ok so after reading what you guys have been saying i got MotionX GPS HD on my ipad wifi only and i downloaded my first maps to a trip I'm planning, omg it took for ever to download but its 99695 map tiles of the entire George Washington National Forest and i set the max zoom to 16 so i got great detail. So far i like the app and i like the maps it has , but my question is sense I'm wifi only I know I have to get an external gps but between the Dual XGPS150 and the Bad-Elf which one would work best for me because I plan to get a mount to mount the ipad on my center console so the Bad-Elf would not have a direct line of sight out the windshield I think it would still work just fine but the Dual I can put on the dash but then I have to run 2 chargers so the being said I would rather have the Bad-Elf. Well what do you guys think I should get the Dual or the Bad-Elf?
SOFTWARE
MotionX GPS software
I have MotionX GPS as well and AM NOT a fan of having to download maps for each trip to a new area. It's a PITA and I've stopped trying to use MotionX partially because of that.
Scenic Maps software
Instead I've been using Scenic Maps topo software which comes with entire sections of the the USA. I purchased the Western States Region which includes, CA, NV, UT, AZ, OR, WA, ID, etc. (can see the exact coverage on their website or via the itunes store).
It's not a full hi res 24K topo map it does have sufficient detail for 90% of what I need a GPS for. The other 10% where I wish the data was there... well lets just say I'm gonna petition Scenic Maps to offer state based versions at 24K.
Pro's:
Cost (cheap at $10)
Interface... I like it. It's very simple and easy to use.
- Views include anywhere both from straight above (birds eye) to the horizon which means from any vertical perspective and either north always up or in the direction of travel.
Includes the map. No need to download small sections for each trip.
Maps include quite a bit of street data as well as topo information.
Includes many cities which are searchable.
Can import/export .gpx track files
Can enter individual waypoints as needed.
Will playback tracks you import or create.
Con's:
Map is low (100k?) resolution and not 24K so detail is lost.
Topo lines do not show altitude the way other topo maps do.
Cannot import .gpx waypoint files, just track files.
Would like a bit more granular control on what the maps show but that's a nit-picky con, and I'm definitely willing to overlook it.
HARDWARE
In terms of the GPS you should use here are my opinions...
Dual XGPS-150
I have one and use it with my 16GB Wifi only iPad. I've only tried to acquire a signal where I'm in a wide open space and it usually connects (sits almost directly under the rear most portion of the front windshield).
From what I can tell and from my limited research, it does not use a Sirfstar chipset and I'm not sure how the chipset used compares in a head to head comparison against the Sirfstars. I know I'd like it to be as good as the Sirfstar's but I don't believe it is (even close).
In normal use I keep it powered with a USB cigarette adapter. It's connected to a switched cigarette adapter plug (shuts off when the ignition's off) but the unit's internal battery continues to run the unit and receive gps data so when I get out of the car it still stays connected to the satellite which is critically important for me when exploring. IIRC Dual indicates the internal battery will work for ~8hrs.
In terms of signal reliability usually works ok but in my experience, it's not as reliable as I'd like. There have been many, many times where the gps never gives or stops giving gps data to Scenic Maps. I've confirmed this because when I view the Dual App from iTunes, it shows the GPS is still trying to connect to the satellites. This is in WIDE OPEN spaces where the GPS should connect.
The GPS will sometimes not connect when both Bluetooth and WiFi are enabled on my 16GB Wifi only iPad. You will have to disable WiFi in these situations to get it to work.
Overall, I'm somewhat satisfied with the Dual unit but if I had a better option the Dual would be going up in the Portal Classifieds/CL/Ebay.
BadElf GPS
I haven't used this GPS so I can't comment on it's functional effectiveness.
One thing that does concern me is it has to be physically connected to the iPad/iPod Touch. When driving off road, I do foresee the occasional possibility of something hitting it while it's attached and potentially breaking the GPS body/Connector or possibly damaging the connector on the iPad.
And like the Dual unit, I don't believe it uses a Sirfstar chip set or equivalent either.
GNS 5870
This is another bluetooth GPS that's IOS compatible. I don't know too much about it but I know they do offer more technical detail online about the gps unit (
http://www.navilock.de/view/PDFs/60319_-_Datasheet/720).