Hey all,
Currently ferrying my 7ECA from Wyoming to NY. I am using a Bad Elf GPS paired with a iPad mini for navigation. This has worked flawlessly for several years in the Champ. Of course, now it's not. The GPS pairs with the mini and is getting accurate satellite info according to its little screen. It's just not showing up on the iPad. I have tried all the trouble shooting suggestions on the foreflight help page with no success. I am beginning to think it's a issue with the GPS. Foreflight otherwise is working fine, I have weather, airmets, ect. I do have navigation on my phone with foreflight and it's working just fine. It's just a pain to keep looking at that little screen. I would like to get it sorted out before I get into busier airspace. I am down for a day in Iowa waiting out high winds east of me, so I am taking the day to troubleshoot. If anyone has any experience or insight I would appreciate it.

Pete

Pete, I used an unreasonably excessive amount of electricity and water to find this result for you:
-----------------------

Why ForeFlight Isn’t Recognizing a Bad Elf GPS Data Stream

When ForeFlight doesn’t recognize a Bad Elf GPS, it’s almost always due to a connection method, permission, or output-mode issue. Use the steps below to isolate the cause.

1. Connection method mismatch (most common)
ForeFlight only accepts certain input paths depending on the Bad Elf model.

– Bluetooth (iOS/iPadOS)
– Supported by most Bad Elf units
– Must be paired in iOS Settings → Bluetooth, not inside ForeFlight

– Lightning / USB-C (wired)
– Supported only on some models and iOS versions
– The GPS must present itself as an iOS Core Location device

If the Bad Elf is outputting raw NMEA over serial or Wi-Fi, ForeFlight will not ingest it.

2. iOS location permissions blocking the feed
ForeFlight uses iOS Core Location, not raw GPS sentences.

Check the following:

– Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → ON
– ForeFlight:

– Location Access = Always
– Precise Location = ON

– Bad Elf app (if installed): location access enabled

If ForeFlight shows no external GPS under More → Devices, this is often the cause.

3. Bad Elf paired to the wrong app or device
Most Bad Elf receivers allow only one active Bluetooth connection.

If it’s paired to:

– Another phone or tablet
– The Bad Elf app running in the background
– A laptop or another EFB

ForeFlight won’t see it.

Fix:

– Power off the Bad Elf
– Disable Bluetooth on other nearby devices
– Reboot the iPad
– Re-pair the Bad Elf cleanly

4. Unsupported output mode on the Bad Elf
Some models can switch between:

– iOS / Core Location (MFi) mode
– Generic NMEA mode

ForeFlight requires iOS / Core Location mode.
If the unit is outputting NMEA only, ForeFlight will ignore it.

Check this in the Bad Elf companion app or via any hardware mode switch (model-dependent).

5. Firmware or iOS compatibility issue
Older Bad Elf firmware may not work with newer iOS versions.

Verify:

– Bad Elf firmware is current
– iOS/iPadOS version is supported by that model
– ForeFlight is up to date

This commonly appears after major iOS updates.

6. How to confirm ForeFlight should see it
In ForeFlight:

– Go to More → Devices
– You should see:

– External GPS listed
– WAAS status
– Satellite count
– Accuracy (± feet)

If the GPS is connected at the OS level but not listed here, ForeFlight is not receiving a valid Core Location feed.

Quick isolation test
To determine where the failure is:

– Open Apple Maps or Google Maps
– Disable Wi-Fi and cellular
– Check whether position updates

Results:

– No position update → Bad Elf ↔ iOS issue
– Position updates → ForeFlight configuration issue

That's great, thanks. Your excessive power bill will be reflected in my yearly contribution. Not sure what I can do about the water, other than buy you a cold one if we ever meet. I just got off the Bad Elf site and it might be a incompatible ios version. Updating now. I also need to look at your number 6.
If I get it figured out I will post here.

Buy sectionals at your next fuel stop. Problem solved.

pburns wrote:That's great, thanks. Your excessive power bill will be reflected in my yearly contribution. Not sure what I can do about the water, other than buy you a cold one if we ever meet. I just got off the Bad Elf site and it might be a incompatible ios version. Updating now. I also need to look at your number 6.
If I get it figured out I will post here.

