ensure safety and avoid collision.  For any part 107 experts, is that right?

And a question/comment:  Someone who did sound like they knew what they were talking about stated that the regulation for line of sight was written in a way that visibility must be 3 miles, but not that a person had to be able to see the drone at 3 miles away.  This becomes legal semantic parsing, and my understanding of part 107 was the opposite:  The visual observer had to keep LOS on the craft, and the pilot should keep the craft close enough to observe.  Is that a fair interpretation?

Charles Adams Posted at 2017-8-2 08:10
I don't wish to contribute to any disagreement, but I am studying for the part 107 test, and I wish to convey my understanding as well as a question.

My understanding is that visibility must be 3 miles, that there be a designated visual observer.  This could be the pilot.  If the pilot is using a device which prevents "eyes on", then another person must be designated as the visual observer.  Under normal circumstances, the UAS should not go above 400ft ground level, and another manned vehicle (helicopter) should not go below 500ft (except in unusual circumstances, such as emergency services).  All operators of craft (manned and otherwise) have responsibility to ensure safety and avoid collision.  For any part 107 experts, is that right?

Yes, I believe you are basically correct.  The only item I would take exception to is that the sUAS pilot in command has the full responsibility to avoid a collision with a manned aircraft, and must take whatever action is necessary to avoid collision.   You are correct about the 3 mile visibility.  This does not mean you can fly your drone 3 miles from you; it only means there must be a minimum of 3 miles visibility not impaired by fog, haze, smoke, or whatever.  The drone must remain in VLOS (unaided by binoculars, etc.) from the PIC, or by a visual observer. The rules also make the exception that the PIC, if there is no visual observer, may glance at the controls (for instance battery percentage) momentarily to maintain flight safety, etc.  Also, in my opinion the only device for a PIC that would prevent "eyes on" would be goggles.  If the PIC is using, say the DJI Goggles, then he or she would have to have a VO.
Good luck on getting your part 107!

I use OTG as well, but I see that RC continues to transmit its wifi signal (Spark_RC-xxxx). There is a way to power off this unnecessary transmission and save battery power?

mtnlandpix Posted at 2017-8-2 12:31
Yes, I believe you are basically correct.  The only item I would take exception to is that the sUAS pilot in command has the full responsibility to avoid a collision with a manned aircraft, and must take whatever action is necessary to avoid collision.   You are correct about the 3 mile visibility.  This does not mean you can fly your drone 3 miles from you; it only means there must be a minimum of 3 miles visibility not impaired by fog, haze, smoke, or whatever.  The drone must remain in VLOS (unaided by binoculars, etc.) from the PIC, or by a visual observer. The rules also make the exception that the PIC, if there is no visual observer, may glance at the controls (for instance battery percentage) momentarily to maintain flight safety, etc.  Also, in my opinion the only device for a PIC that would prevent "eyes on" would be goggles.  If the PIC is using, say the DJI Goggles, then he or she would have to have a VO.
Good luck on getting your part 107!

too much self conflicting..   i just say use common sense.. it you have air traffic that uses your area, then dont fly or fly low and in sight.  if you live in an area like mine where literally isn't air traffic flies over head, even though i'm in an area of advisory from the FAA, i think that is where common sense rule comes in...

if i was using my drone for professional work maybe different story since all the damn health and safety in the way already.  however since im using it for fun and hobby, i really dont want to be told how to fly my spark, i rather use common sense...   plus i feel like i'm in better control of my aircraft watching it from the screen if i'm honest.  i can adjust the camera as needed and move the air craft around, only time it isn't ideal is when im in approach to something.  i already tried flying my spark VLOS only and having someone watch the screen for me and laugh as i seem like im drunk when im trying to avoid something or approaching..


the way i see it ..similar to shooting guns.. common sense and whatever best works for you..  i'm more proficient from watching my spark on screen and adjusting,  than i am from VLOS, i dont plan on flying my spark near other aircraft or at people... if i want to fly over 400 feet up, sure maybe advised strongly against, but again, im not getting in anyone's way if i saw someone up there with me needing air space i would be right back out of there and below the trees.

