Bad Elf Gps Pro+

Bad Elf GPS Pro+

• High performance Bluetooth GPS+GLONASS WAAS Receiver accurate to 2.5m enhances the utility of your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch without an internet connection or monthly subscription.
• Adds barometric altitude for pilots and raw barometer readings for boaters with the built-in digital barometric sensor.
• Advanced USB connectivity allows streaming of NMEA data directly to a PC or Mac. Adds easy access to recorded data logs (up to 200 hours worth of storage) just like a thumb drive
• 24 hour battery frees your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch form carrying the power burden of determining your position.
• High performance Bluetooth GPS+GLONASS Receiver accurate to 2.5m enhances utility of your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch without an internet connection or monthly subscription.

Bluetooth GPS Pro+Includes: Bluetooth™ GPS + GLONASS Receiver with Barometric Sensor, USB File System Support and Streaming NMEA GPS Data OutputBe Adventurous - Explore the WorldThe original Bad Elf GPS Pro received rave reviews from the most demanding customers in military, commercial, andprivate aviation. The GPS Pro+, adds GLONASS satellite capability, USB file system access to data logs, and a barometric sensor for altitude. This GPS receiver, with 24 hour battery life when paired over Bluetooth/35 Hour Battery - Stand Alone Data Logger and the capacity to log a full week on the road just got better.Features:Instantly add GPS location support to your iPad Wi-Fi or iPod touch devices via Bluetooth Connect up to five device at onceView GPS+GLONASS status quickly with the backlit LCDAll day battery life - Pair Over Bluetooth - 24Hrs / Stand Alone Data Logger - 35HrsLog up to 200 hours of trip position data direct on your Bad ElfAccess your data logs directly from any PC or Mac using the included USB cable. GPS appears just like a USB thumb driveUSB connectivity to PC or Mac provides streaming NMEA GPS dataObtain altitude from GPS and from the built-in barometerHigh performance 66 channel GPS + GLONASS receiver that provides latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, and GPS trackAccurate to 2.5M (9') up to 60,000' and 1000 mphQuickly acquires satellite lock without cell tower assistance - Hot start time in as little as 2 secondsNo internet connection or monthly subscription requiredIPX4 water resistance makes this device ready for outdoorsBad Elf GPS provides location data to any and all apps that use Apple's iOS Core Location framework. Where To Use?AviationMarineVehicle NavigationGeocachingTravelRunningCyc

Buy Now : Bad Elf GPS Pro+

Brand : Bad Elf
Category : Electronics,GPS, Finders & Accessories,Sports & Handheld GPS,Handheld GPS Units
Rating : 4.3
Review Count : 206
Item Weight : 3.2 ounces
Best Sellers Rank : #54,743 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics) #147 in Handheld GPS Units
Special features : Bluetooth, Waterproof
Color : Slate
SalesRank : 54743
Other display features : Wireless
Batteries : 1 Lithium Ion batteries required.
Batteries : 1 Lithium Ion batteries required.
Connectivity technologies : USB
Human Interface Input : Microphone
GPS : Matching GPS Stamps to Geotags

