So, I havent taken the Spark out for a few months ever since DJI removed OTG support (or the unofficial support I should say). I was awaiting a time when OTG made a return so that I could once again fly the Spark and have a semi decent range on it.

Anyway, I took the Spark out yesterday for a spin. Did any updates that were needed etc... and made sure everything was ready before flying. Went out to where I usually test fly my drones. It is a field in the middle of nowhere with little to no wifi or radio interferance which is why I like test flying there. So yesterday I get the Spark up and am shocked at the range now. I got just over 30mtrs away from me before I had lost connection. Thought it could be because I was using my old Samsung mobile. So I broke out the new iPad Mini 4 to see if that would make any difference. Made no difference.

So I checked the settings and found I was unable to change from 5.8Ghz to 2.4Ghz. I remember a while ago that I was able to do so, but for some reason yesterday, whether it be on the Samsung or the iPad I could not change the frequency. So I broke out the little extenders that you can buy, you know the ones that are like parabolic mirrors. I was hoping to get a little further than the 30mtrs earlier. Managed to get a grand total of 37mtrs before I lost signal. Thinking that maybe there was suddenly some interferance I checked the frequency settings to see if there were any nearby. Everything was in the green with very little issues.

So I have to ask the question. Is anyone else getting these issues with thier Sparks or am I an isolated case. I know I have a Mavic Pro to fly which I love, but the Spark in Sports mode is insanely fun and quite refreshing to fly occassionally.

So could anyone reading this who has a Spark please vote so I can get an idea as to what is going on.

Thank you

My range until now was 300m-350m, in areas with some interference. So far I have not tried my Spark in zones 100% free of interference.

i had exatly same issue..one thing i have yet to try is the 2.4 gz its not listed on app but by going to custom and chosing one of the lower chanelsit changed to 2.4..i have yet to fly it on these but it cany be worse ..

wobbles Posted at 2018-5-23 10:29
i had exatly same issue..one thing i have yet to try is the 2.4 gz its not listed on app but by going to custom and chosing one of the lower chanelsit changed to 2.4..i have yet to fly it on these but it cany be worse ..

I can not change from 5.8 to 2.4.

if u use the newer version of GO4 app, v4.2.12, u can switch between these frequencies. But I recommend always 5.8GHz for atleast 1.5 KM distance.

I can get close to 100 metres horizontal distance at around 100 metres high here in the UK before I start to lose signal. At that range, its harder to see so am happy with that range.

You know the OTG has nothing to do with the range, it just helps with the video lag. Personally, I still use 4.1.15, and it works great! I am able to get out to 3K feet with no issues, and could have went further.

Sorry to hear the difficulties. Had you tried to change the position of the antennas? Besides, just to verify, did the drone crash before?
If the drone didn't crash before and was running the latest firmware, if it is possible, please provide me with your flight data, black box data and the flight controller LOG data from the drone, the screenshot of the WiFi settings in that place if you had reserved and the screenshot of the firmware info (General Settings, About). I will forward your data to the engineers to check.
As for changing the channels, basically, 1-13 is 2.4GHz, 149-161 is 5.8GHz, you can select Custom first and select the specific figure to change the channel. See if it helps.

idbl_fanatic Posted at 2018-5-23 13:37
You know the OTG has nothing to do with the range, it just helps with the video lag. Personally, I still use 4.1.15, and it works great! I am able to get out to 3K feet with no issues, and could have went further.

Somehow in CE areas and on most androids, only otg gives you the option to change go 2.4 Ghz.
Or gives this option go the RC-AC auto dealings.
So in Europe, p.ex., otg can ge a good range extender.
In FCC areas probably not so much.
But anyway, the stabil stream alone is enough reason for me, "to otg"

I have the old djigo4. 4.2.12 i think..i also have no 5.6/2,4 button. But  2.4 is selected by swiping channels down to a lower one i ise ch6. Did you try that?

Flying on 5.8 Ghz,, Samsung S6,, getting +/_  500-600 meters range,, using OTG purely for better Video quality. Good enough for me..

I see that the original poster is in the UK
From what I have been reading the last few days...It appears that the newest DJI app is enforcing the "CE" zones more aggressively or rendering whatever was done before to switch to "FCC" useless...Maybe it is in "CE" mode now?

apart from the spark having naturally poor range by poor design with WiFi.. you can always try 2 options.

1. Relinking the controller to the aircraft.. this causes it to “sniff” channels and pick the best channel..  the spark does not change channels on its own  and can get stuck using same one every boot or resetting it.   Relinking can clear up the issue sometimes.

2.  Using GPS spoofing methods if you live outside the US or are using spark outside the US.  Setting your tablet or phone’s GPS (android) to American state/location and relaunching the app can enable FCC mode in DJi-go 4 application offering you full power on both 2.4ghz and 5.8ghz.

HereForTheBeer Posted at 2018-5-24 02:14
apart from the spark having naturally poor range by poor design with WiFi.. you can always try 2 options.

1. Relinking the controller to the aircraft.. this causes it to “sniff” channels and pick the best channel..  the spark does not change channels on its own  and can get stuck using same one every boot or resetting it.   Relinking can clear up the issue sometimes.

more options, go to the dark side and make your own mod djigo4 app, you can use several patches incl:
FCC power
Able to switch wifi channels with OTG cable
Mavic flightmodes on Spark(include waypoints)
and many more.
Or you keep using version 4.1.15, no need for any other update unless you have a dji goggle(4.1.22)

i've gone as far as 1500m with no connection issue here in Canada

I have the same issues in Australia. I use to get 500-600m range before having issues, now in the exact same locations I have sserious lag and connection issues from 20m out. This has only started happening since the latest DJI Go4 update. Perhaps the previous comment was correct and they are strictly enforcing CE restrictions now. Either way it has made the spark almost unusable.

I am ready to buy a Spark ,but reading all the comments about the spark is turning me off. If you can't get further out then 20m ypu may well buy a long sefi stick  ,it's cheaper ,cheers

Jos A Posted at 2018-5-24 02:40
more options, go to the dark side and make your own mod djigo4 app, you can use several patches incl:
FCC power
Able to switch wifi channels with OTG cable

How do you do that? Is it hard? Takes it long time to do?

35andsolid Posted at 2018-5-28 19:13
I am ready to buy a Spark ,but reading all the comments about the spark is turning me off. If you can't get further out then 20m ypu may well buy a long sefi stick  ,it's cheaper ,cheers

There are thousands of Spark users not having the same issues as some here. Some things are related to the conditions of each area, some are related to user error, some are related to the performance quality of tablets and phone devices used.

Some problems are related to the unit, or the app. It's a complex piece of equipment so there is that expectation that some experiences may not seem that great, but most experiences are very good. Apps will go through bugs as well, and they get sorted out. Takes a lot of user input and detail to clarify confirm and solve drone related problems.

ThomasLydhig Posted at 2018-5-28 21:21
How do you do that? Is it hard? Takes it long time to do?

you have instructions on PM

The Spark can fly for distances greater than its advertised range but would be nice if it had the stronger connection of OcuSync.

Jos A Posted at 2018-6-1 04:45
you have instructions on PM

Can you send me these too, please?
Thx

I have found that using the otg cable makes a huge difference, but disabling Wifi and Bluetooth on my iPhone is important too. Of course, I select a good channel on the 2.4 GHz band, and that way, in a favorable environment, I get quite a good range. Today at the lake, I was 950m away (CE mode) and had a perfectly good transmission and command response.

Kurt i can send you but it's for android

It is worth remembering the problems of radio frequency interference. Here in Brazil (I do not know if they happen in other countries) in some regions the internet is available via radio, with powerful transmitters of 5.8GHZ and this greatly reduces the range and image transmission of Spark. I proved this when I realized that when flying with version 4.1.15 using OTG and Android it reached easy 1.2 km which does not occur with version 4.2.12 OTG and Android that did not exceed 485m.
As the friends above are saying, it is likely that some restriction is occurring that, although we use the same standards of transmission of the USA (FCC), in practice, we are with the power of radio in the European standards (CE).
Hugs and I hope I have helped.

I took my little spark out over the sea the other day in Turkey and managed to get out to a range of 1550 meters away with approx 70% signal strength still remaining. This was at a height of approx 80 meters.

For reference I'm using the latest firmware but only DJI GO 4.1.15 as this version seems to be the most stable for me.

My top range so far is 3040 meters one way! So I’m very satisfied with the range that I get on my spark


Fly safely all
Alex

I used to flood these boards with complaints of lag and having those exact hilarious range issues. Constant lost signal and video latency dramas that have once or twice induced heavy panic!!! I've been using OTG for months now and really have no problems with it but then i do tend to keep it in line of sight which as you're aware is around 300 - 350M.... It's tough livin in the UK sometimes!!!!  

35andsolid Posted at 5-28 19:13
I am ready to buy a Spark ,but reading all the comments about the spark is turning me off. If you can't get further out then 20m ypu may well buy a long sefi stick  ,it's cheaper ,cheers

Buy it, you won't regret it.
These days all the issues are ironed out. Use OTG cable solves problem. They're honestly ridiculously fun!!!


This message is sponsored by DJI

I had enough problems with EU signal strength or wifi channels not usable in Europe (5.8Ghz 149 - 165) so you can't change in CE mode to connect you phone to RC via 5.8 to have rc-aircraft via 2.4 . Those topics are to an extend covered in forums here.Another problem is Auto channel - it's not working - use manual channel choice .

ONE SIMPLE MEDICINE for this in the EU is to force FCC ( you will find easy ways to make FCC on spark work)
By this you have STRONG SIGNAL and you don't care what band you use  .

YOUR MEDICINE FOR SPARK IS FCC AND MANUAL CHANNEL CHOICE

Szwedu Posted at 11-25 23:04
I had enough problems with EU signal strength or wifi channels not usable in Europe (5.8Ghz 149 - 165) so you can't change in CE mode to connect you phone to RC via 5.8 to have rc-aircraft via 2.4 . Those topics are to an extend covered in forums here.Another problem is Auto channel - it's not working - use manual channel choice .

ONE SIMPLE MEDICINE for this in the EU is to force FCC ( you will find easy ways to make FCC on spark work)

I second that.

Since I use the MOD 2.0 app, I have no problems with video dropouts or lagging.

Cheers,
Wolferl

New best. I took my spark out 3192 meters one way



P.s. it was very windy on the way back as it can be seen in the video, the wind kept turning the drone around. (I was going in sports mode)
That’s one of the reasons why I love my other DJI drone my Mavic Pro, it doesn’t get turned around by the wind when going in sports mode

Flysafely all
Alex

Alex B. Posted at 11-26 12:33
New best. I took my spark out 3192 meters one way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1BcbtftweE

pretty good so u got 7.2lm on a single battery
what speed are u going at or any tips

SAADHERO Posted at 11-26 13:31
pretty good so u got 7.2lm on a single battery
what speed are u going at or any tips

Thanks!
7,2 miles? How did you come up with that number?lol
It was 6581 meters or 4089 miles
Tips, we’ll go from start to finish full on in sport mode!
Because sparks speed on normal is like 10/12 km/h per hour!
In sport 45/50 km/h, and the battery lasts only like 1 or 2 minutes more in normal mode vs sports.
Unlike the Mavic Pro, where in sport you fly 13 minutes and in normal 23/24 minutes.! And the speed difference is not that big, it’s huge on the spark.
Also when you see that there is wind, the drone is flying slowly and the drone gets turned around by the wind, then decrease the altitude to the max, that way you waste less battery also. (I went down to 20 meters at some points in the flight)
Also obviously do the test in fcc mode and in clear line of sight,
Like I did on the beach or out to sea.  (But I’m scared still to fly 3km out to sea maybe soon ;)))

Flysafely and enjoy
Alex

Alex B. Posted at 11-26 15:13
Thanks!
7,2 miles? How did you come up with that number?lol
It was 6581 meters or 4089 miles

Looking forward to get my SPARK!

Goldorak Posted at 11-26 18:18
Looking forward to get my SPARK!

dont forget the Controller the most important thing

Im finding this aswell,

I purchased my drone yesterday and when playing with it yesterday and today my wifi signal starts dropping down to one bar at about 100ft up. Then the video cuts out and signal is lost. (then I panic)

Surely this isnt the furthest it will go?

ChrisJG Posted at 5-23 12:23
I can get close to 100 metres horizontal distance at around 100 metres high here in the UK before I start to lose signal. At that range, its harder to see so am happy with that range.

I can still see mine at atleast 300M out, plus with OTG thats actually possible! Without OTG i was lucky to get to evn 50M without dropping connection!!!

LukeG Posted at 12-10 03:02
Im finding this aswell,

I purchased my drone yesterday and when playing with it yesterday and today my wifi signal starts dropping down to one bar at about 100ft up. Then the video cuts out and signal is lost. (then I panic)

You might need to downgrade your DJI go app version.
What’s your device that you fly with? And the app version?

Fly safely
Alex

I have the most recent App and Dji Spark, all upto date firmware.