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-2 13:08
too much self conflicting..   i just say use common sense.. it you have air traffic that uses your area, then dont fly or fly low and in sight.  if you live in an area like mine where literally isn't air traffic flies over head, even though i'm in an area of advisory from the FAA, i think that is where common sense rule comes in...

if i was using my drone for professional work maybe different story since all the damn health and safety in the way already.  however since im using it for fun and hobby, i really dont want to be told how to fly my spark, i rather use common sense...   plus i feel like i'm in better control of my aircraft watching it from the screen if i'm honest.  i can adjust the camera as needed and move the air craft around, only time it isn't ideal is when im in approach to something.  i already tried flying my spark VLOS only and having someone watch the screen for me and laugh as i seem like im drunk when im trying to avoid something or approaching..

Pretty simple- either you follow the rules or you don't.

mtnlandpix Posted at 2017-8-2 13:54
Pretty simple- either you follow the rules or you don't.

the rules the essentially conflict with themselves... got it...   the FAA can give me a ring if they have a problem

amd Posted at 2017-7-29 20:41
You can download all maps for offline use, so no need to have internet, when flying.
[view_image]

Japan maps are not available for download.  This is an issue for me.

I am definitely going with OTG, i have tried it for the first time yesterday. i have had 55 flights before i finally tried it but i notice a huge difference in my transmission image. i will probably never go back to wifi.

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-2 13:08
too much self conflicting..   i just say use common sense.. it you have air traffic that uses your area, then dont fly or fly low and in sight.  if you live in an area like mine where literally isn't air traffic flies over head, even though i'm in an area of advisory from the FAA, i think that is where common sense rule comes in...

if i was using my drone for professional work maybe different story since all the damn health and safety in the way already.  however since im using it for fun and hobby, i really dont want to be told how to fly my spark, i rather use common sense...   plus i feel like i'm in better control of my aircraft watching it from the screen if i'm honest.  i can adjust the camera as needed and move the air craft around, only time it isn't ideal is when im in approach to something.  i already tried flying my spark VLOS only and having someone watch the screen for me and laugh as i seem like im drunk when im trying to avoid something or approaching..

as much as i wish this was how the world/law worked, it don't... there's no such thing as common sense  when it comes to the government. there's too many people out there who literally has none so they cant use it as a way to state a law...unfortunately  

Thor1 Posted at 2017-8-3 07:16
as much as i wish this was how the world/law worked, it don't... there's no such thing as common sense  when it comes to the government. there's too many people out there who literally has none so they cant use it as a way to state a law...unfortunately

true, but not like any the government knows what its doing either most of the time..

like in what is it .. in the states though, north carolina i think?   was or maybe still is a law against using thermal imaging on drones for search and rescue....   i just want to know....what logic was applied to create that law?    its like they want to treat search and rescue like a sport or something stupid...

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-3 07:25
true, but not like any the government knows what its doing either most of the time..

like in what is it .. in the states though, north carolina i think?   was or maybe still is a law against using thermal imaging on drones for search and rescue....   i just want to know....what logic was applied to create that law?    its like they want to treat search and rescue like a sport or something stupid...

check out this one

Arkansas: Men can beat their wives, but only once per month

Thor1 Posted at 2017-8-3 07:33
check out this one

Arkansas: Men can beat their wives, but only once per month

thats so stupid

lafoto Posted at 2017-7-29 06:19
I use OTG since day 1. But today i lost signal!!!!! don't know what happened...

I've lost signal using OTG one time as well (only one time).  What was the temperature?  I was flying when it was HOT, and I suspect this had something to do with my signal loss.

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-3 07:31
thats so stupid

there's so many laws that were probable incorporated a couple centuries ago but just have never got rid of them.

All the same i 100% agree with you on that one. i live close to an airport so i cant even fly at my place but planes don't fly even close to 90 meters above ground(which is the law for drones in Canada). i don't know why i cant just fly up and take photos.

Thor1 Posted at 2017-8-3 07:41
there's so many laws that were probable incorporated a couple centuries ago but just have never got rid of them.

