DJI SPARK Review - Part 4 - [4+ Mile In-Depth Parabolic Range Booster Test 😱]

[@deanturton8458]

I got a DJI spark yesterday and it is amazing how far it can go and come back on its own in back to home mode. I am really impressed with it. Can’t wait to go out with the spark and have a play 👍👍

[@quentinbush]

Completely agree, even without range extenders this drone goes a long way. All that determines distance is battery duration. If we had up to 25 minute flight times, the drone could go further.

[@aleksandaralobic171]

Im in Europe and still not even close to this range. I can go about 330 feet far away. Please let me know it you know something to get better distance.

[@julianmclean3869]

Dustin, maybe a little after the fact however have just bought a Spark here in Australia (Melbourne) and recently did 2 x range tests (over the "Burbs" of Glen Waverley, mid week re Wi Fi ) ; first test, with just Wi Fi (all connections) and only got 530 Mtrs !!! Second, with OTG Cable and proper connection sequence, 3.01 Kilometers !!!!; this is logged on and shared on the DJI flight logs if anyone would like to see; amazing result and next test is with the signal enhancers as per your last video; thanks for the posts and keep them coming !!!!

[@MrVeeBlog]

Man, its was like a cliff hanger watching this thing return. Good job. I hope to have a Spark soon.

[@RonaldBrown59]

I have found your series of video's on the Spark to be very useful and some of your best work to date. Thanks.

[@DustinDunnill]

+Ron Brown Thank you Ron. 👍

[@tonytrips1904]

Ron Brown well done

[@Hunter_Kennedy1]

Orderd a spark yesterday and after watching this orderd the dishes. Can't wait

[@agredo]

thinking on the same

[@jeremyboyce1537]

Dustin, there is no one like you and this is no joke ,you are the best.

[@jennyhermansson5950]

Jeremy Boyce i love drones too and im 9 year and have dji spark (no joke)

[@javierchaparro4769]

The only true barrier to spark is battery time

[@northeastdroneproductions]

so true.....

[@blisterybrush86yomomma22]

Javier chaparro maybe they will make a longer lasting battery for it I can buy for mine

[@RetrocadePodcast]

Blisterybrush86 Yo momma I doubt DJI will do that, they want you to buy the Mavic instead. Maybe a 3rd party will make a longer lasting battery.

[@blisterybrush86yomomma22]

Retrocade Podcast I hope so

[@motodork]

Knowing absolutely nothing about drone technology, are solar cells a possibility for extending battery time?

[@WalidChakereducation]

I just bought it and I'm so happy with it

[@whatsup7202]

Yeah, me too. It's a very fine drone, for sure...

[@windyhillabby]

Great job, If everybody was smart enough that watched your test they should note that you were up high on a mountain and very high off the ground. You had an unobstructed field that made your test the ultimate distance it would go. I also have an x16 that I play around with and was one of the first to install a parabolic booster and I live in kingman az and live by a very large dry lake. It is about 10 miles long and 5 miles wide, so when I go to test it out it is flat with no obstructions just like your test. Awsome job.

[@DustinDunnill]

Great observation 👍

[@FirstAmericaFirst]

Just got my Spark. My son and I love it. Thank you for the review. I have the parabolic booster and am looking forward to some extended flight tests.

[@whatsup7202]

Yeah. It's a great drone.

[@baldy555]

I'm just getting started with the Spark, but this video was definitely a great one to understand the drone's capabilities. Thanks for sharing.

[@concernedcanadian]

Thanks for doing as range test. I have range anxiety when flying. I don't want lose my drone.

[@DustinDunnill]

+Ken McGonigal 👍

[@summersmith7924]

It auto returns when it losess connection.

[@Lil_Red_FA5]

Same!!! I get scared when i cant see it... even if im straight up im scared itll fall on me lol

[@GrandTheftAuto6_2025]

@@aimarchirico4746 did you get a refund or a new one?

