Dual Electronics GPS Receiver

[Rex Carroll]

 

Hi Andrew/Savanah

 

I recently purchased your Gaia software and the new iPad (3^rd generation) to track my position during my off road camping trips.  I have the basic (non wi-fi) 16GB iPad with a built in GPS chip.  The problem is that the GPS reception of the iPad is spotty at best.  The position that the iPad is mounted inside my Jeep may be exacerbating the problem, but the bottom line is that it’s not working.  As a possible solution,  I am considering purchasing a Dual Electronics GPS receiver.  My question is how would I set the iPad so that Gaia looks to the Dual Electronics device for GPS coordinates and not the built in GPS chip?  The Dual Electronics web site said that their GPS device will work with the iPad 3^rd generation, but the testimonials are all from people who have the wi-fi version which does not come with a built in GPS chip.  

 

Best regards

 

Rex

 

[Matthew Larson]

Hi Rex,

Cool rig. I use a dual GPS receiver exclusively on my iPad for
wheeling out in the desert. Mine unfortunately is a wifi only iPad,
and I cannot say if the iPad decides to use the receiver and not the
built in chip. But a few things I can tell you, the gps chip in the
iPads are just bad. Spotty connections and tracking etc for people
like us way out in the desert. If and when you find out if a Dual will
default to it on a GPS iPad it is your best bet. battery life is
amazing and can be charged from a USB charger from your stereo deck or
cigarette lighter.

One thing I can say is, once the receiver is plugged in and running it
starts sending the gps info to your iPad, so if you were to turn off
the gps on the iPad, and turn on the Bluetooth on the iPad, the
receiver would start sending gps info to the iPad, which would be used
as a location and tracking in applications.

So, although I cannot say for sure, I am almost positive that with
that setup you would be able to bypass the built in chip altogether.

Matt

P.s. here is my rig.
http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z389/elmateo487/75627844.jpg
http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z389/elmateo487/3d4b1c21.jpg

>  image002.jpg
> 179KViewDownload

[Rex Carroll]

Hi Matt

Thanks. I go wheeling with a friend who has a rig just like yours. It's
even the same color. I'm going to borrow a Dual GPS from a fellow Jeeper
and give it a try. Since I've already purchased the iPad and a ram mount, I
want to know that the Dual GPS setup will work before I spend any more money
on this. I was out in the desert a couple of weeks ago and the ESRI imagery
worked great. If I can just get the tracking function to work, I'll be a
happy camper.

Regards

Rex

[Gaia GPS Support]

Hi Rex,

I connected our Dual XGPS to our iPad 3 with an internal GPS and the Dual XGPS seemed to override the internal GPS.  I checked to make sure that the external GPS was connected and sending data using this app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bluetooth-gps-status-tool/id422661436?mt=8  I also opened Gaia GPS and made sure that my GPS location accuracy improved after I connected the Dual XGPS.  

Also a couple tips that will save you time: make sure your Dual XGPS is disconnected from your other devices before trying to pair it with your iPad, and turn the switch near the usb connector to the right to pair it with Apple products.  

Please let me know if you have any other questions, comments, or concerns.

Regards,

Savannah

Savannah Henderson
User Support
www.GaiaGPS.com
415 335 7447

[Rex Carroll]

Hi Savannah

 

Thank you for taking the time to check this out for me and for the tips and app.  I’m looking forward to being able to track my position and use the overlay imagery to determine which wash to follow and which one to avoid.

 

Best regards

 

Rex

[Andrew Johnson]

Oh, also Greg Lukins from Dual wrote us back about this. He says:

I would add three short comments:

• Yes, we have tested the XGPS150 with the new iPad 3.

• The XGPS150 works with both types of iPads: those with cellular+GPS, and those that are WiFi-only.

• If you have an iPad with a built-in GPS, the iPad will switch back and forth between the internal GPS and the XGPS150 based on whichever source has the best signal. However, to ensure that the iPad is using the XGPS150, put the iPad into Airplane Mode & then turn Bluetooth back on. Airplane Mode disables the internal GPS in the iPad/iPhone & forces the iPad to use the XGPS150.

Andrew Johnson

Co-founder

www.GaiaGPS.com

415 335 7447

[Rex Carroll]

Thanks Andrew

 

I really appreciate the quick follow up.  This is great information.

 

Best regards

 

Rex

[Morrie]

It is my understanding that the basic iPad (the WiFi only version without 3G) has no builtin GPS, so that would explain why it's not working.  It only has location services using WiFi. 

I have a WiFi+3G iPad, and have been using it with GaiaGPS for over a year in all kinds of terrain, from the city to backroads in the wilderness, and it has worked flawlessly.  I usually have a handheld Garmin GPS with me as well, and for all practical purposes the iPad and GPS positions are identical.  In my opinion it would be an unnecessary expensive complication to attach a GPS to the 3G iPad.

[Andrew Johnson]

The off-roaders and pilots tend to use the external GPS in higher numbers.

Depending on how you mount an iPad in a Jeep, it can obscure the signal.

Also, an airplane shell attenuates the iPad GPS signal, and it doesn't work, where the Dual will.

Andrew

Andrew Johnson

Co-founder

www.GaiaGPS.com

415 335 7447

[Rex Carroll]

Hi Morrie

 

While I’m no expert on this, the iPad (3^rd generation) comes in two flavors with several memory options.  The first flavor is the basic iPad with 16, 32 or 64MB of memory and includes a built in GPS chip.  This is the one I have.  The iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G gets its location data via the Wi-Fi connection and does not include a GPS chip.  I can use my iPhone as a hot spot and stream map data via the Bluetooth connection, but this only works when I’m within phone range.  The same goes for the Wi-Fi connection.  Since most of the Southern California desert areas that I frequent do not have cell service, I need to pre-load map areas into the iPad.  Even within urban areas, the built in GPS is spotty at best.  The Gaia tracks will use a straight line to fill in between the locations where there is no GPS signal being reported.  This makes for some strange looking (and useless) tracks.  My Dual GPS receiver is on order with Amazon and I look forward to giving it a good test once it gets here.  The Gaia app with the satellite imagery fills in a real need for off road enthusiasts.  Topo maps are better than nothing, but they don’t show most of the trails.  The in dash GPS systems (which I have) will give you good location data, but once off road, all you see is patches of pastel colors.  I’ll be going to the Overland Expo in Flagstaff, AZ, next month and expect to get some good feedback on the Gaia/iPad setup.  For anyone interested, here is a link to the mounting system that I’m using http://www.thejoyfactory.com/product/aab109  You can buy it for less on Amazon.

 

Regards

 

Rex

 

From: gaia...@googlegroups.com [mailto:gaia...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Morrie
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 9:51 AM
To: gaia...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Dual Electronics GPS Receiver

 

It is my understanding that the basic iPad (the WiFi only version without 3G) has no builtin GPS, so that would explain why it's not working.  It only has location services using WiFi.