Dual XGPS150A Navigation

After doing a lot of research I previously had used a Bad Elf GPS dongle for my flying needs. When I upgraded to an iPhone 5 and iPad Mini, my old 30 pin Bad Elf became an expensive and obsolete key chain. I tried using the 30pin-Lightning adapter, but found it awkward on the yoke and decided it was time for an upgrade. I don't fly enough to justify an expensive ADS-B receiver, and I didn't want to make the mistake of a plug-in unit again, so I set out to do some research. Having been happy with Bad Elf, I considered the Bad Elf Pro because one feature I thought I needed was tracking, something the Dual 150 doesn't have. What changed my mind was the price. Even though the 150 is an "older" model, I was able to pick it up for almost half the price of the Bad Elf Pro and it seems like it's made for flying. The rubber dash grip and small size are great on the glare shield of the plane. I was very impressed with how fast it got a cold signal and the accuracy was also great. The battery life is excellent for even long cross country flights or drives. I love how there's nothing to it, and the free iPad/iPhone application made it fun to see how well it was working. If you're not flying with Foreflight, you're missing out. I'm sure that Wing-X and Garmin Pilot are great too, but I've been using Foreflight for years and have nothing but praise for the application. There was no work to get this working with Foreflight. I use a wireless only iPad mini, so I otherwise didn't have airspeed, altitude etc. All of that shows up the instant you start up Foreflight with the GPS connected. No set up required. The GPS works great on sunny days and in clouds, It also doesn't seem to mind getting hot on the dash. The only big difference between this model and the newer one is the 150 can only connect with one device at a time. For me, this wasn't a deal breaker and it still isn't. For the simple VFR flier like me, I only use the GPS as a back up and wouldn't see a need for more than one device to be connected. Bottom line: If you want to get GPS function on your iPad for a low price, this is the unit for you. If I had the spare $700 laying around, I'd probably go buy a Stratus, but this will do just fine for me in the mean time.

I'v had one of these for a few years now. I use it with my Ipad and a Garmin mapping program. Works flawlessly as far as I can see. It will run for a full day of driving on a charge. uses USB cord to charge so its compatable with your other USB devices. Accuracy seems right about what you'd expect. The little rubber dash boot is really great. The unit stays put on the dash through turns and hard breaking. We went to Germany a few years ago and used it with an Ipad map that I think came from the German Government Tour office. Though it didn't have any find features, the unit tracked our position on the map perfectly. The only complaint I have is that I think I left it in a rental car a while back and so have to order a new one. They have a new one that has WAAS correction and an additional receiver for the Russian GPS system also. I don't think that for me, the Russian receiver is especially useful, but the WAAS correction will increase accuracy. Mine came with a car lighter plug that can also plug into a light aircraft electrical system. Nice for General Avaiation use or search and rescue where you can log your search grid position. With the right mapping software you can see your breadcrumb trail in the search grid.