[@agamerscoven]

Aimár Chirico same thing happened to me with my Syma drone. Paid 80 Dollars and lost it somewhere in NH on it’s very first flight. Thing was just GONE. No GPS, nothing. Now I’ve got the DJI Tello and DJI Spark and more experience so less chance of that happening.

[@pierredlumierre2120]

Thanks Dustin for the range test. I will be traveling to Maui end of March beginning of April. I've lived there for 30+ years. I've flown other drones in those days but none with GPS. I've got a spark now and will be bringing it. I'll be needing a place to stay for 3 weeks. Please let me know if you have space or anyone with a spare bedroom to put me up and make some extra money? Aloha!

[@DustinDunnill]

I'm glad you're finally returning. Much has changed in 30 years. Hope you find a place 🤙

[@klowe007]

Bro, just watched all of your Spark videos. I feel confident taking my brand new Lava Red out tomorrow!!

[@DustinDunnill]

+Kz Lowe Nice. Have fun and good luck 👍

[@SDPickups]

Excellent as always. I did a search on range extenders and found those reflectors, a good deal for about $15, range is limited by battery power and the reflectors work really well, as you have shown. Thanks for your videos. I just bought a Spark for a really low price and excited to get this kind of pro-performance and stable video without spending over $1,000.

[@droneamerica12491]

As always though you got the best hands down reviews as everyone knows.

[@scottgibson6735]

Thank you for the video,Dustin.I have a spark in the mail,and appreciate your videos

[@jkpisces]

so it works well for aerial videography?

[@benparker5598]

You got excellent range with the parabolic reflectors what range did you get when you changed the frequency of the Wi-Fi?

[@LouisianaNative13]

That's pretty impressive. I order the Parabolic Dishes for mine since I live in an urban area and can only get around 3/4th Mile due to signal noise. I am Curious just how much these will end up helping. I do wish the spark had a little better battery life though, about 13 Min in sport mode is all I can get out of it... Hopefully DJI comes out with a better battery soon.

[@DustinDunnill]

You should notice range improvement with the dish in an urban areas 👍

[@georgeaura]

With those dji devices is there also a way to have your mobile device and control attached to a power bank to extend your flights as you use more bats in the drone

[@DustinDunnill]

+george aura You could charge both if you connect wirelessly to controller but not if you use OTG cable.

[@arizonatimelesstourist846]

Enjoyed the video. Buying my spark soon.

[@drew2481]

Aye love this Dustin keep it up man

[@Georgewrigley]

Great footage Dustin. I think I'll get some of these dishes. Thanks again for a great review. 😊

[@georgegonzalves1308]

I can’t use 5.8 ghz on my Spark when I use the OTG cable. It auto chooses 2.4 ghz with no option to change. How are you able to use 5.8 ghz with OTG.

[@binhphuongdongoc8179]

Was waiting for this vid, thank you :) Keep up the great work..May I suggest an altitude test :)

[@thefortressishere]

Great video as always. Thanks Dustin.

[@jeffreyhildebrand3541]

as speed doubles drag quadruples. That's logic behind the slower speed. It does optimize range.

[@jlrcmultirotors7288]

Great result with parabolic booster Dustin, 2.075 miles to go and back 2.075 nice video

[@joelwillborg5398]

I can only go about 1300 feet away before i get signal loss (without dishes). Is there any other type of range extenders because the dishes is out of stock or should i just wait until the dishes go back in stock???

[@arizonatimelesstourist846]

This drone will definitely help my hiking videos.

[@MichaelSeneschal]

My max range is 21,362 total flight, going 10,680 in one direction (a tiny bit over 2 miles in one direction). Completely stock, no parabolic add-ons. At the max distance away I still had 2 bars of reception like you did in this video, but the Spark warned to come home because of the battery - and boy did it calculate it correctly, it got back home with about 3% left. I checked my Flight Records I'm the app after and when I started to fly away I was already at 90% battery, so I need to be quicker next time. I also think my max range had to do with weather and lack of wind, because I don't consistently get that range. I'm also in a suburb next to a big city, so there's lots of towers and anything you can think of that give interference, so I'm more suprised than anyone that I get decent range.

