Anyone used roqyBluetooth or gpsserial? GPS module recommendations?

[LoneWolf121188]

Has anyone tried either of these programs? If so, what were your experiences and would you recommend one over the other? Any recommendations for cheap, small, external GPS devices? It would be nice if I could connect the device to the 12V in my car and just leave it in there, and have the iPhone connect automatically anytime I turned on my car.

 

[sbddude]

Whats wrong with your internal GPS?

 

[LoneWolf121188]

Whats wrong with your internal GPS?

Why does this question always seem to come up when anyone asks about external GPS? There's a number of things I don't like:

• Time to first fix is often quite low, especially in areas with no cell reception or lots of trees (ie, hiking)
• It's difficult to position it in the airplane such that it has a clear view of the sky and doesn't obstruct the view out the front.
• Getting a fix is practically impossible in the airplane once you're already in the air and moving quickly.
• Reception is often poor in urban areas
• 10+ meter errors can make the phone think you're on a parallel or intersecting road than the one you're actually on, especially in dense urban areas
• etc.

I use the GPS quite heavily (hiking and flying, in addition to driving), so if I can spend ~$50-100 to improve it, I will. Several other pilots I know use the $100 Bad Elf module along with ForeFlight, and it makes a significant difference. Ideally I'd like to find a module with a nice MTK3329 or SiRFstarIV chip (or anything else with WAAS capability and -165dBW sensitivity) and a big antenna....the Bad Elf almost meets all of those criteria, except I feel like the antenna is too small...