I decided to get my fisrt drone these days. My fisrt decision was getting a spark but I made a research about it and i realized that there are some flying away and disconnecting problems. I am confused and afraiding to buy the spark. It may kill my flying desire. I want to buy the Mavic but it is too expensive then Spark. I can affordt to Mavic but should I? What is the Spark's status after updates?
By the way, I live in Turkey and I want to buy fly more combo package.


Mavic Pro(Fly more Combo) is 1580 Dollar - Spark (Fly More Combo) is 850 dollar in Turkey.


Thank you.

IMO if you can afford the Mavic then buy it.  I own both and I don't trust the Spark at all.

Hi, Mertcantt. Thanks for your attention. We would recommend users fly their spark in places with good GPS signal and recommended environment to avoid flying away. You can enter our website and compare the specs: https://www.dji.com/products/com ... dsite&from=nav. Hope you can find the one your prefer.

Tviscomi Posted at 2017-12-29 14:31
IMO if you can afford the Mavic then buy it.  I own both and I don't trust the Spark at all.

+1 my spark is all over the place at the moment , so I always use the Mavic now. It goes so well I also got a MPP

I would compare the Mavic Pro without the combo to the Spark Fly More Combo.  Both have similar flight time before you have to start charging batteries and both have RC controllers.  So I don't think the cost is that far apart.  That said, I went for the Spark because the extra ability of the Mavic would have been wasted on me.  I don't need the 4k video or the greater distance the Mavic can fly beyond one's eyesight.  So I saved a couple hundred dollars and got the very capable Spark.  

Model airplane hobbyists say, never fly by radio control that which you can't afford to lose.  Can you afford to lose a Mavic?

Gunship9 Posted at 2017-12-29 21:33
I would compare the Mavic Pro without the combo to the Spark Fly More Combo.  Both have similar flight time before you have to start charging batteries and both have RC controllers.  So I don't think the cost is that far apart.  That said, I went for the Spark because the extra ability of the Mavic would have been wasted on me.  I don't need the 4k video or the greater distance the Mavic can fly beyond one's eyesight.  So I saved a couple hundred dollars and got the very capable Spark.  

Model airplane hobbyists say, never fly by radio control that which you can't afford to lose.  Can you afford to lose a Mavic?

Have you ever had any problem with spark? I think the disconnection issue is really big problem. I know somebody who sold his spark because of this problem. Except for that, I will buy a drone for one time in my life. I don't want to have a problem with it.

mertcantt Posted at 2017-12-30 00:40
Have you ever had any problem with spark? I think the disconnection issue is really big problem. I know somebody who sold his spark because of this problem. Except for that, I will buy a drone for one time in my life. I don't want to have a problem with it.

Well, I have bought the spark this summer and have been flying with it ever since. The problems described here concern newer firmware only and the disconnection problems are in the Europe due to the fact that EU phones do not support the 5,8GHz band. Don't know whether it concerns Turkey as well.

The truth is I am not using the newest SW and FW, I have DJI GO 4 4.1.14 and Sparks FW 01.00.0600 (both are from the summer) and I never had any problems with it. It even works with an OTG cable. But I am using the spark in the nature with no sources of interference (ok, ocasionally I encounter a compass error due to a magnetic rocks  but no fly aways yet ).

If you really wanna play it safe and don't mind the higher cost, I would recommend a Mavic though since it has all the sensors doubled and thus should be more resistant to interference.

Vyborny83 Posted at 2017-12-30 01:06
Well, I have bought the spark this summer and have been flying with it ever since. The problems described here concern newer firmware only and the disconnection problems are in the Europe due to the fact that EU phones do not support the 5,8GHz band. Don't know whether it concerns Turkey as well.

The truth is I am not using the newest SW and FW, I have DJI GO 4 4.1.14 and Sparks FW 01.00.0600 (both are from the summer) and I never had any problems with it. It even works with an OTG cable. But I am using the spark in the nature with no sources of interference (ok, ocasionally I encounter a compass error due to a magnetic rocks  but no fly aways yet  ).

Thank you. I know that the phones don't support 5.8GHz band. I know somebody in Turkey who sold his Spark due to disconnecting issue, so it is obvious that i will have this problem. I have some questions for you.

1) If I buy the spark and connect it with the OTG cable, do I have any disconnect problem?

2)  As we know, Turkey's phones don't support 5.8GHz band, If I buy the Mavic pro, do I have a disconnect problem due to not having 5.8GHz?

3) Altough I am from Turkey, I am a University student in Cyprus. Therefore I live 9 months in Cyprus and 3 months in Turkey in a year. So I guess I have to register the drone in both countries. Does it worth?

