How To Find Your Crashed / Lost DJI Spark Drone with Flight Logs

[@allwrightmedia]

Literally just found my Spark after being lost for about a month! Thank you @PhotoJoseph

[@photojoseph]

Wow awesome! Using this technique?

[@allwrightmedia]

PhotoJoseph yes. Literally watched the video and paused step by step using the app (didn’t know about find my drone feature but it had been in a field behind a church for a month after shooting a wedding ). Was able to follow your steps and switched to satellite view and saw it sitting in tall grass belly up.

[@photojoseph]

AllWright Media that is AWESOME. Your story makes it all worthwhile, and makes me forget about all the haters commenting on this video! 😂😂 Thanks for writing in!

[@allwrightmedia]

PhotoJoseph my pleasure man. Keep making great content. I don’t say a lot but i (and a few million like me) appreciate your sentiment and your ability to articulate the way you do. We get it 🤷🏾‍♂️ Happy shooting 🎥

[@maduomodisaakgomo1031]

@@photojoseph lost my dji spark

[@Northern-drone]

Why not use the " find my drone " feature ? In the app It works just like a sat nav

[@CDigata]

is it not just quicker to click .. find my drone on the go app? - click the 3 lines icon at top right and you will see it, it also sets a beeping alarm off on the aircraft

[@photojoseph]

+chris digata Um… really?! Goodness. Ok I do see that (feeling sheepish) BUT to be fair if it's lost connection (which mine very oddly did) then this won't work. Right?

[@CDigata]

yes i will if the spark is turned on it will use map data, not sure without a remote.. but the way you did it would have to be done if spark tunred off, flat batt or ejected battery :).. the find my drone option is for a live connection and you can zoom in and walk towards it with a live view.. home in on it.. other dji drones use esc tones to locate.. good job with me as it told me to look up after spending 20mins looking on the ground ;)

[@photojoseph]

+chris digata Oh wow! What a good story. I'll try it… I'll "lose" my Spark and see how that works. Neat! Thanks for telling me.

[@TheStickyBusiness]

Yes please make a video about that feature. thanks

[@786ALHAQ]

Hi i lost my sons drone, flew it a great distance and speed , ignored the return home notification and decided to bring it back at 60% left of battery life. Very Sudden Strong "berg" headwind resulted in a very slow return (14km/h) and drained the battery fast. At 10 % the drone went into landing mode. Landed somewhere on a mountain. We got close by, from the image on the ipad, but the area is very dense and has snakes and baboons. Unless we have a way to home into it, its gone for good. The battery must be dead now. Any advise that will help will be appreciated. (drone is a Dji pHANTOM 3 pro)

[@garynasta1]

Thanks! This was super helpful! I didn't know about the log. Turns out your video didn't help me find it. The drone battery died and it returned back to home but the home point was off by about 15 feet. It hit my neighbors tree and she found it on her patio and gave it back to me. But I love the flight log now! Thanks.

[@TysyTube]

all black?

[@OzzySafa]

It records the footage to your phone while recording but at lower res and it is only accessible in the Dji go 4 app if you have video cache turned on. To access it go to video editor in the app and audio will also be recorded from your phone.

[@photojoseph]

+Ozzy Safa Aha!! Thank you! Yeah I had cache enabled and now I see the footage. Sweet! 🙏🙏😁

[@OzzySafa]

PhotoJoseph you can use this with the original recording and edit it to use the audio of the cached file. Silly that the original doesn't have any audio I wish they would add that

[@wulfclaw4921]

Will it show position or last flight if someone steals your drone and flys it ? I think they should include a black box in each drone.

[@jesuscross9]

Great video. I'm a new drone owner and just got my Spark for Christmas. Crashed it the first time yesterday by hitting a power line I thought I was well bellow. Hadn't even given a thought to "what if I couldn't find it?" Not until I saw your video. I guess they've made considerable changes to the software since 2017. Now there's a "find my drone" button that immediately shows it's last GPS location on the map and then you can switch to sat image. Also my phone automatically saves a copy of the video.