All the same i 100% agree with you on that one. i live close to an airport so i cant even fly at my place but planes don't fly even close to 90 meters above ground(which is the law for drones in Canada). i don't know why i cant just fly up and take photos.

canada is a hell hole for drone laws i have heard..  

also if your not going to take off more than a couple of meters up that's totally fine..not like planes flying lower than tops of the trees....usually/most of the time.. unless they crash..  *sigh*

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-3 07:47
canada is a hell hole for drone laws i have heard..  

also if your not going to take off more than a couple of meters up that's totally fine..not like planes flying lower than tops of the trees....usually/most of the time.. unless they crash..  *sigh*

my thoughts exactly, we cant fly even if there's animals around...so if you see a bee, get that thing down or you'll be fined $3000.

Thor1 Posted at 2017-8-3 07:16
as much as i wish this was how the world/law worked, it don't... there's no such thing as common sense  when it comes to the government. there's too many people out there who literally has none so they cant use it as a way to state a law...unfortunately

As stated earlier, I've been studying for my part 107.  And at the risk of perpetuating a disagreement:  The UAS regulations that apply to hobbyists (no licensing required) do not seem to have any conflicts, and do not appear to lack any common sense.  I think it's very reasonable to follow the regs AND exercising common sense.  Doing both will probably avoid a lot of miss-haps and accidents.

I have no desire to impugn anybody's judgement, I just want everyone to know that IMHO the FAA rules and regs aren't onerous.  Following them doesn't impact my enjoyment, and probably has saved me from some accidents.

Thor1 Posted at 2017-8-3 07:51
my thoughts exactly, we cant fly even if there's animals around...so if you see a bee, get that thing down or you'll be fined $3000.

i can respect wanting to try to not disturb animals or harm them, but it's a money grab from everything i seen.

most of the time drones dont really upset animals when i seen it in videos, house cats maybe but most videos i seen of animals outside with a drone has been relatively speaking peaceful, animals dont seem to ever be that bothered, curious maybe, bothered no..

Charles Adams Posted at 2017-8-3 07:55
As stated earlier, I've been studying for my part 107.  And at the risk of perpetuating a disagreement:  The UAS regulations that apply to hobbyists (no licensing required) do not seem to have any conflicts, and do not appear to lack any common sense.  I think it's very reasonable to follow the regs AND exercising common sense.  Doing both will probably avoid a lot of miss-haps and accidents.

I have no desire to impugn anybody's judgement, I just want everyone to know that IMHO the FAA rules and regs aren't onerous.  Following them doesn't impact my enjoyment, and probably has saved me from some accidents.

if i were to follow all our laws in Canada i would never even be able to take off...as i stated in my last comment to ImHereToCrash. no animals=no flying. its just embarrassing and if you can enjoy sitting on a picnic table staring at your drone on the ground waiting for all the animals to disappear then that's great!

I swear i am not trying to sound arrogant that's just how its coming out. i agree with you on how the law works as i stated above but some laws are just meant to be broken...like for example being allowed to beat your wife once a month in Arkansas.

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-3 07:54
i can respect wanting to try to not disturb animals or harm them, but it's a money grab from everything i seen.

most of the time drones dont really upset animals when i seen it in videos, house cats maybe but most videos i seen of animals outside with a drone has been relatively speaking peaceful, animals dont seem to ever be that bothered, curious maybe, bothered no..

i agree also. i would hate to disturb the peace of animals, i love animals...and i hate people so i would prefer to disturb them.

Thor1 Posted at 2017-8-3 07:59
if i were to follow all our laws in Canada i would never even be able to take off...as i stated in my last comment to ImHereToCrash. no animals=no flying. its just embarrassing and if you can enjoy sitting on a picnic table staring at your drone on the ground waiting for all the animals to disappear then that's great!

I swear i am not trying to sound arrogant that's just how its coming out. i agree with you on how the law works as i stated above but some laws are just meant to be broken...like for example being allowed to beat your wife once a month in Arkansas.

UGH, that does seem onerous.  I had an incident occur where I was flying in an area that was populated with hundreds of small birds.  I have seen videos where a drone is taken out by a large bird, but I never imagined that small birds would be a risk.  Sure enough, these little guys were not happy with the presence of my drone, and they demonstrated their discomfort by charging and dive bombing my drone.  Like 30 of them, and more were coming.