I just used the Dual XGPS150 on a recent trip, and found that it worked very well indeed. The only issue I have encountered is potential incompatibility with specific applications that, by the express intent of the provider of the application, are not compatible with external GPS receivers. This is the sort of thing that many people would not anticipate, because it is counter to common sense, but it is real. I recommend that prior to purchasing any external GPS receiver, that you start by identifying the particular application that you expect to use, and that you confirm with the supplier of that application that the application is compatible with external GPS receivers. I'll discuss this further in a bit. I did not encounter any issues with the Bluetooth connection between the iPad2 WiFi and the Dual XGPS150a. The XGPS150a did not exhibit any problems with maintaining continuity of satellite reception or continuity of its knowing its precise location. It was highly accurate. I am particularly pleased with how quickly it figures out its location after having been powered off for a while. It does this within just a few seconds, which is a small fraction of the time that my high-end Garmin Nuvi needs to figure out where it is. There is a competing device that hangs directly from the docking port, and I just think that this is a very dumb idea. Yeah, there is nothing about the docking port that prevents this sort of thing, but it is suitable only for cables and cradles. Nothing should be attached there in the way that that thing does. It is only a question of when, not whether, you snap it off, ruining the accessory at least and possibly even damaging the port on the iPad or iPhone, which I expect would be a costly repair. For owners of WiFi-only devices, there are generally two issues that you have to sort through when it comes to applications. The first issue is the issue of off-line maps. As most people quickly figure out, Google Maps on the iPhone/Pod/Pad relies on continual Internet connectivity to download pieces of the map on the fly, as you travel or even as you scroll around the map without moving. The same behavior applies to most of the map apps that you can buy at the app store. This is obviously an issue for mobile use of WiFi-only devices, but it is even an issue for devices enabled with cellular-based data communications (3G, etc.), because in rural areas, loss of data connectivity is even more prevalent than loss of voice service. (And as has been reported elsewhere, it is all too common for 4G services to revert to 3G, in which case the data rate plummets from something remarkably fast to something more like a very slow DSL connection, which could adversely affect the ability for the map application to update the map as you are moving.) When you evaluate specific applications relative to this need, you need to pay close attention to the particulars of how you select the map segments that get stored in the device. And ignore all the misinformation that you find on web forums, telling you about some trick for forcing Google Maps and similar apps to cache maps in the device. Categorically, those tricks do not work. The other issue is with forced incompatibility. Fundamentally, there is no apparent reason why an application that works with internal GPS receiver would not work with an external GPS receiver. In fact, it might not even be possible for the application to detect the difference. Nevertheless, the provider of the application can flag the application such that you cannot even download the application into the device if the device does not have an internal GPS receiver. In particular, I discovered that this is what MotionX, the supplier of several navigation applications, does. If your device does not have an internal GPS receiver, you cannot buy MotionX GPS applications directly from the device (via the app store application), and if you go the iTunes route, you can buy the app but then during the app synching phase, iTunes will give you a message saying that the app could not be downloaded into the device because the application is not compatible with that device. This is not some sort of oversight or snafu or whatever. It seems counterintuitive, but MotionX's concern is presumably that without this restriction, some people (cheaters) who use external GPS devices would purchase the app and then demand a refund, claiming that the app is not compatible with the device. It remains to be seen whether MotionX and Apple will figure out a better way to address this concern, but for the time being at least, you cannot download MotionX GPS applications into devices that lack internal GPS receivers. This concern is potentially an issue for GPS applications in general, which is why I recommend that you start by selecting the application that you intend to use, and make certain that there is no compatibility issue of this sort, before you purchase any external GPS receiver. I had hoped to use MotionX GPS HD, mainly because it is so much less expensive than TomTom, which is a very expensive application at around $50. Before buying the TomTom application and then finding out that I had wasted my money, I attempted to get confirmation from TomTom that there were no issues similar to the situation with MotionX. I called their tech support number and then waited on hold for a long time and eventually spoke to someone in Mexico who absolutely assured me that TomTom would work only with either the internal GPS receiver or else their own docking cradle (for the iPod/iPhone - not sure if they even have anything for the iPad). Then I sent an email asking for clarification, and I got a response that was confusing but that seemed to corroborate what I was told over the phone. I sent a reply to that email, and a day or two later I got another reply correcting the earlier reply, stating definitively that TomTom GPS app is compatible with all external GPS devices. That second reply even included a link for a page on their web site that indicated the same thing, although not as definitively as I would have liked. I have not decided whether to purchase TomTom, but I am confident at this point that should I choose to do so, I would not encounter an issue similar to the issue with MotionX, and in the unlikely event of such an issue, there should be no difficulty in getting a refund through the app store. Garmin also makes a car navigation app, but presently it is an iPhone-only app. Presumably it would run on the iPAd, but either using only a small part of the screen or else blown up with lousy resolution. I only really wanted a good map application anyway, as opposed to full-blown turn-by-turn navigation with route planning and so forth. I found two good applications: PocketEarth, and MapsWithMe. Of the two, I like PocketEarth better, because the graphical representation of the maps was easier to read and interpret, particularly with respect to freeway ramps, which sometimes are incredibly complex. PocketEarth even shows bypasses and roads that are presently under construction but not yet completed. They were indicated using dashed lines to distinguish them from existing roads, but even the ramps were indicated. This was impressive to say the least. My final observation is for the benefit of anyone who has not purchased an iPad and who is debating whether to get the WiFi-only version or the version enabled with mobile data capability (3G, etc.). I recently had a discussion on this question with a friend who is considering buying an iPad. Notwithstanding the availability of external GPS receivers, and notwithstanding that you can get those little devices that translate 3G (or whatever) to WiFi, and notwithstanding that the offline maps issue is an issue even for devices that are enabled with mobile data communications, we agreed that for anyone wanting to use an iPad for navigation purposes, it is wise to spend the extra money on the iPad with the data capability (3G, etc.) and then purchase service for it on a monthly basis as needed, which is a nice thing that you can do with the iPad.

