Connecting to an External GPS Device

You can connect an external GPS to your device to improve the accuracy of your GPS fixes. This allows you to attain much greater accuracy than your smartphone alone is able to achieve.

Connecting your device

In order to work with Avenza Maps, you must have your GPS device correctly synced with your phone or tablet.  This is done by downloading the corresponding app for your device and ensuring the device is successfully paired with the app.  

Currently, Avenza Maps only directly interfaces with Trimble devices, however, if you are able to connect with other devices (e.g. Bad Elf) successfully, you will see the improved GPS results within the app. 

Please see the steps below for a variety of devices and providers that are known to work successfully with Avenza Maps as long as the steps are followed correctly.

Trimble

Trimble R1/R2

1. From the iTunes app store, install the GNSS Status app for Trimble.  
2. Each time you use an R1 or R2 GNSS receiver, you must pair it with your device. To do this:
   1. Ensure you have your Bluetooth settings enabled and that you are connected to the GPS device
   2. Tap the GNSS Status app to open it
      
      
      
      
   3. From the Home menu, tap the yellow “Location Services” button and select “Bluetooth” from the “Position Source” menu
      
      
      
   4. Tap to Discover devices, and connect to the Trimble receiver once located
   5. Tap the blue “Select” button and wait for the receiver almanac to configure*
      
      *Note: When a receiver is first started it needs to build a location almanac using available satellites, this can take upwards of 10 minutes to complete but is necessary before location fixes can be calculated. Almanac progress can be estimated from the Hamburger Menu > “Status” page within the GNSS Status app. Once numbers in the “In Use” column surpass 0, the receiver is capable of calculating the current location.
      
      
3. Open Avenza maps and open the desired map
4. Open the Navigation Panel to see the Location Tab
5. The coloured state of the Satellite icon indicates whether Avenza is connected to the location fixes provided by the Trimble receiver. A greyed-out icon indicates a connection to an external GPS is not provided, a coloured icon indicates the device has been properly connected.
6. Users can tap the icon to obtain a summary of: 
   1. The current state of Avenza GPS location preference setting (more on this below)
   2.  The current location fix source used by Avenza Maps

Trimble TDC150, 100, TDC600, Nomad 5

1. Make sure you have the GNSS Status app installed from the Google Play Store
2. Once logged in to the TMM app, in the Apps screen, tap Settings > Location
3. Slide the Location slider to On
4. Tap Mode then select the High accuracy: High accuracy uses GNSS satellites, WLAN, and cellular networks to determine your location
5. Tap SBAS mode to turn it on
6. Tap Location mode then select the Location mode you want the device to use GPS + GLONASS
7. Open Avenza maps and open the desired map
8. Open the Navigation Panel to see the Location Tab
9. The coloured state of the Satellite icon indicates whether Avenza is connected to the location fixes provided by the Trimble receiver. A greyed-out icon indicates a connection to an external GPS is not provided, a coloured icon indicates the device has been properly connected.

Bad Elf

1. From the iTunes App Store, install the Bad Elf GPS app
2. Ensure you have Bluetooth enabled and you are connected to your device
3. Follow any setup steps for your specific device using the corresponding app
4. Once set up, open Avenza Maps and your desired map and you should see the improved GPS location fixes
5. Unlike Trimble, the GPS display symbol will not display for Bad Elf or other brands of GPS units at this time.  As long as the device is linked correctly though, you should see improved GPS results reflective of the device you are using