At that moment I decided that the FAA doesn't own the air space, Canada doesn't own the air space, Australia doesn't own the air space.  No, it was these little guys!  And they won...  I quickly landed and ceded to their authority.

Thor1 Posted at 2017-8-3 08:02
i agree also. i would hate to disturb the peace of animals, i love animals...and i hate people so i would prefer to disturb them.

haha..  yea i found a neighbor that isn't happy about my spark and tried to swat it with his towel he had in back of his car xD  i was super considering toying with him, but i figured since im newer to this and all, i rather not push my luck too much... decided to just fly up and away ..

however that being said, we must have a wasp/hornet nest in one of our trees, cuz they hate my spark.. about 50 feet up it and as far back at 20 feet they start firing off warning shots.... those things i wanna toy with using my spark killed a few on my props and got wasp guts all over my spark.. but that's their own fault for trying to attack it.

Charles Adams Posted at 2017-8-3 07:37
I've lost signal using OTG one time as well (only one time).  What was the temperature?  I was flying when it was HOT, and I suspect this had something to do with my signal loss.

The temperature was not very hot 25ºC = 77º F
I think it was my phone...
Since then i'm always in fly mode...
Yesterday i bought a tablet ( Asus ZenPad S 8 Z580C (Black) )... i'm in tests.

Buzzyone Posted at 2017-7-29 12:39
Tried OTG, tested in open countryside and urban environment, using iPhone 7 Plus as far I can see it makes no difference. Range was the same.

With the iPhone 6 it made a world of difference to me. OTG is essential. If I connect the RC and phone by wifi I can lose connection at 20m if I attempt 2.4GHz frequency to Spark. On OTG I have solid connection, some phone wifi seem to really interfere with control. Not sure why but my set up is definitely better with a cable.

I wish DJI would make the OTG a permanent set-up.

amd Posted at 2017-7-29 20:41
You can download all maps for offline use, so no need to have internet, when flying.
[view_image]

I am  pretty sure this wasn't available when I checked... unless I am missing something?

Wifi. Haven't had any issue with video signal on iPhone X .

I am having trouble with connecting my IPhone and IPad to the RC controller via a OTG cable for my Spark. If someone can help me figure this out I would appreciate it.

Bradders Posted at 2017-7-29 05:39
OTG Defiantly, this is the one I use http://amzn.to/2v9hlO3

thanks for this link was looking for one myself!

lafoto Posted at 2017-7-29 06:19
I use OTG since day 1. But today i lost signal!!!!! don't know what happened...

Is DJI warranty for SPARK voided if using lightning cable ? or OTG ?? Please advise me

I know you guys must be tired of seeing this video, sorry for being so spammy ...

But thats Why I use OTG:

FelBRax Posted at 2018-2-3 05:10
I know you guys must be tired of seeing this video, sorry for being so spammy ...

But thats Why I use OTG:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXwruigaPLg

Exactly we use OTG for lag free video.  If anyone uses a larger screen like an ipad the difference is even more obvious.

I go with both - I "Forget Networks" making my remote the only wifi connection that the tablet knows. I connect the remote via wifi, then I attach the OTG cable.  This method (I hope) will give a backup to the cable if things go funky as OTG is not fully supported.

BRIDEL Posted at 2018-2-2 18:57
Is DJI warranty for SPARK voided if using lightning cable ? or OTG ?? Please advise me

OTG is not supported... so yes you will lose DJI warranty...

I usually use wifi connection to RC, but after updating to IOS 11.2.5 and DJI Go 4 version 4.2.5, I started getting all sorts of warnngs (bluetooth and wifi nearby) and frequent disconnections.

I shifted to OTG and all works well.

Hello. please explain this...
I recently bought a Crystalsky, I tried to use my Spark with the OTG, but i notice that the only way to let DJIGo4 'sense" the OTG is physically disconnect and reconnect the microusb plug  to the RC..
This is quite uncomfortable and runs the risk to damage the connector..  
Instead if I disconnect and reconnect  the USB cable on the other end, the system does not sense the ISB at all....
I wonder what's the difference between connecting the USB cable here or there.....  do you know an easier way to let DJI go4 understand that an USB connection is about to be made!