È Un ottimo prodotto, buona qualità prezzo! Lo utilizzo in aereo con ottimi risultati. Lo consiglio per la navigazione aerea.

Trabaja perfectamente

Utilisé hier pour la premiere fois avec Foreflight sur Ipad dans un gyrocoptere, le tout a bien fonctionné. S’est déconnecté a 2 reprises De foreflight, mais probablement un probleme avec foreflight. Si vous voulez utilisé ceci en aviation, je vous recommanded’acjeter plutot le DUAL XGPS170D ADS-B / GPS BLUETOOTH TRAFFIC & WEATHER RECEIVER qui vous donnera Dans Foreflight les cartes météo ainsi que la position des avions équipés de transpondeur.

Lo hemos estado probando en un viaje de 3 semanas por los EEUU, con Sigic como navegador y ha funcionado muy bien, la batería dura tanto como la del iPad y tiene una pulsera por si quieres llevarlo como "reloj" cuando vas por la calle. Muy recomendable para el iPad wifi

Delivery of the Dual XGPS150 was very prompt. I had read there are 2 versions, a 150A (America) and 150E (Europe) My conclusion is that they are the same device. Mine is a 150A and works fine in the UK. I've used this GPS twice and so far I'm very impressed. I'm using it for hiking in the UK with the latest iPod. Unfortunately the iPod doesn't come with GPS, so you either have to buy a plug in GPS like Bad Elf (more expensive) or one that works using bluetooth. The Dual XGPS150 is very small and light, so it fits easily into a jacket or rucksack pocket. There is a small switch on the side of the device which needs setting for Android or Apple devices. The default is set for Apple, so I didn't have to change it. Switching on the Dual at first was a little tricky, as you have to apply pressure to the top of the device for 3 seconds. I found it needed some pressure from my thumb to hold down, but this is probably not a bad idea as it avoids accidently switching on or off the device when it's in your pocket. After I had switched on the XGPS150 I switched on my iPod bluetooth connection. The two devices paired very quickly. I'm using Ordnance Survey maps of the UK National Parks at a scale of 1:25 000, downloaded using the 'Outdoors App'. These are offline maps so scrolling is instantaneous. I have found the XGPS150 to be very accurate and really helpful for navigation. After a full charge (2 and a half hours) the XGPS150 was showing 45% battery left after 5 hours of hiking. I also downloaded the Dual App, though you don't have to do this to use the device. However the App usefully shows you satellites, battery status, latitude, longitude and altitude. So far, so good. I'm very pleased. But a word of warning if you are thinking of buying this product elsewhere. Initially I ordered the XGPS150 from an internet company called 'Proviation'. Do not buy from this company as it appears to be a rogue internet company. I did not receive the device and I'm still trying to get my money back. In contrast Oasis Pilot and Amazon have been great. I'd like to add another warning. If you are using a wifi only iPad or iPod DO NOT upgrade your Apple operating software to OS8.3, released in April 2015. There is a bug which stops the Dual GPS device from working with map Apps when using Bluetooth. I'm hoping Apple are working on a fix as OS8.3 has rendered my Dual GPS as useless. I can now add that since Apple updated their software my Dual GPS works fine again, and I have now upgraded to OS9 and can confirm it works ok.