Bad Elf GPS Pro+

• I bought the Bad Elf Pro+ in March and have used it for about 7 months. My purposes were: (1) smallest device possible, (2) logging my daily travels and (3) pairing via bluetooth with Android navigation apps. Another big selling point was (4) LCD readout on the device showing tracklog status, current position, etc.UPDATED SUMMARY:Scroll to the bottom for a scorecard of pros and cons. It\'s a potentially nifty device hobbled by a large number of problems. Many of these are software-related, and I\'ll be delighted to update this review if/when problems are addressed by the Bad Elf team. I recently ran the Bad Elf alongside my Samsung Android device in a \"head to head contest\" for 10 days in the Alps. I objectively compared each day\'s tracks. Every day, the Android (Samsung Note 8 running AlpineQuest) track was superior. So, at this point the Bad Elf is almost useless to me, except for its size. It is by far the biggest \"waste of money\" that I have ever spent. I am downgrading to 2 stars as a result.DETAILS:I knew it was designed for iOS but that some users had managed to pair it with Android. My initial query about this to customer support got a prompt, helpful reply, so I bought the device. It did not work as data logger via USB with computer right out of the box, but customer support was helpful again and sent me a link & instructions for a firmware upgrade.I tried pairing it with 3 Android devices, using information from a tips page linked from the customer support email. On a dying Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 (Android OS way out of date, crashes often etc.), the Bad Elf paired just fine, at least for a while. On a Samsung Note 8, it paired initially, but later stopped working. On our latest/greatest device, a Nexus 7, I tried multiple times and never got pairing. (This was a real shame because I had bought the Nexus 7, along with the expensive Sygic app, for my wife as a GPS device; turns out the Nexus\'s own GPS is really poor; so I had really hoped to salvage the situation by pairing with the Bad Elf.)So I resigned myself to using it as a data logger. Except for some major negatives (see below), it basically works as a data logger. If you have a friend/spouse with a recent enough iOS device, you can use the app to do some cool configuring. I have been using the \"Walk\" filter, which drops points when you are not moving at least at walking speed (other filters are provided for various faster speeds). To reduce file size even more, I also have it set to a 10-second recording interval (which only applies while moving), which mostly works fine for keeping track of what streets I traveled, where I ate lunch, etc. EDIT: Typical tracklogs with this setup are 100-300 KB, and I can go several weeks without filling up the device (which happens around \"80% memory remaining\", see below).On the plus side, the Bad Elf locks on to positions quickly, and it has never failed to find position when used out of doors, which is a problem I have experienced once in a while with native Android GPS (e.g. in a snowstorm). EDIT: In commercial airplane flights, sometimes I will get a very impressive track from the Bad Elf, where Android GPS has never worked.However, to my surprise the Bad Elf is worse(!) than native Android GPS in one respect -- here I am comparing it primarily to the Android app MyTracks. When I am indoors, MyTracks records a \"starburst\" of random positions, centered roughly in the building where I am. It is easy to interpret the track later by disregarding the starburst section. But the Bad Elf tries to \"invent\" actual movement from the noise in the data. So I have many tracks in which, when I was in a restaurant, the Bad Elf has dreamed up a completely imaginary, significant side trip, in kind of a loose loop, several blocks(!) around the vicinity. This has happened many times, and is the Bad Elf\'s biggest flaw in terms of basic GPS functionality. I seriously have to puzzle over these when reading my tracks later.One expects a $190 device to be a little more accurate than the cheap GPS antenna that\'s built into an Android device. That could very well be the case (outdoors at least), though I haven\'t seen compelling evidence for it (EDIT: Recent trip to Alps shows it is not the case! Android GPS just as good.). I was surprised to find that most of my tracks with the Bad Elf run pretty loosely along the roads I travel, often paralleling them a half block away. So, in my experience it is about as accurate as Android when used outdoors, and much worse when used indoors (see above). (Note: just so you know, I always use my devices in pants pocket, since they are intended as ubiquitous data loggers, not as jewelry.)I have tried marking POIs using a button on the device, but was disappointed to see that the POI is not exported with the GPX files via USB. I\'ll assume this works as intended only if you transfer tracks using the iOS app.Here\'s a very big negative. The Bad Elf team did not think through what is meant by the \"capacity\" of the device. I bought the Pro+ instead of the Pro in part for the additional memory so I won\'t have to worry about it filling up during travels away from computers, friends with iPhones etc. Well, the bad news is, (1) the LCD display of \"memory remaining\" is way, way off