[@chrisperry8581]

Hey Dustin, on the video you were trying to get the map to move and follow the drone, I'm pretty sure this can be done by unlocking the icon that's on the upper right of the map that looks like a compass needle. Cool vid!

[@DustinDunnill]

+Chris Perry I think I've tried that and it just locks the map to North or not.. I'll have to visit it again to see if it enabled follow. Thanks for the recommendation 👍

[@freedomfreedom2782]

Dustin Dunnill hi Dustin thanks for the good work do you recommend those parabolic for my mavic? I fly maximum rang of 1.5 km I don't know why than I lose signal any tips cheers

[@SuperDesperationMove]

What happens when you go out of range does the drone fall out of the sky or just hover on the same spot till you get closer to it with your controller

[@ffyy88]

Thanks ! This parabolic works really well for me. A place I use to get 900m, I could hit 1500m. Tried another place 2KM. So much more reassuring when flying long distances with much less lag when it is far away

[@DustinDunnill]

+ffyy88 Glad to hear it 👍

[@Syclone0044]

Part 3: 9900 ft Part 4: 10900 ft So the parabolic dishes only add +10%? Whenever I’ve used them I didn’t notice any significant difference and it wasn’t clear if they’re a placebo effect product but I didn’t perform as similar of flights as you did here.

[@CurroBlanquer]

You have made a good job, but for a good apple to apple comparation could you please make a similar experiment but installing and desinstalling the parabolic booster? If not the comparation is not "cientific". So An easy way to do it could be hoving 1 km away and without move the remote take out the dish and see what happends. Thanks a lot

[@MadScienceHacksTV]

I'm about to buy one of these and read some comments on some blogs and forums that pilots have experienced signal drop? Is this just over wifi or RC as well? Did you have any connection issues?

[@jakethesnake1710]

Sometimes if you are behind a object it will be glitchy becouse it’s WiFi not aqusank so you get more range with aqusank. So maybe you could get mavic pro if you want more range.

[@rajgill7576]

Is it worth picking up parabilic antenna? Just picked up a spark yesterday and Im happy

[@DustinDunnill]

Yes, they are cheap and it's good to have them with you if your getting bad interference 👍

[@rajgill7576]

@@DustinDunnill right on, more batteries+antenna= more fun

[@garthdonovan5373]

Thanks that will keep the spark boys happy

[@georgeaura]

Also with these test going straight forward can you do a test flying around at those distances cuz I don't think anyone is just going to want to go in one direction.

[@DustinDunnill]

+george aura With these antennas you need to point it at the quad. It focuses the signal in one direction.. so don't use the parabolic booster if your Flyin' anywhere but Infront at about a 40° cone

[@droneamerica12491]

Dustin you should review some kind of modded rc antennas on the spark or mavic air. Something like the helical or the panel antennas.

[@echopiece79]

Why does the drone camera bounce around on the horizon on your return home?

[@didactylos4diddy474]

Far better reception than last time. The Spark is slowly growing on me. Good video again. Just out of interest I did a test of some google based software which calculates ground altitude in map or satellite mode ( I use it for the very small valleys I fly in.) ;) Wish 'drones' had that facility or even the ability to terrain follow

[@DustinDunnill]

+didactylos4 diddy4 would be nice if companies making smart flyers like this could incorporate that ground altitude in there UI soon 👍

[@Syclone0044]

My Mavic Pro (original) has that feature! It’s literally called “Terrain Follow”!

[@jasavak]

Is this drone still a contender for the price ? What else compares to it ?

[@hkitm]

Can the Wi-Fi be bypassed, by using a cable, with an iPhone or does it have to be an Android device?