[@kajal_and_kshitij]

Hi guys, Please help me..My inspire 2 recently crash out of the blue & it was clearly a Manufacturing defect..The DJI guys are giving reasons & not responding well..My drone can't be turned ON then too I have extracted the flight records & sent to the DJI ..they are asking for a MCDat file which I can't see at my end and no video cache file is available as I wasn't recording at that time..Please help me it has been 3 months I am struggling..Also plz tell me whether the MCDat file & video cache file are related and whether they are really required to analyse the cause of accident

[@ImGeoX]

Use flight records in the DJI app. 7:56

[@Pindi44]

Nice video and story, thanks. Will this work with Mavic Air as well?

[@photojoseph]

As far as I know, yes!

[@drones4L45]

I have an easier way go to find my drone touch the red arrow which is your drone on map a couple options will pop up asking you to activate the esc's to make them beep loud so u can hear it if it's in bushes or tall grass or u can activate the lites to make them blink in the dark this way will work as long as the battery is still on drone but if it's a hard crash and battery pops off then your way will work but this way is faster

[@tioG1970]

In the main page of the app there's a menu (in the upper right corner). Its just open it and click on "find my drone". Than click the red arrow to activate the beeper and the LEDs. It works!

[@Make-Asylums-Great-Again]

hammes gs yep just used this yesterday and it was the best feeling finding it. 👍👍

[@edwardromano4851]

Thank you Joseph, finally someone who takes the time and adds storytelling to what could be a superficial 2 minutes tutorial. Cheers from Rome! PS: The Spark is actually very well built, crashed it a few times (once staright into a concrete wall) and it never suffered any damage, just some skratches ;-)

[@photojoseph]

Thanks! If you enjoy the storytelling then you’ll love my channel. Welcome!

[@edwardromano4851]

subbed and happy to have found it!! keep it up :-)

[@DanOhPhotography]

can you do how to best utilize GH5 features to capture both video and stills of total solar eclipse on Aug 21, 2017?

[@photojoseph]

+Dan Oh I don't but I'm getting lots of requests. Let me do some research. Be sure to subscribe to the channel so you know if I schedule a show on it!

[@gliderrider]

I know this vid is a year old now. Just got a ‘spark’. I put a ‘tile’ on it. It weighs 9 grams. About what one prop shield weighs. But maybe i don’t need it. It chimes over 300 feet away. It shows on a map if in range. If I can’t find it, if anybody else goes by it who uses the tile app, it will send me the drone’s gps coordinates to my phone. $25 for extra insurance. It’s also waterproof. But I didn’t know about these other built-in functions you were talking about. Thanks

[@EVunedited]

How high can spark go? Most of your test is quite low for what i expect from a drone. Is it because it is for amateurs?

[@photojoseph]

+Xcube720 I'm not sure the max range on the Spark. I had it in beginner mode for a while, and that limits it to 30 meters. It's out of that mode now and I think about 50 is as far as I can go, but I am only using the iPhone to control. If you have the physical remote, it has big antennas and you get much better range!

[@besty2012]

Xcube720 400ft high and 2km range

[@skylane807]

Mr T, you can look up the service ceiling in the owners manual, which can be found online. Amatures ? Do you mean as opposed to professionals? The difference is whether or not one gets paid.

[@bossofbosses7009]

Just lost mines today. Went to the spot we’re the gps said it was at. It was not there. Am pissed . Nobody took it the camera . What do I do?

[@photojoseph]

Did you look all around that are where the GPS said it was? I found mine under tall grass. Almost missed it entirely. And remember the GPS may not be 100% accurate so look in that whole area. Good luck!!

[@aberdeenaviationphotograph9311]

Jeeez. Make a script. Too much blah blah. This should be a 90 second video not 15min!

[@photojoseph]

You should totally ask for your money back. I would.

[@Joseafrica]

Warren was doing you a favor by taking his time to tell you the truth and how to improve.

[@aberdeenaviationphotograph9311]

Look, the intention of this video is positive. BUT, too many videos like this try to make it out to be more than it needs to be. This is a 90 second video at max. Make it 15 min and the "likes" will be tiny. Same info in 90 seconds would probably garner more "likes"

[@photojoseph]

I get that Warren and Jose. But there are hundreds if not thousands of short edited videos here on KZbin that will tell you the same thing in 90 seconds. Those aren’t the videos I do. My primary content is a LIVE show. Look at my channel. This is what I do. So that’s what this is. I don’t just tell you how to do something. I tell a story. Warren was not being constructive. He was being insulting. “Jeez.. Make a script. Too much blah blah blah.” yeah, that’s totally constructive feedback. In a sea of youtubers my differentiator is the live, longer, more detailed, hopefully more entertaining and interesting show. If you just want a quick tutorial, I’m sure there are many on here.

[@henrickcamacho4543]

i think he needs to stop using cocaine before the vlog haha

[@cotillion567]

Excellent tip but edit it down to the important bits.

[@tuanvu5903]

How come you have a map on your flight log? Is that a Google map? I have like a cartoon map on mine?

[@XellosMetallium]

for some reason i dont have the flying record but i got a few seconds of the landing record. find my drone show it's on top of a second story building. i flew another drone ontop of the second story building but still dont see my lost spark.

[@photojoseph]

Oh no! Well good luck. Hopefully you can get up there to look in person.

[@charlesonamac]

Thank you. Our Spark went Rogue today. We were able to find its flight log and will be out at first light to see if we can locate. Fingers crossed.

[@photojoseph]

Good luck!!

[@charlesonamac]

@@photojoseph the flight was a huge help. We did locate and it was in great shape!

[@fx3casey]

Another approach is to look at the last gps coordinate recorded in your flight log, and with a simple gps app like "My GPS Coordinates" for ios just use your phone as a guide to that location. Knowing how to access the flight log is needed to accomplish this as well, so thanks for sharing that! Glad you recovered yours, and happy flying!

[@photojoseph]

Thanks! I'll mention this LIVE right here kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZeZqqqEoaaNi8k on PhotoJoseph‘s Photo Moment 2017-07-10

[@darrenmars]

I'm so glad I found your vid... My Spark arrives shortly but while waiting I've seen loads of videos of people losing their drones (due to either malfunction or just poor piloting) and was starting to regret my purchase. Not any more though, thanks for the vid!

[@photojoseph]

Sure thing! There are apparently easier ways if your drone still has power but what I did here will help even if you come back days later.

[@seek3n]

Record video cache?

[@joeys5429]

thank you very much dronie i was gonna suggest a metal detecter but rhat would be crazy over the top right hehe

[@mmmasterscross7915]

Thanks for the video

[@onemat2000]

Great information here. If you are flying using the Spark handheld controller will flight information still be recorded on your phone?

[@photojoseph]

+Matt Josephson I'm sure it would be. The remote still requires the phone as far as I know.

[@photojoseph]

+Matt Josephson I'm sure it would be. The remote still requires the phone as far as I know.

[@CDigata]

yer it is recorded in the go 4 app and flight data in the spark

[@photojoseph]

+chris digata so additional flight data is recorded in the spark itself?

[@CDigata]

yes full flight data and telemetry

[@countryboydrones4098]

Decaf

[@photojoseph]

Hell no

[@ryanewing7632]

There is a company that makes a micro motion senser that has a 30 sec timer and is hooked to a tiny speaker. Anytime your drone stops moving /wrecks for 30seconds it starts beeping. I don't remember their name but a quick Google search would probably find them.

[@photojoseph]

+Ryan Ewing nice!

[@tevinjanuary6152]

Just wanted to know how you been doing today

[@skierman64]

Recommendation: learn all the features of the app, including the "find my drone" feature which does allow it to make noise so you can find it.

[@TheVorst]

Great stuff. Your video helps me lot for a peace of mind in a bad situation.

[@sampathusa]

Thanks for the info!

[@blackcountrydroner1814]

Simple..on dji app, go to find my drone,copy and paste the co-ordinates into google maps and voila!!

[@samuelquintanar5929]

Good tips, thank you.

[@deepfinds]

Your phone can screen record. Look it up! :D

[@RichDiFeo]

Isn't there a "find my drone" feature in the DJI app?

[@photojoseph]

If so, I haven't found it! Please point me in the right direction!

[@photojoseph]

I will look for this as soon as I can!

[@besty2012]

Rich DiFeo yes there is mate load the DJI app click tip right and then find my drone

[@OfficialFatLip]

the phone did store videos, click on the thumbnails an see their preview in your log little homie! also they are stored on the DJI go app, use an older version of itunes and you can access them, other wise you jst use the dji go app for cerate a auto-video segment from previous shoots at low res free style with music, they are there!

[@tvbox6621]

Thanks for sharing really appreciate

[@paserpase2870]

buy a remote..that phone shit is not accurate

[@photojoseph]

I have, since this video :-)

[@JimG31547]

Joseph, The easiest way to find your lost quad is play the flight log to the last logged location. Put those coordinates into your maps app and select walking directions and walk to it. Jim

[@photojoseph]

+James Gilliland Is that different to what I did?

[@JimG31547]

Yes it is different. If the quad had been out further or you had no idea as to where it went down go into the Go app and find the log of the flight. Play that flight and as it gets to where the quad crashed watch the latitude and longitude. Take the last listing and enter those into your map app. I use apple maps then select walking directions and start the walk. I lost my Phantom 3 Pro in April. The video link went out and I hit a tree just as the video was coming back but not soon enough to stop. I played the flight log got the latitude and longitude entered it into maps walked about a mile and it took me to within 3 feet of where the quad was laying. One more suggestion for what it is worth. The you crash and find your quad check it real good before leaving the spot for anything missing, broken camera or battery. They will be way easer to find then that trying to get back to the exact spot to find later. Happy flying, Jim

[@photojoseph]

+James Gilliland Fair enough, thanks!

[@JimG31547]

If you have a problem or question just shoot me a line. Jim

[@photojoseph]

+James Gilliland thanks!

[@besty2012]

What about the find my drone option in the app

[@photojoseph]

yeah yeah, I've been told that's there a few times since posting this ;-) BUT I think that still requires a connection? I actually haven't tried it yet. I think my process still has validity! Ultimately the more ways we have to find our lost drone, the better.

[@mathewbautista1464]

If video cache is enabled you get the lower res recorded into your smartphone

[@photojoseph]

+Matt B Yes, I had that… but from that I couldn't identify the branches. They all looked the same :-)

[@mathewbautista1464]

PhotoJoseph haha i was thinking the same thing after posting that.. thanks for the info about the flight log though flying mine in few mins here in Hong Kong 😁

[@ryanisflying]

Haven’t finished watching the video until the end yet nor have I see if anyone has m suggested this in the comments but if you want to record the video on your phone you could usr your phone OS screen record function.

[@aerocooper143]

This is the reason I bought a red one. It's the most 'unnatural' color so figured it would be easiest to see, both in the sky and if searching for it in the woods or tall grass.

[@photojoseph]

Very good idea

[@usernamemykel]

@@photojoseph Not only that, but if I lose the drone's orientation, I "elevate" the drone, and if I see the color red, I then know that the drone is facing me. Easy-peasy.

[@schiminski]

Very useful, thanx

[@GhettoDragon]

Awesome video dude!!

[@RecordingStudio9]

Enjoyed the entertainment storyline and got some info.

[@drones4L45]

Just to let u know there is an easier way to find lost spark go into app click find my drone when the map pops up touch the red triangle on map down at bottom of your screen a couple things will pop up one says make esc's beep and make lites blink click on esc and they will beep when lost in weeds you can hear it or at nite make the lites beep try it and make a video of it

[@noelpogiako1]

Nice sharing.Love it

[@readysetdrone]

Great video! Very helpful tip!

[@photojoseph]

+Ready Set Drone Thanks!

[@russellklenz7152]

Nice information glad you found it

[@djdistinct4706]

A good (old school) tip for when flying towards yourself is to turn your body 90 degrees sideways.

[@photojoseph]

I like it!

[@blindhead69]

Thank you so much, I found my drone thanks to you

[@JMX246]

If you just climbed up a bit you would of avoided hitting the trees easily (you likely know this) - but great info for anyone who has lost their Spark

[@photojoseph]

+JMX Sure, but the shot I was trying to get was flying between the trees :-) 🌲 🎥 🌲

[@robcrissinger776]

Why not just click the find my drone feature in the software ?

[@robcrissinger776]

Right screen 3 bars. Click "find my drone"

[@photojoseph]

This video is old; I didn’t know that feature then. Regardless this is another method to use when others fail!

[@lucifig_prime]

You just saved my drone sir. I thank you very much.

[@photojoseph]

Sweet!!

[@johnponce8759]

Why didnt u use telemetry and just see distance getting closer

[@photojoseph]

Because the spark wasn’t connected to the iPhone anymore

[@stir_stick]

I wish avocado's grew here... my favorite veggie. Nice vid, thanks for posting.

[@MrMuppetbaby]

This video is not for the impatient person who just wants the facts wrapped in a nice little story. His stream of consciousness narrative had me wishing he would just crash and end my pain. Other than that, great video.

[@photojoseph]

Wow, “he” is listening. Thanks for the kind thoughts and words. I hope you have found an end to your pain.

[@MrVeeBlog]

Subbed based on this alone. Thanks for sharing.

[@yeetmypotatos8259]

Thanks

[@davidtheswedishtechguy]

Good as long youre phone has a conection to youre drone, if it where to run away this would not help mouch.

[@ThomasEmmerich]

In the video you asked about recording the DJI Spark video on your iPhone during the flight. It will be possible with iOS 11. Apple announced screen capture was a feature in the upcoming release. Of course using this method you'd see the overlays in the recorded video. 9to5Mac has an article on it: 9to5mac.com/2017/06/08/how-to-enable-screen-recording-ios-11-without-a-computer/

[@photojoseph]

+Thomas Emmerich Awesome! I figured the DJI app could just record the signal since it's clearly getting there from the drone, but that's cool

[@diegomiranda8610]

He looks like he just drank 5 cans of red bull

[@mebeasensei]

Mine lost GPS and I lost the drone, blown away in the wind. I spent several hours on three separate days searching for it...no luck.

[@photojoseph]

Aw damn… sorry to hear that

[@make.and.believe]

You can record your screen in iphone. it's on the dashboard.

[@usernamemykel]

Liked, subbed. Thanks!

[@chateytung]

Beware, i almost lost my spark, when battery 15% it will slow down to 9.8km/h , at fall from the sky, lucky i able to tack my spark and it do not fall on people house roof, I was damn lucky this time, thanks God

[@jkeegan53]

Hey I know your video is more than 6 month old but I just came across it, laughted so hard! You did a good job giving some back ground and working through the process of recovering your drone. I just bought mine and got it into the air a few weeks ago.. Your vid/info will be very useful to me should I have the same misfortune which is probably just a matter of time. Glad to know there's hope in recovering it. Regards from South Dakota.

[@Gudang_Stroller_Baby]

Nice video

[@william38555]

When does the video starts ?!? Jeez

[@apntv]

Glad you found it ok :-)

[@photojoseph]

+apntv me too!!!