and (2) when you hit the limit, you lose even those tracks that were successfully recorded at an earlier time. Yesterday, the LCD said \"83% remaining\" when I left on a 3-hour road trip. Upon returning I noticed that about 1100 points had been logged. Plugging in the device to transfer tracks via USB yields an empty folder, which means I have lost not only yesterday\'s track, but also several other tracks from earlier in the week. EDIT: The files are not lost as long as you have access to an iOS device (I was able to email them to myself).This also happened several weeks earlier, when it hit \"80% memory remaining\"; it\'s taking me a while to learn that \"80%\" means \"0%\" in Bad-Elf-speak. I got lazy and let tracks accumulate -- because without iOS, there is no way to clear the device. Customer support was helpful after I filled up the device soon after purchase (with the default setting of 1-second intervals, you will get huge files, several MB each), letting me know the magic incantation: You need to fire up your spouse\'s iDevice, go into the Bad Elf app, tap the Configure button, then rename your Bad Elf to be \"11ERASEALLLOGS11\". (And sometimes it takes another try.)Note that, if you are an iOS user, you can clear tracks one by one using the app, but there is no way, even for iOS users, to clear all tracks at once, without the above voodoo. This seems an extraordinary lapse in the \"it just works!\" Apple ecosystem. In general, I am really taken aback how rough around the edges this product is. But I know the Bad Elf team has their heart in the right place and that all these problems are high on their to-do list, right?The battery power indicator is similarly treacherous. The device is power-efficient, and plugging it in overnight, every day or two, has been sufficient for me. However, one morning I took it on an outing starting with the battery indicator at 3/4 full, and it ran out of power in mid-afternoon, which was a big surprise. The resulting track was still retained (good), although the GPX file was abruptly cut off without the normal end elements (bad).Transferring via the iOS app by email - EDIT: this failed when I first tried it, but succeeded recently. Perhaps the difference is due to file size (huge 6 MB files didn\'t work, 100-300 KB files worked).A very cool aspect of Bad Elf is the configurability. In general this is a big plus, and works fine once you figure it out. But it took me a while to find where to do that, in the app. There are places where you can apparently select parameters, and modify them, but then it has no effect. So Bad Elf has some work to do in making the GUI easier to work with.A bigger problem is that the user manual is tiny and does not cover any of the details about what the various LCD screens mean, or (as I\'m sure you could guess) any of the little details I\'ve been discussing about how to use the device, its limitations, etc. For example, there are two different altimeters (with different readings) -- which one is GPS-based and which one is barometer-based? Remember those $10 Casio wristwatches, and how they come with a little booklet telling you how to set the Dual Alarm and what-not? That is what Bad Elf needs to do for their devices, and so far they have just been too busy, I suppose.SCORECARDGOOD:-Excellent customer support-Excellent customizabiity - e.g. walk filter to omit redundant points; 10-second recording interval is good compromise for adequate tracking and small file size (my typical tracklog for a day is 100-300 KB).-LCD screens show you data from the device itself, in real time-Quite compact, seems well built-USB drive mode (transfer GPX via computer) works great, if you can remember that \"80% capacity\" means \"0% capacity\"-Locks onto location quickly and reliably outdoors - better than native Android GPS in this regard-Sometimes, records very well on commercial airplane flight-Power-efficient, easily runs for a couple days (with casual use) between charges.BAD:-Does not pair at all with late-model Android device (Nexus 7)-Does not pair reliably with another Android device (Note 8), although seems to pair fine with outdated Android device (Galaxy Player 4.2)-For Android, does not work as claimed out of the box (must email customer support to get firmware update)-When indoors, attempts to interpret poor data too aggressively and generates wildly incorrect track segments that are hard for you to ignore or interpret -- a fatal flaw if you ever step indoors on a trip, because later you will be unable to distinguish the spurious segments from real time spent outdoors-In general, accuracy seems no better than far cheaper native Android GPS-POIs recorded via button press are not recorded on GPX file transfered via USB-Actual data capacity is far less than device indicates; fills up without warning at around 80-83%-When you hit capacity limit, you lose ability to access even the tracks you recorded earlier-Even for iOS users, no quick way to delete all tracks-Battery power indicator is not accurate; \"75% charged\" is really a lot closer to zero.-Transferring tracks via app (by email) did not work for me - EDIT: Works with small files, at least.-User manual does not give you any detailed information about most aspects of the device (e.g. LCD screens), and app takes a while to figure out