Was there a firmware update available for the Bad Elf?

It was just a joke about AI data centers being power thirsty.... good luck, man!

jugheadF15 wrote:Buy sectionals at your next fuel stop. Problem solved.

That means I would have to actually have to pay attention to where I am going...
Even though I do have them on the iPad, I might just do that.

Update, and for anyone that might be having the same issue. Turns out the older Bad Elves have issues with ios 26.1 and 26.2. I just updated to 26.3 and did a hard reboot. Seems to be working now.
There might be firmware updates, but I didn't find any. Of course that's a Boomer looking at computer stuff though. I think I will be back on my way tomorrow. I will let you know either way if it's good to go or not.

Pete

Zzz wrote:Pete, I used an unreasonably excessive amount of electricity and water to find this result for you:
-----------------------

Why ForeFlight Isn’t Recognizing a Bad Elf GPS Data Stream

When ForeFlight doesn’t recognize a Bad Elf GPS, it’s almost always due to a connection method, permission, or output-mode issue. Use the steps below to isolate the cause.

1. Connection method mismatch (most common)
ForeFlight only accepts certain input paths depending on the Bad Elf model.

– Bluetooth (iOS/iPadOS)
– Supported by most Bad Elf units
– Must be paired in iOS Settings → Bluetooth, not inside ForeFlight

– Lightning / USB-C (wired)
– Supported only on some models and iOS versions
– The GPS must present itself as an iOS Core Location device

If the Bad Elf is outputting raw NMEA over serial or Wi-Fi, ForeFlight will not ingest it.

2. iOS location permissions blocking the feed
ForeFlight uses iOS Core Location, not raw GPS sentences.

Check the following:

– Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → ON
– ForeFlight:

– Location Access = Always
– Precise Location = ON

– Bad Elf app (if installed): location access enabled

If ForeFlight shows no external GPS under More → Devices, this is often the cause.

3. Bad Elf paired to the wrong app or device
Most Bad Elf receivers allow only one active Bluetooth connection.

If it’s paired to:

– Another phone or tablet
– The Bad Elf app running in the background
– A laptop or another EFB

ForeFlight won’t see it.

Fix:

– Power off the Bad Elf
– Disable Bluetooth on other nearby devices
– Reboot the iPad
– Re-pair the Bad Elf cleanly

4. Unsupported output mode on the Bad Elf
Some models can switch between:

– iOS / Core Location (MFi) mode
– Generic NMEA mode

ForeFlight requires iOS / Core Location mode.
If the unit is outputting NMEA only, ForeFlight will ignore it.

Check this in the Bad Elf companion app or via any hardware mode switch (model-dependent).

5. Firmware or iOS compatibility issue
Older Bad Elf firmware may not work with newer iOS versions.

Verify:

– Bad Elf firmware is current
– iOS/iPadOS version is supported by that model
– ForeFlight is up to date

This commonly appears after major iOS updates.

6. How to confirm ForeFlight should see it
In ForeFlight:

– Go to More → Devices
– You should see:

– External GPS listed
– WAAS status
– Satellite count
– Accuracy (± feet)

If the GPS is connected at the OS level but not listed here, ForeFlight is not receiving a valid Core Location feed.

Quick isolation test
To determine where the failure is:

– Open Apple Maps or Google Maps
– Disable Wi-Fi and cellular
– Check whether position updates

Results:

– No position update → Bad Elf ↔ iOS issue
– Position updates → ForeFlight configuration issue

Where were you when I was trying to connect this new HP printer to my computer today???

That did the trick!

Good deal! Looks like you're en route! Fly safe man. The ground only gets whiter the further east you go.

This is interesting. I had an issue with my foreflight displaying traffic from my GTX345 yesterday. I toggled the traffic button in the layers menu a couple of times and it would pop up and then off again. This was the first time I had run into this issue. Wonder if it is related. I connect to my GTX345 and a couple of GNS430W via a flightstream 210. I didnt have any issue loading flight plans from the tablet to the gps however.

I have no idea if is related or not, but that was the exact same scenario. It would pop on and show, then dissappear in a few seconds.

Pete