[@bigeyetuna6228]

No worries mate, keep up the excellent babbling💚🍀😂😎🍄

[@stefan.rivera]

Screen recording on iPhone will let u have a controller copy on your phone

[@mattsmith6126]

Put it in tripod mode fly it back At a slower pace.

[@greg8089]

Dang how much coffee did you drink before making this video?You talking very fast .

[@photojoseph]

I was very excited 😆 and I always talk fast

[@runrunner813]

If you want to play the drone, play in the open instead of in the fields

[@Make-Asylums-Great-Again]

Find my drone and use the flash lights & make sound. That’s how you suppose to find it.

[@photojoseph]

That requires a connection. It had lost the connection.

[@sangcod]

Yup, find my drone will be faster. Lil less coffee dude,, lol. And they do beep and blink led when you set it.

[@photojoseph]

+iRocker_ C I gotta try it out. And I only drink one coffee a day, usually. I'm just energetic :-)

[@justinharvell8459]

congratulations you made a 2 minute video a 14 minute one!!! I lost brain cells watching this.

[@photojoseph]

Thanks, I’ll add them to my collection.

[@Diallotuber]

you took too much and play around just explaining what you have to spend in get out there and

[@andrewemmel]

This should be 4 minutes. Peeps that need it lost their drone....

[@photojoseph]

I can’t get over how divided people are on this video. I shared my experience on how I found my drone. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@andrewemmel]

PhotoJoseph sorry I was being a dick I just lost my drone and I didn’t think it was going to be recoverable. I felt like Harry I’m dumb and dumber when she asked for his number when he was on fire hahaha. I also found my drone, so thank you.

[@photojoseph]

@@andrewemmel Thank you, and I'm glad you found your drone.

[@shaboz77]

METOO#

[@andrewhannay]

Just lost my drone. All my logs say No GPS! So Drone lost forever :-(

[@photojoseph]

noooo! So sorry :(

[@chaoticadventure]

Informative vid thx. Maybe see a dr. Though lol. Cocaine? Meth? Or A.d.d. ?

[@photojoseph]

High on life. They haven’t classified that as an affliction. Yet.

[@mare6638]

Yay black screen.

[@jaywilkerson3690]

How many cups of coffee did you drink before doing this video....slow down!

[@MichaelKincaiddontroughit]

#thestruggleisreal 😲

[@BillyBlaze7]

waaaayyyy too much coffee or meth

[@tacalert1]

lol Chris....Some people just like to talk...Annoying

[@shay7651]

But youuuueerr

[@SyrellSnir]

👍👍👍

[@rm42749]

Take some more speed and make another video.

[@photojoseph]

Illdothatrightnowthanks

[@cobraray1]

you on dope?

[@photojoseph]

It’s called a natural high. You should try it sometime. It’s a cocktail of “excitement” and “bliss”. Pretty uncommon, I realize…

[@FireplugKLR]

Good info, but you talk WAY too much.

[@photojoseph]

I’ll put more pregnant pauses in my next video

[@athleanbanana8997]

14min.??? Holy sh.. 2 min. ok

[@sergiyg2537]

Much ado about nothing. Tip #1: learn how to fly with a toy drone before you crash a more advanced and more expensive one. Tip #2: read the manual, learn your drone and make all adjustments (enable video cache for example) before the flight. According to this video you are knowledgeable enough to be dangerous.

[@photojoseph]

Just how I like to be…

[@rihannak4659]

Is your drove video have sound ?

[@photojoseph]

No. The only place it gets sound is from your the phone attached to the controller (if there was a mic on the drone, all you’d hear is the propellers and wind!). So there is audio recorded on the cached video file saved to your phone, but NOT on the file in the drone itself. You may have to enable that feature; I don’t recall.

[@riklee]

Damn dude u talk too much.