• This unit is an excellent/compact GPS receiver for tracking walks, hikes, drives, flights (except, apparently, in Boeing 787s, whose windows block the signal!), etc. It is very flexible in its settings, and allows you to make very detailed GPX records of your movements. If you select 1-second updates, the resulting GPX file(s) will be huge for tracks of any significant length. There are ways to reduce the size of the files, but in my case, I wrote my own custom software to do it. The results were quite good, and the files were, on the average, about 1.5% the size of the original, and lost very little detail. I still have the large original files in case I need the extra fine detail. The battery life is excellent, although the battery level indicator does not appear to be linear. It\'s a good idea to charge the unit as soon as the first bar disappears. It acquires satellite signal quite quickly, at least compared to older models of GPS receivers, and its accuracy is very good. My only real complaint with this item is that the screen apparently scratches very easily. Mine had annoying abrasions across the screen before I even got to use it on a hike. However, it has spent most of its time since then in a case, and has not shown any new signs of wear.Update: 2022-08-20As of today, I\'ve had my Bad Elf GPS Pro+ for six years. I\'ve used it mainly for recording hikes, walks, drives, and flights, and archiving the tracks. Many of them end up on my website, showing exactly where those hikes, etc. were. Overall, it has worked very well for these tasks, so far. I did have the occasional lockup (rare, but it happens), and lost-signal events (mostly on aircraft). Signal loss occurs most often when the unit is not held close to a window on an aircraft (even letting it dangle in front of you from its lanyard, while seated in a window seat is often not sufficient to maintain a reliable signal). Also, as noted above, GPS receivers don\'t tend to work where windows are shaded (such as on a Boeing 787, and trains in Norway, for example)...and that applies to all receivers, not just this one.I did have a problem a couple of years ago where the unit would occasionally (sometimes \"frequently\") not \"find\" any satellites after a long time searching. Customer support tried hard to fix the problem, which seemed to magically go away a few months later (I don\'t use the device much between trips). There have been a couple of firmware upgrades since then, too, and I\'ve had no further problems with that failure. I almost always use another GPS receiver (often my iPhone) as a backup, just in case this sort of thing happens.Very recently, I\'ve noticed a decrease in, or complete lack of, GLONASS satellites being detected. I\'m going to assume for now that this is because of the conflict in Ukraine.Battery life is a major advantage to this unit. When I first bought it, and for most of the following six years, it has easily run all day on an overnight charge. Just in the past few days, however, it has ended the day with only one of the four battery indicators still showing. While one can obviously just pull out a backup battery or plug into an available USB power outlet where available, the full convenience of not having to charge the unit at all...or needing its charging cord immediately available...seems to be coming to an end.My original review still stands, although my comment about the non-linear battery indicator may not be all that accurate any more. It does seem to go down fairly smoothly over time. Maybe it improved over the years of firmware updates? Also, I\'m not sure how my unit got abrasions on its display back when I received it, but there is minimal additional scratching of the screen since then, despite being used on numerous hikes, drives, etc. I do normally keep it in the convenient carrying case (not included with the receiver) that fits the unit snugly, and generally protects it from the overall abuse of banging against rocks along the trail...and whatever else happens while traveling.The Bluetooth connection with my iPhone seems to have become rather unreliable lately. Pairing can be really flaky at times. Other than being frustrating and annoying, it hasn\'t become a serious problem...at least not yet. If you use the device as input to an important app on a smartphone, this might be a bigger problem. I usually only need the connection to transfer tracks from the Elf to the phone.Note: For a long time, I had difficulties saving files from the iPhone app (Bad Elf app) to Dropbox. It turned out that my light/dark mode settings resulted in \"Save\" being a very light gray against a white background during the day. If you\'re trying to save off an archived track to Dropbox (or anywhere else on that sharing page), tap the upper right part of the window, and it\'ll work. Or wait until dark mode kicks in, and you\'ll be able to see \"Save\" again.Summary: this is an excellent choice if you are looking for a small, lightweight GPS receiver for the purpose of archiving the tracks of hikes and other travel. I\'ve owned many GPS receivers, and this is easily the most convenient one for this purpose...and of course you can use it for other things, as other reviewers have described. Happy sixth \"birthday\" my GPS Pro+!

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