Dual Electronics XGPS160 Multipurpose Universal 5 Device Bluetooth GPS Receiver with Wide Area Augmentation System and Portable Attachment

I originally bought this four years ago (just two weeks short of four years) to mount on the hood of my off-road car. The car just turned 8,000 miles this weekend, and XGPS finally died. Those were 8,000 rough miles through heat, dust, rain, and snow--mostly very bumpy miles. This poor little puck has been through a lot and has seen some things.I was bummed when it finally gave out, especially since we were exploring new territory that I would have loved to have recorded. I'm not bitter though. The first thing I did when I got home from the trip is ordered a replacement. It came out to about two-cents per hard mile, which seems worth it to me. That comes out to about $2.50 per long riding day, which is absolutely a bargain.I mounted mine to my CanAm's hood with the MobArmor case. I connect it to the iPad on my dash via Bluetooth and it's been pretty bullet-proof for four years.The only down-side is that the power draw is higher than the MiniUSB connection can support, so I have to remove it from the car every night and fully charge it before the next day's ride. Otherwise it will power down after a few hours of driving. If we're going on a night-ride on the same day, I definitely need to remove it and recharge it, otherwise it will quit and leave us roaming in the dark with very few visible landmarks.It comes with basic software. I definitely recommend adding better aftermarket software to the iPad. I use LeadNav off-road race software and the combo of this puck, the iPad, and LeadNav is a superior setup. Everyone else in my group has something basic in their cars, but mine is the most reliable and informative. The consequence is that I'm the designated leader for 99% of our trips because I have a nav that I can use while we're moving instead of having to stop and figure out what's what.Here's to another four years and another 8,000 miles.

Right on time, and in perfect condition. A pleasure doing business with you. Thank you.

** UPDATE after 3 weeks/10 hikes **Unit worked fine during the hike yesterday, I turned it off after the hike, had it begin charging with the cig lighter adapter on the drive home. When I went to turn it on to copy off the hike log, it would not turn on. No power light, no charge light (when connected to supplied USB charger. Completely dead.Based on a closer read of all the reviews as well as the poor state of apps for the device, I'm returning for a refund... I see no point taking a chance on a replacement.=============================Original review below=============================The receiver itself is better than "It's okay" but the apps required leaves a lot to be desired.HARDWARE: The receiver works good but the battery life isn't the best... it claims 10 hours with a 3 hour recharge but appears to fall short on the 10 hours. For me, the 3 hour charge is the bigger issue.Since the SkyPro was to replace my Garmin 62st GPS, which could go 24 hours on a charge with 2 AA NiMh batteries, the inconvenience of the 3 hour charge for the SkyPro compared to the AA's, they never took more than 10 MINUTES to recharge, using my fast charger.The SkyPro is very fast to pick up satellites, but bounces way too far when it loses a signal... going inside a cave for two minutes added over a mile of bouncing and a thousand-foot difference in elevation during that time. (Which means time must be wasted editing the track afterward.)SOFTWARE: (Android version)DUAL SkyPro Status Tool:1. The software is buggy, crashing a full 75% of each time I load it.2. The installation routine fails to ask for permissions, so of course it doesn't set them. The result of which means you cannot "Share" or "Email" the resulting .kml (Google Earth) file.THE FIX:Select: Settings > Applications > Application Manager > Status Tool > PermissionsChange: Contacts, Location & Storage from OFF to ONNOTE: The fix itself only took seconds, but to FIND the fix took over 3 hours of MY time. DUAL SkyPro support did not have an answer, so when I DID figure it out I emailed them recommending they add the issue and fix to their FAQs. (And recommended the installation routine be fixed as well)MOCK GPS SOFTWARE REQUIRED (Android):SkyPro recommended using either of two fee apps, 'Bluetooth GPS' or 'Bluetooth GPS Provider'- Bluetooth GPS: I tried this first but it only worked on half of the GPS/Tracking/Map apps I have so I uninstalled it.- Bluetooth GPS Provider: This worked with every GPS/Tracking/Map app I have so I would recommend this one. (It has ads, but you only visit the app screen long enough to click it to "Play" so they present no issue.The biggest gripe I have about the software is that TWO SEPARATE apps are required. As a software test engineer in a previous life (retired now) I would recommend:1. DUAL SkyPro Status Tool app should be more robust (more testing to stop the crashing)2. DUAL SkyPro Status Tool app should EITHER:2a. Rewrite the app to INCLUDE a seamless 'Mock GPS App' internally<or>2b. Create a separate Mock GPS app to work specifically with the XGPS160, not relying on the 'free' outside app developers.In all fairness, if one were ONLY to use the XGPS160 in conjunction with a mapping app, the SkyPro Status Tool need not be running, only the Mock GPS (Bluetooth) app must be running.Which brings up another point... although this product is sold as a means to provide more accurate GPS coords/elevation than the internal SmartPhone GPS (which it does) as well as lengthen battery charge of the phone (because the internal GPS is turned off) I found that having to have Bluetooth on constantly ran the battery on my phone down twice as fast as previously using the phones GPS alone.

The app to use with the product on Android is Bluetooth GNSS. You will also need to enable developer mode to utilize mock GPS (sets the unit to use the external GPS rather than the internal). You can connect and disconnect via the app. Others may work as well but this app works great with the unit. The product instructions, even on their website, are very dated. With this app, the product works great on Android. Product also works (without the need for an app) on iOS (iPads) with an app. It has a stable Bluetooth connection. The charge indicator light is supposed to go green once the unit is charged. My unit has been charging for months and charge indicator never went green. However, I just keep it plugged into a 12 volt plug and no issues. It also works unplugged but haven't tested how long it runs unplugged. I use it to provide GPS data on my tablet based chartplotting apps (Aquamaps and Navionics) on both android tablets and iPads.

The media could not be loaded. Non-slip mount is of limited use in racing applications, and non-slip mount is not recommended for open cockpit or convertible vehicles. Do not mount near open windows. The design of the gps case is not usable outside the vehicle without a custom mounting. Mounting the gps inside a vehicle can impede the accuracy of location data. The gps case itself is brick-shaped without any additional mounting points. The non-slip mount works fine as long as the vehicle is moving at less than .75 g. Above .75 g, the device will need additional mounting beyond the non-slip mount to keep it stationary in the vehicle. It's a bit unnerving to be driving an autocross course and having the gps flying around the car (see attached video). The non-slip mount will attract grit and dirt, at which point it will no longer adhere to a surface. The non-slip mount can be cleaned off with soap and water to restore it's grip on a surface. Remove the gps device from the non-slip mount before washing the mount.