External GPS [Added: 4 GPS devices now compatible]

Siempo2000 · August 7th, 2019, 5:39 pm

Ok Guys,

Thanks for all the help with external GPS, however it is not working for my Holux 241+ so i have decided to return it. (probably faulty device as the menu is also not complete)

Two weeks ago i have made 300 photo's in the Czech republic and i had to manually add GPS coordinates for 50 of them and the ones with GPS where not accurate (off by +- 30 meters).
I feel i have been very patient with the new unleashed but i am done for now, i just need reliable & accurate GPS tagging.
Fortunately i was able to find a used unleashed 200+ and now GPS again working fine for me.

The new unleashed is going back in its box and will wait for better firmware or until i have to make timelapse/long exposure recordings.

I am sure you will be able to solve the external GPS issues in time and hope you will support the Qstarz devices again .

p.s. It seems the company behind Holux is in heavy weather at the moment see https://sclate.com/taiwan/the-veteran-g ... logy-news/

August 8th, 2019, 4:14 pm

Hi Siem,

Sorry to hear that. Yeah, It does sound like Holux had a problem. We bought 3 for development and testing, and they all seem to be working fine.

That is indeed very interesting news about The company behind Holux! I hope they'll make it out of that dilemma! The Market for GPS devices like the ones they made is becoming smaller and smaller, as everyone is making due with the built-in GPS in Smartphones...

We're going to have another look at Qstartz devices (though they do seem to be overpriced for what they are), as well as Garmin, and we'll keep asking Bad Elf to finally release a BLE Version of their GPS Pro line.

September 5th, 2019, 6:47 pm

It looks like Holux is no more. The website is down.

We have found a bug in our firmware, decoding the date: The dates were a couple of days in the future (eg August 31st was recorded as September 4th)
But we now believe to have finally figured out how to decode everything. The date will be correct until October 1st, and by then we will have released a new firmware with the bug corrected.

We are also implementing support for Qstarz BLE devices BL-1000ST and BL-1000GT at the moment.

September 19th, 2019, 6:10 pm

The Firmware with the Holux decoding corrections were released today in an Android App update. iOS will follow, but we can't yet promise a date. But you can update the firmware with an Android phone of a friend and then continue using your iPhone afterwards. Qstarz protocol is implemented, and a testing device is on the way,

We also found another BLE GPS: the first one that uses a standard Protocol! We've already begun implementing support for that.

allanimal · September 19th, 2019, 9:29 pm

Oliver wrote: ↑
September 19th, 2019, 6:10 pm
The Firmware with the Holux decoding corrections were released today in an Android App update. iOS will follow, but we can't yet promise a date. But you can update the firmware with an Android phone of a friend and then continue using your iPhone afterwards. Qstarz protocol is implemented, and a testing device is on the way,

We also found another BLE GPS: the first one that uses a standard Protocol! We've already begun implementing support for that.

Great news!
What’s the new BLE GPS.?

September 25th, 2019, 12:59 pm

Transystem GL-770

ClusterWood · October 9th, 2019, 4:32 pm

>> We are also implementing support for Qstarz BLE devices BL-1000ST and BL-1000GT at the moment.

Great! But how can I connect to an BL-1000ST?? Can anyone help me please?

Sincerely,

October 10th, 2019, 1:54 am

We're currently writing a blog post and will add info on how to pair accessories like the Holux or QStarz GPS.

However, I wrote detailled instructions a while ago to someone trying the Holux:

viewtopic.php?p=1399#p1399

Before you start: make sure you update your Unleashed's Firmware with an iOS device. We did a release on iOS with the latest firmware this weekend, Android will follow next week (so currently, the firmware version in the latest Android app is still missing Qstarz support). You can go back to an Android phone after the update if you normally use Android...

1. Pair the Unleashed with a phone.

2. Tap the Unleashed settings icon at the bottom of the app’s menu.

3. Tap on the Unleashed that you want to pair the Qstarz to. Note: Make sure the Unleashed is plugged in, the camera is turned on, and that it is connected to the App.

4. Tap “Accessories”.

5. In this screen, the Unleashed is continuously searching for accessories such as the QStarz. Turn on the QStarz and make sure Bluetooth is turned on in its settings menu!

6. In the app, the QStarz should now appear in the list. Tap on the QStarz you want to pair. If the pairing was successful, the QStarz will show the Bluetooth LED.

7. The QStarz is now successfully paired to the Unleashed, and you will have two new GPS Modes available.

8. Back in the PHOTO screen (press X at the bottom of the screen to get there), select one of the two new GPS modes: external GPS (only) or external GPS with fallback to smartphone (if the external GPS loses its fix or it can't be connected to anymore, the Unleashed will start using the Smartphone's location).

9. Make sure your GPS has a fix (LED) and check if your camera saves the location. To be sure it's the GPS's location and not the smartphone's from before, unplug your camera battery (or the unleashed) and plug it back. now the last location will definitely be deleted, and if you have the GPS mode set to "external GPS", you can be sure it's getting it only from the GPS.

PS: As a little Bonus: you can use the POI button on the GPS to trigger the camera ;-)

Let me know what you think!

ClusterWood · October 11th, 2019, 12:01 pm

Oliver, thank you so much! Everything works like a charm.

Unleashed SerNr. 208
iPhone XS iOS 13.1.2, App 1.3.2 [659]
QStarz BL-1000ST
Nikon D850

Once connected the BL-1000ST reconnects in seconds even without using the app (phone bt off).
Everything works as you have described.

Sincerely,
Lutz

toorude · October 25th, 2019, 6:52 pm

ClusterWood wrote: ↑
October 11th, 2019, 12:01 pm
Oliver, thank you so much! Everything works like a charm.

Unleashed SerNr. 208
iPhone XS iOS 13.1.2, App 1.3.2 [659]
QStarz BL-1000ST
Nikon D850

Once connected the BL-1000ST reconnects in seconds even without using the app (phone bt off).
Everything works as you have described.

Sincerely,
Lutz

I can second that: The setup with my wife's Galaky S9+ under Android 9, Nikon D850, N1, and QStarzBL-1000ST works so far flawless. Unfortunately my N1is still not recognised by my Pixel3 under Android 10 despite latest versions of firmware and app version, so I cannot use it with my smartphone.