Posted on 9 Comments

Geotagging with external GPS receivers now possible (updated)

GPS receivers: Holux, QStarz, Transystem

A few weeks ago, we released app and firmware updates that enable a handful of external GPS receivers to be paired directly with the Unleashed, to provide GPS location data for geotagging without the need of a smartphone.

This is great news for those customers that were unhappy with their smartphone’s location precision, or simply prefer a more independent geotagging solution. This might be to extend battery life of the smartphone, or to enjoy longer battery life of external GPS receivers, especially on long trips off the grid.

The compatible GPS Receivers are:

  • Holux M-241 Plus
  • QStarz BL-1000ST
  • QStarz BL-1000GT
  • QStarz BL-818GT *new*
  • Transystem GL-770

After pairing one of these GPS receivers with your Unleashed through the app (Menu->Your Unleasheds->Edit Unleashed->Accessories), you will see new GPS Modes in the first picker of the GPS settings. In addition to “OFF” and “Smartphone”, you will now also have the options “External GPS only” as well as “External GPS with smartphone fallback” (We hope the new icons make it clear which is which). The first new option will exclusively use GPS data from the external GPS, and not of the smartphone, whereas the second option will use the external GPS while it’s available and providing valid data, but will automatically fall back to using the smartphone location otherwise.

We’ve also added a few new LED colors/sequences to make using the Unleashed without the app a little easier:

  • Lightblue: when an Accessory (such as a GPS receiver) is connected, but the app is not connected, the led will slowly pulse lightblue instead of turqoise.
  • Red blink: alternating with the normal sequences, the Unleashed will blink red to show that there is an error, until now mostly GPS related errors. You can then start the app to see details about the error, or simply check that the the external GPS receiver has a Fix and is connected. Some of these errors are:
    • External GPS receiver not connected (even if it then uses Smartphone fallback)
    • GPS data not valid (even if using last known position)
    • GPS accuracy too low

Comparing the receivers

The Holux has the Unique feature that it uses a single AA battery, for which you can buy replacements anywhere in the world. At the same time battery life is not as good as with the rechargeable Li-Ion batteries of the other options. The QStarz devices provide a little more data than the other two receivers [update: Transystem caught up], and we’ve implemented a neat little feature where you can use the POI button on the Receiver to trigger the camera. But they are also the most expensive. We recommend the BL-1000ST rather than the BL-1000GT, since the Unleashed will not make use of the 10Hz update rate, so it is not worth the extra cost. The BL-818GT doesn’t support the triggering functionality, as it lacks logging, and thus the button is not for POI saving. The Transystem device is more affordable than Qstarz, while providing just as precise position data, but has a quirk that it uses a non-standard USB-A to USB-A charging/data cable. So don’t lose that!

Right from the start, we had planned to make the Unleashed directly compatible with external GPS receivers, but technical challenges forced us to decide against pursuing backwards compatibility to GPS receivers using Bluetooth Classic. Unfortunately, at the time of Launch that basically left us with no options, since virtually all GPS receivers used Bluetooth Classic. However, in the past few years, the above devices were released, so we put a lot of effort into making the Unleashed compatible with external accessories in general, and added support for each of the GPS receivers one after the other.

While we had to reverse engineer Holux’s Bluetooth Protocol (and we got the Date portion wrong for a while), QStarz was kind enough to provide documentation that allowed us to implement support for their devices much more quickly. Transystem went one step further: They used a standard protocol defined by the Bluetooth SIG, and when we found a small issue with their implementation and had additional wishes, they swiftly made changes and added support for those in a firmware update. So a big thank you to both QStarz and Transystem for your support!

So, finally, the Unleashed now enables direct geotagging with external GPS receivers for Nikon as well as Canon DSLRs!

9 thoughts on “Geotagging with external GPS receivers now possible (updated)

  1. Bad Elf GPS devices use Classic Bluetooth connections while the Unleashed uses Bluetooth Low Energy, so unfortunately they aren’t directly compatible. If you already own that Bad Elf there is one way to use it though: you could have the Bad Elf connected to an iPhone/iPad, then have that iPhone connected to the Unleashed, and the GPS data is passed through.
    Essentially, the phone would be getting the location data from your Bad Elf and your phone sends this to the Unleashed.

    If you want to connect to the Unleashed directly, to use it without a phone, these are the compatible GPS devices:
    • Holux M-241 Plus
    • QStarz BL-1000ST
    • QStarz BL-1000GT
    • QStarz BL-818GT *new*
    • Transystem GL-770

    Hope this helps!

  2. hi
    is Bad Elf GNSS Surveyor compatible with UNLEASHED ’22?

  3. Hi Ed,
    Those BT receivers all use Bluetooth Classic, which is not compatible with Bluetooth Low Energy. So unfortunately, we can’t add support for them.
    If you find any with Bluetooth Low Energy, we’re happy to look into them!

  4. Have you added any BT receivers? For instance garmin inreach mini, Garmin Glow II, Dual Electronics XGPS150A/xgps160, others ?

    thanks

  5. Hi Richard, after pairing, you also have to select the GPS source in the new options that appear in the GPS Settings on the main PHOTO screen. We understand that after pairing you’d expect it to automatically be selected, so we will make this the default in a future update, but at the moment, you still need to select it manually, as shown in the video in our blogpost. Hope this helps. If it doesn’t please reach out to support@foolography.com.
    Greetings from Berlin

  6. I have the Unleashed N1 on a Nikon D500, and a Qstarz BL-1000ST.When I try to pair the GPS, the app can see the BL1000ST, but the device does not pair – the app says accessory not connected. How can connect the Qstarz to the unleashed for geotagging photos?

  7. @Michel: You’ll need the Unleashed N2 for the Z6, and then you can pair the QStarz BL-1000ST or BL-1000GT with the Unleashed, to use it with your Z6!

  8. Which QSTARZ model is compatible with the Nikon Z6?
    Thank you for your advice.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *