Flew four flights this morning.  The first two were nominal.  About 38 seconds into the third flight, the aircraft switched into ATTI mode for a few seconds before switching back to GPS mode.  As the aircraft was landing, I started to get a Compass error on screen. I changed the battery, calibrated the compass, and took off again.  The Spark switched back and forth between GPS and ATTI several times, but only for a few seconds (< than 10 secs).  I came home and downloaded the logs to check my GPS numbers.  Throughout all four flights, I was hitting 16-18 GPS counts.  However, I noticed the GPS level was at 5 during GPS mode, but would drop to 0 during ATTI mode.  What is the GPS level and what affects it?

JD

As soon the bird gets a compass error, even with 20 sats, it is ignoring sats! Atti is mostly NOT a "no sats" problem.

Hi jdharrin, sorry to know that. The aircraft will revert to ATTI mode when GPS signal is weak, or when the compass experiences interference where the Vision System is unavailable. In ATTI mode, the aircraft is easily affected by its surroundings, which may result in horizontal shifting. Also, in this  mode, the Vision System and some advanced features are disabled. Therefore, the aircraft cannot position or auto-brake in this mode. Please land in a safe place as soon as possible to avoid hazards. Avoid flying in areas where GPS signal is weak, or in confined spaces. The aircraft will otherwise be forced to enter ATTI mode, leading to a potential flight hazard. Please fly the aircraft on a different location where you have a strong GPS signal. Appreciate your understanding and support.

When you turn on the spark, don’t hold it. Sit it on the ground and turn it on. Make sure the grass is not high or you will get gamble overload. Make sure the hand you turn it on with has no ring on the finger no watches,No coins in your pocket. NO metal anywhere around it. A lot of times when it goes into Atti mode, it’s cause by a compass error. Don’t make sharp turns in sports mode and most of all, don’t panic. Make sure you do a good compass calibration but not near any metal.