[@HowToDIYRc]

Very intresthing great review mate 🖒

[@jobbo89]

If you leave it on auto doesn't it automatically change between 2.4 and 5.8g?

[@stevepatterson2290]

hey Dustin can you do a preview of the c-fly breeze?.and range test. , they say suppose to give the spark a run for its money but its 5G video so I don't think so

[@jb4688]

I know that you did a range check with the mavic but did you ever do one with the same type of parabolic reflectors?

[@mxcury-x86]

I have a question. When you charge the battery and then put it in the spark does it already start losing battery percentage or only when you start flying?

[@nevTk-oe9ud]

sweet nice test

[@kenramsey2129]

Dude do you ever loose that feeling you get from a successful flight I just now started doing long range flights do the parabolic lenses help alot because I get message aircraft transmission lost will the antenas help that

[@trooly7621]

What are you recording your audio and video on your phone with just a recorded screen shot? Hypercam?

[@carlrooker]

I have watched both of you videos on the Spark range. They were very good. Gives me a little more confidence with my Spark. One thing you keep bringing up, is that you cannot know the real altitude of the Spark. You are correct that it sets as zero the altitude at which it is taking off. However, if you know the true altitude of where you have taken off, and have topo maps of the area you can then estimate the correct altitude. Let's say your altitude is 200 foot higher then the area that you send the Spark to. Then you're true height would be whatever the difference is between that elevation and the elevation the topo maps show where you're spark is plus whatever altitude you gave the Spark. So if you're starting altitude is 200 foot, and the area the Spark is over is at an elevation of 100 foot, and you have your spark set at 100 foot then you would actually be three hundred foot in altitude. Takes a little mental gymnastics, but with practice you should be able to do this.

[@DustinDunnill]

In general, I think cross referencing a topo map in real time would be quite a distraction. Hoping popular drone companies will include an estimated AGL reading soon based on drone GPS location 👍

[@carlrooker]

@@DustinDunnill I was not thinking in terms of constantly referring to a topo map. My thought was that in this particular flight, it was started at a high point and the topography continue to decrease throughout the outward flight. Just knowing what the low Point elevation is would give you a good estimate of what the true altitude of the Drone is.

[@jennyhermansson5950]

Hi i have dji spark and you the best youtuber in the world! But How you get mutch range???

[@DustinDunnill]

No interference 👍

[@ou4290]

Very informative video!! Thanks Dustin! By the way, what video software do you use for editing? Thanks!

[@ronk9]

Thanks Dustin, all four vids have been really helpful. I had a question; which action camera do you use?

[@quindab4430]

i have a question what is that cable going from the remote control to the phone, is that part of the range booster or something else? Also do you just click on the range booster and it works or do you need to hook it up with the app because im interested in getting the range booster

[@juhnu95]

Sup guys. I have a problem with my controller that i can only go 50-60m distance and it already starts to lose connection. Any help?

[@princealzadjali]

amazing thanks I was planing to buy movic but now spark is my choice.😁

[@dheller777]

Thanks for sharing. Great flight with just enough battery to make a safe trip home. Looking forward to seeing this exact test in the 2.4 mode.

[@DustinDunnill]

+dheller777 Did the 2.4ghz test the same day. Up soon. I thought it would go better...

[@Peakabike]

Dustin Dunnill - not surprised, 2.4 is poor on the Spark for some reason (ok on the Bebop where 5.8 is weaker), lots of tearing and chopiness. Maybe the video bandwidth needs to be reduced.

[@KevinHodgins]

+Dustin Dunnill what is the camera that you are using on your hat, and how have you mounted it to your hat, please?

[@prantanudas5994]

Dustin ! A Honorary Doctorate of Drone Piloting should be conferred to U by World's Drone Companies 😀😀

[@TheEdmeista]

Good work. Very informative

[@thomasmartin9536]

Hi Dustin, can you please make a video with a fpv camera on the MJX Bugs 3

[@andymartinez1426]

Hey you think the Chinese will make battery mods for the spark for more minutes for flying?

[@KOTULCN]

Can you explain the “precision landing” you referenced at 30’ from take off?

[@cjamproductions8491]

Great job Dustin. My question is when I use the OTG cable I don't have the option to select frequencies, it defaults to 2.4 and stays there. The wi-fi indicator in the app turns off (because I turn it off on my iPad or iPod touch to make sure it is not connected via wi-fi). The only way I can know if I am pushing the range limit is to wait for my screen to lag or lose video. Any thoughts?

[@jesperbbb]

cjamproductions I have the same with my spark and otg cable. I can't select anything and it's locked at 2,4 ghz. Using iPhone if that is any different to android

[@northsalemdroner2459]

jesperbbb yea, same thoughts here..

[@DustinDunnill]

+cjamproductions I've hear that happening with Apple devices. It's the opposite for me (forced to stay in 5.8 when OTG cable connected) unless you connect without OTG, switch to 2.4 then connect OTG. I did it the same day in 2.4 and it was not nearly as good as 5.8. I'll have that vid up soon.

[@jesperbbb]

Dustin Dunnill how do you get the wifi status when using otg cable? That is always gray for me when using otg.

[@DustinDunnill]

+jesperbbb I haven't compared using apple yet. Maybe I'll try with my iPad later to see what happens.

[@jb4688]

Shoots ya had to go and make a range video on the Spark...now I'm torn between it and the mavic...oh well...gotta do a bit more research...lol...good video again!

[@3653john]

How does the Spark compare to the Air when it comes to range ?

[@JoseBauzo]

great vid sir... next up mavic air range test please :)

[@DustinDunnill]

Done 2 of them 👍

[@JoseBauzo]

@@DustinDunnill i have seen those and they are great.. i am just a fan of these mountain range test.. the sunset vid and the urban test were sweeeeet but parabolics on mountain is just an idea.. i know how hard ur working but maybr just a thought.. ps: does it work after pool swim : ) hifive

[@DustinDunnill]

Oh yes. There are a few drones I may do range tests on up there. Mavic Air and EVO still need the treatment on the mountain 👍

[@kevinrich9471]

Great video! Is this a 1080 drone?

[@arifnurabidin2509]

Mr justin dunhill... Can you do some test the dji spark, to test how strong the quality signal is... I meant fly in rural urban area full of interference , since spark use only wifi, with the parabolic and not with parabolic extender, i wany buy dji spark but my concern is the signal quality, poor reception or very short range in urban area... I hope spark at least can handle 1-1.5km with good reception in phone view finder

[@arifnurabidin2509]

Ooo one more thing .. I live in indonesia with no restriction or any drone limitation range like fcc or ce , thats what i know i thinko

[@MrComfyAustralia]

Awesome video again mate and i am going to upgrade from my upair4k, which is flawless. will those parabolics work on that as well?

[@DustinDunnill]

+MrComfyAustralia parabolics will work like this for any antenna. Just have to find or make them to fit.

[@TheKongvirak]

My Spark connected with RC but it always disconnected automatically when reach 20m High and 70m distance. I dont know why?

[@stefanzdroid]

I was gonna move up to spark from bugs b2w, but the fact that the remote doesn't have a digital screen to show you telemetrics data is really stupid. I hope it has a RTH button on the remote

[@SkySailor75]

Can you switch between flying with the remote, and having it land in your palm with the face recognition mode? And does the palm landing work if you are moving, such as on a boat? Thanks!

[@DustinDunnill]

Yes

[@SkySailor75]

@@DustinDunnill Great!, Thanks for the reply, I think I'll order one. It really does seem to be the most affordable way to get alot of these features. Thanks Again, and happy flying!

[@josiahlopez2955]

Can u tell a difference when u connect your phone through an OTG cable?

[@RonaldBrown59]

I have ordered a set of parabolic's for the Spark, they came in the other day but I haven't had a chance to try them yet. I fly without using the OTG connector, I wonder how the results will differ from your flight.

[@DustinDunnill]

+Ron Brown I notice a bit more lag and FPV garble when connecting phone to RC via wireless. Another range test without OTG is in order 😀

[@HowlinMadMurD0C]

B

[@mkresowski]

Did you ever test the difference in distance between 2.4 and 5.8 GHZ? Wondering if there was anything note worthy.

[@DustinDunnill]

Yes, 5.8 seemed to do better for my situation

[@jdhkno]

I’m a total newb to drones looking at my first one ( spark). The areas i intend to fly will not have any cell phone service at all, is this something to be concerned with? I do run an app for atv trails that once downloaded it tracks via gps. I’m not sure if the spark needs live signal or not or if I’m totally off key, any help appreciated

[@Sporup]

Nice range test. 👍👍

[@DustinDunnill]

☺️✌️

[@bryanojeda340]

Question, since u used a LG phone I assume it runs android. So have u flown it recently with OTG and the latest dji go 4 app...do you get telemetry readings and GPS sats? Cuz with me and I've heard from others that there are no readings connected on android device with OTG. Do you have the same issue?

[@swisscarsightings]

I tried my Spark everywhere.... out of town, on a hill, on a beach, even on a mountain at 4000 meters high... and yet, even with the OTG cable, I can never get it more than 300-350 meters... that's 1'100 feet :-(

[@algysautos]

are you in Europe or the US? if you are in Europe you need to get FCC software upgrade as the Europe software on the DJI is limited to about 1000 feet. As soon as you do that you will hit ranges like this shown here :-)

[@JurgenLasa]

Was your horizon off near the end of your trip back? Or was it just me?

[@DustinDunnill]

+Jurgen Lasa I thought it was just the slope of the mountain bit I could be wrong.

[@JeffintheD]

Really great videos. Question if you see this: I keep seeing warnings not to use OTG cables on the Spark. Are these warnings incorrect?

[@DustinDunnill]

Not sure. They may have changed the firmware and no longer support it.

[@JeffintheD]

Okay, thank you. Maybe it's just not recommended by DJI and that's what I'm seeing.

[@AshishAmatya]

Hey Dustin for normal 1 to 2 mile flying do u recommend 2.4 or 5.8 for smooth flying? And which channel should I select?

[@DustinDunnill]

I just let it auto select depending on the conditions

[@easyheimer]

Hey Dustin! Do you recommend these for the Mavic Air as well?

[@DustinDunnill]

Couldn't hurt if your having signal interference issues.

[@jordangross1005]

Great video

[@whitham1961]

Dustin, how come when I use th cable my indicator is shaded out but yours show signal and the 5.8 ghz number. Do I need to have wifi on also because I shut off my wifi on my ipad mini4

[@KimAswani]

What is the best app for recording your screen.

[@OVERKILLFPV]

Great video!!!

[@WichitaFallFishKeeper]

Awesome video

[@paralaxm]

Which version of firmware do you have currently installed on your AC ?

[@kzyt87]

just got the spark helpful videos

[@ASSA-tp2if]

BEST DRONE SPARK!!!

[@ShubhamMishra-lk1dj]

Did you use a Gopro to record on your head?

[@billsomrak]

If I got those reflectors, it would be for the more solid downstream video back to my viewing device. Not sure that there will be a significant difference if you try this at 2.4ghz, since there is likely to be much more interference on that band .. but who knows. It appears that the limiting factor is the battery. I've personally only had mine out a little more than 1/2 mile. The darn thing is so small, I lose sight of it once it gets a bit over 100 yrds away (and up maybe 200 ft.). We'll look forward to your 2.4ghz test, but, again, I think the battery will be the limiting factor. But it might be interesting to see what the downstream video back to the viewing device looks like compared to the 5.8ghz video feed. Mahalo!

[@dlovull1]

Bill Somrak I