iPad External GPS PIREP

[Jeff_S]

Hello all. I thought I'd start a new thread to make this more noticeable. I did get my Bad Elf external GPS for iPad/iPhone for Christmas so here are my early observations:

Set up is brain-dead simple, as you would expect. Simply plug it in, and the first time you do you'll get a message saying you need to download the (free) app to use the device. Not only does this app provide the s/w for its GPS signal to be available to all mapping apps, but it includes the ability to download a database of Assisted GPS waypoints to your machine which presumably will help it be more accurate even without the device. I noticed that my iPhone already had this database on it, where the iPad did not. Unsure why.

With the device plugged in, simply go to any app that uses location services and you will see the green LED blinking while it establishes position. As with any GPS device, the first time you do this will take longer, and you do need to be somewhere where it can see satellites. I just pointed it out my home front windows and in two minutes it locked on. The device also has a built-in battery to store GPS data so it is recommended that you plug it into a powered USB port (cable included) overnight to charge this battery.

Aside from that, the system just works. My biggest concern was having this extra device just loosely plugged into the iPad data port and I questioned how well it would stay. Luckily, the iPad is designed to rotate the screen fully 360°, so you can actually flip it upside down so the Bad Elf is on top, which is a more normal place for an antenna, and this helps prevent it getting dislodged by putting it in a lap, the passenger seat, etc.

Performance of the GPS is great, and it does seem to snap to position faster than just the built-in antenna. I did a test flight yesterday, and routinely saw the "GPS error" indicator in ForeFlight to be just 5m.

Clarification to the above post: the Assisted GPS database actually gets downloaded to the Bad Elf device, to help it lock on faster. That's why when I did it the second time on my iPhone the DB was already updated, since I had completed the procedure on my iPad.

[lahso]

Thanks for the pirep, Jeff. I've been looking at one since the price dropped, but was concerned about the device sticking out too far and possibly getting damaged. Also, I wonder if there is an additional drain on the iPad battery with the b-elf plugged in.

[ELT]

Hi Jeff,

I have my ipad in a RAM mount such that the data port connection is at the bottom.  I am thinking about getting a B. E. to improve accuracy.  Will the B.E. work with an cable connecting it to the ipad?  That would allow the B. E. GPS to be on the glare shield.

Eddie

[Jeff_S]

Quote: ELT

Hi Jeff,

I have my ipad in a RAM mount such that the data port connection is at the bottom.  I am thinking about getting a B. E. to improve accuracy.  Will the B.E. work with an cable connecting it to the ipad?  That would allow the B. E. GPS to be on the glare shield.

Eddie

[ELT]

Unfortunately, the RAM mount secures the ipad at the top center and bottom 2 corners.  If the ipad is secured upside down (data port up) the on/off and data port are covered.

[Jeff_S]

Quote: ELT

Unfortunately, the RAM mount secures the ipad at the top center and bottom 2 corners.  If the ipad is secured upside down (data port up) the on/off and data port are covered.

[pilot716]

If anyone is looking for the GNS 5870 external GPS for the ipad/iphone, I will have them next week. PM me if interested.

[Jeff_S]

So, I've done some testing on a few airliner flights to see how well the external GPS antenna works. I don't know if the flight attendants just didn't know what they were looking at, or didn't care, but they never hassled me about it one time.

I did have one experience where for no reason reception just went totally away. This was as we were climbing from a cruise altitude of 25000' up through 30K on the way to 38K.  I have no idea why, but all of a sudden GPS just went totally blank. It came back on though after awhile, and so who knows where that anomaly could lie.

But these screen shots show how well GPS was tracking the flight on the route (which I got from FlightAware right before the flight took off).