Bad Elf Pro vs Bad Elf Lightning Connector

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ArnoldPalmer

Pre-takeoff checklist
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ArnoldPalmer
In the market to buy a Bad Elf GPS. I see they have the Pro and the dongle type that connects to the lightning port on the iPad.

Anyone have used the dongle one? Does it work well in the cockpit... ?
 
I flew with a guy who had the original iPad and dongle and it worked fine. Of course it is useless now since Apple changed the connector. The next time they change the connector, you may have something that won’t connect to anything. Also, I don’t think you can charge your iPad when the dongle is plugged in. That could be an issue on long flights.

I’ve used a bluetooth Bad Elf Pro since Foreflight started and it works fine. This is the fourth iPad I’ve used it on so I’m happy I didn’t get the one that connects to the lightning port. I sometimes use it for hiking as well. It still holds a charge and on the rare occasions I don’t have it fully charged, I can plug it into the USB port in the plane.

I’ve been flying with a Stratux lately and I much prefer it over plain GPS. You get ADSB-IN with traffic, weather, and GPS for $10 less than the Bad Elf.

I noticed on their web page that they say it works on iPhone 6 Plus, 6, 5S, 5C, and 5. I think Apple is up to 11 now. It should work on newer models, but it would be worth a call to verify.
 
The biggest plus for the pro is you can use it as a stand alone gps logger. I use it for biking,hiking, and on my jet ski. The neatest one is I've use it at a theme park to see how far we walked. You see the speed spike fro 1 to 100 when you are on the rollercoaster.
 
I have an early dongle connector Bad Elf connected to an iPad mini with an adapter dongle that’s has worked well for a number of years. My wife got me a new iPad mini 5 for Christmas and it connects and sees the Bad Elf. Haven’t flown with the 5 yet but I foresee no problems. I usually situate the iPad upside down so the dongle points up toward the windscreen.
I may upgrade to the Bad Elf Bluetooth just to eliminate the dongle but it’s not all that annoying.
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Thanks all!

I'll probably go the route of the lightning connector for now. No use for the external GPS as my phone/fitbit app does the same... :)0

I do think that the lightning connector will eventually get phased out, but till then......
 
Why not just get a ipad with a built in GPS... They you don't need extra stuff. I do not understand this???
 
pigpenracing said:
Why not just get a ipad with a built in GPS... They you don't need extra stuff. I do not understand this???
Click to expand...

I’m on my fourth iPad now. The GPS option has pretty consistently been $150 more. I don’t remember what I paid for my Bad Elf, but I think it was around $175. So I’ve been able to put $425 of avgas in my airplane that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. And now I use either a Stratus or Stratux depending on which plane I fly so I still don’t need built-in GPS.
 
JScarry said:
I’m on my fourth iPad now. The GPS option has pretty consistently been $150 more. I don’t remember what I paid for my Bad Elf, but I think it was around $175. So I’ve been able to put $425 of avgas in my airplane that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. And now I use either a Stratus or Stratux depending on which plane I fly so I still don’t need built-in GPS.
Click to expand...

Each to his own... I just hate dealing with extra stuff. My very first ipad had the bad elf. GPS signal always dropped out. The next i pad i bought with the GPS chip and the others after. I have never lost gps signal with the ipad built in gps.
I try to be simple since I have lots of airplanes in the hangar. I have my ipad in and out of each plane and would hate to pack extra gadgets.
 
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