Thanks

The answer to question #1 is YES.  DJI does not support OTG at this time.

mertcantt Posted at 2017-12-30 02:52
Thank you. I know that the phones don't support 5.8GHz band. I know somebody in Turkey who sold his Spark due to disconnecting issue, so it is obvious that i will have this problem. I have some questions for you.

1) If I buy the spark and connect it with the OTG cable, do I have any disconnect problem?

You can wokraround the disconnects with an older version of DJI GO 4 4.1.15 (or 14 in my case) that still supports (unofficialy but works ) the OTG cable (without otg cable my max range is about 50m, with it 400m ....). The disconnects are caused due to much more strict regulations of the strength of a WiFi signal in Europe compared to the US and in some cases due to interference. OTG cable can help with the weak WiFi signal problem, a different location with the interference ;).

I don't have the Mavic pro but it uses a different technology to comunicate with the drone (ocusync I believe) and your phone connects with the remote via USB cable, that gives him much better range and should be more resistant to intefrerence but it would be best if somebody who actually have him talked about that (I have no practical experience with that ... yet ).

I am not familiar with the regulations about drones in those countries. Depends on what their laws says. In my country, you don't have to register a drone this small (applies both to spark and mavic pro) if you are using it for recreational purpouses only. You have to find out what the law says about drones in both your countries.

Back to the main question. Should you buy the spark? YES.

But we really need more input about what you want to do with it to provIde a better answer.

The spark is small and easy to travel with. Bought a case 11 inch x 9 inch and I can fit the spark and it’s controller, charging hub and 4 batteries.
For those reasons I bought the spark. The 1080p video is very good enough for watching on my 55inch tv screen. The hand gesture makes it very convenient to use it very quick if you want to shoot a picture.
I just wish that it has a 2 compass sensors which would make it reliable avoiding fly always. If you fly in area with no interference you should be fine.
I flew mine in New Jersey and had no issues.
Currently I’m in Surinam and notice the compass and IMU sensors are showing weaK signals and the Spark doesn’t hover to well at very low altitude about. This is maybe where I am it’s surrounded by concrete fencing with re-bars. If I fly  it higher than 15 meter the signals are getting better and no issues.
The point is, spark is good as long you know where to fly it.

I hope this will help your decision buying  the spark

i think if you are looking for some daring"" fun, SPARK is the best with all its issues and daring flights at a very short time

I own a Spark, Mavic Pro(sold) and a Mavic Pro Platinum and I don't have any problems with any of them as long as you have good GPS connection you're golden.  I don't have any problems with the Spark flying wifi either.

Lucas775 Posted at 2017-12-30 05:10
I own a Spark, Mavic Pro(sold) and a Mavic Pro Platinum and I don't have any problems with any of them as long as you have good GPS connection you're golden.  I don't have any problems with the Spark flying wifi either.

Thank you. I guess you live in US. I have learned that since europe doesn't support 5.8GHz, the spark disconnects often. I live in Turkey and I guess i will have disconnecting issue.

Well the Disconnect is only from the DJI GO APP ... so you have Video Failure and so on, but the RC where still connected all the Time with my Spark. Sure, loosing Compass and GPS will end in ATTI Mode and if you never flow before something else Modell that could be a problem for you. But this could happen with every Drohne. I fly Helicopter since three Years, which are all not GPS Stabilized, so i didn't get in big trouble if i loose GPS/Compass on the Spark.

I guess Turkey is not CE Country (but i am not sure) - so if you can fly in FCC Mode all is fine., And also CE support 5.8 GHz. The Disconnect Problem seems a combination from RC WIFI Connection to Spark and RC Wifi Connection to the DJI GO APP. And as already told in that Thread, just use an older Version (i also fly with .14 Version) and OTG works without any Problem and you got an perfect Live Stream to the DJI.GO App.

The most Problem is,  Turkey is also 25p/24p PAL Framrate Country as far as i know - and this Videomode is not supported with the Spark. Doesn't matter until you will film under special LIght Conditions or will mix in Video Postprodction with other Videos from other Cameras which support the 25p Mode.

My Decision to the Spark (to be honest, i learned that Video point after i bought one ;-( didn't thought about before that an Global Player is ignoring half of the World)  - so my decision was: I need a Small Drohne which fits everywhere, make 1080 Videos as all other Cameras also give me 1080 and doesn't cost so much. I will use it mainly on Motobike Tours - in Combination with an 12V Fast Charger are 2 Batteries enough for me for that and Size and Weight is perfect for that.

I just recently got into this and bought both the Mavic and the Spark. I bought the Mavic pro first and loved it so much I bought the Spark to have something even more portable and easy to fly at the spur of the moment and just play around with if I want.

For me if you are going to choose one and can afford either, it just depends on what you want to do with it. The Mavic is much more capable for longer flights (double) at much further distances (4x) and has redundancy in critical functions like IMU and compass for improved reliability far away. It can also fly in higher winds. It also has 4k video if that matters to you but personally 1080 is amazing and fine for me at this point. If I was a professional drone photographer I guess that would matter more.

If I had it to do over again I would probably just buy the Spark. I fly it at least 20 times for every one time I fly the Mavic. It's just always with me and easier and quite frankly less intimidating to people around me and it's just plain fun and it can still go a mile away and return to home and do all of the things that at least for me are what's fun and important. I fly it every day and in lots of places. Flying my Mavic is more of a planned activity at least for me. Kind of like how I look at my phone many times per day but not as often log into my laptop.

Just my 2 cents. At the end of the day either one will be great.

Also just FYI I have many flights on my Spark with zero issues but I was careful to learn everything i could before trying new things. Whichever you buy, take the time to really learn how it works before you go fly at any height or distance.

mertcantt Posted at 2017-12-30 00:40
Have you ever had any problem with spark? I think the disconnection issue is really big problem. I know somebody who sold his spark because of this problem. Except for that, I will buy a drone for one time in my life. I don't want to have a problem with it.

Nope, I have had no problems with it.  Although it wouldn't connect to the RC on 2.4ghz because all the channels were in use or noisy (interference).  I switched to 5.8ghz and have been having a lot of fun with it.

I like its small size and small props, small battery prices, and small foam case it comes with.

I think there are two primary reason for flyaways.
Number one is that atti mode (flight with neither gps or visual positioning system) can’t be chosen.
It only activates by surprise, and the pilot may not be prepared for it.
The spark knows that atti mode is a safety feature. It has a warning message that suggests turning it on.
But it can’t be turned on intentionally.
It’s a good aircraft, but it’s unpredicable when it suddenly changes flight mode on it’s own.

Number two is lost connection. Every time it has happened to me, it just returned to home without problems.
I never †ake off before the home point is set.

Flying safely in atti mode requires some exercise, but that’s not possible with the spark. I recommand choosing one that can, unless you already are confident.

Mario_b Posted at 2017-12-30 05:58
Well the Disconnect is only from the DJI GO APP ... so you have Video Failure and so on, but the RC where still connected all the Time with my Spark. Sure, loosing Compass and GPS will end in ATTI Mode and if you never flow before something else Modell that could be a problem for you. But this could happen with every Drohne. I fly Helicopter since three Years, which are all not GPS Stabilized, so i didn't get in big trouble if i loose GPS/Compass on the Spark.

I guess Turkey is not CE Country (but i am not sure) - so if you can fly in FCC Mode all is fine., And also CE support 5.8 GHz. The Disconnect Problem seems a combination from RC WIFI Connection to Spark and RC Wifi Connection to the DJI GO APP. And as already told in that Thread, just use an older Version (i also fly with .14 Version) and OTG works without any Problem and you got an perfect Live Stream to the DJI.GO App.

Thanks, Turkey is a CE Country. So we can't fly so further. I found a video to fly in FCC. But i don't know whether it is safe or not. What do you think about it?

mertcantt Posted at 2017-12-30 10:00
Thanks, Turkey is a CE Country. So we can't fly so further. I found a video to fly in FCC. But i don't know whether it is safe or not. What do you think about it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJRMlHabawg

Happy New Year all.

Well FCC Patch may be existing for some older APP Version - but to be honest, i think flyaway had nothing to do with it.  And for normal scenarios you didn't need that Patch because CE Mode is enough (if you use an OTG Cable).

I guess also most flyaways are: Lost Control in ATTI Mode and/or in Combination with fly far away outside your sight.  Stupid think is, that Spark didn't allow manual switch to ATTI Mode, so you can't train with that.

Everybody means, cool that's and Drone with own Flighcontroller, positioning System and very safe to fly for everybods. But if one of the System get trouble, it depends on the Pilot what will happen.

Getting loan for the drone means too expensive hobby vs. disposable income.

eYeSkYeYe Posted at 11-12 09:01
Getting loan for the drone means too expensive hobby vs. disposable income.

It depends on a person. For some people hobby is their whole life, and they may spend all money on hobby, I don't think it's bad, or something like this. I am hunter and also spend a lot of my money on my rifles, different equipment, on cars for hunting sessions, etc. Also I use drone for good videos of wild nature. And yes, sometimes I have to apply for loans online, I usually useCanada cash advance options company, they provide with really great service.