Bad Elf Flex Review & RTK Setup Manual
Bad Elf is a well-known name in high-precision GPS devices, providing solutions for professionals in surveying, construction, agriculture, and more.
Their products offer location accuracy and reliability for many applications. And when paired with a reliable real-time kinematic (RTK) network such as Point One Polaris, Bad Elf products can even provide centimeter-level location precision across the continental United States, as well as in the EU, AU, UK, and CA.
Let’s explore the Bad Elf Flex, its specifications, and how Polaris RTK can significantly enhance its performance.
What is Bad Elf?
Bad Elf creates high-precision GNSS receivers and accessories used in diverse applications, including surveying, mapping, and data collection. Known for their durability and user-friendly design, Bad Elf delivers consistently reliable products.
What is Bad Elf Flex?
The Bad Elf Flex is a versatile GNSS receiver that is designed to make high-precision GNSS accessible and affordable. It eliminates the need for multiple devices in the field and offers scalable accuracy.
Catering to surveyors, GIS managers, and businesses, Bad Elf Flex provides versatile software and configuration options to deliver multiple functionalities in a single package. Depending on the application and subscription model, the device can produce various levels of accuracy, from meter-level to centimeter-level.
Bad Elf’s GPS precision is greatly enhanced when paired with an RTK correctional service like Point One Polaris. Polaris RTK works in conjunction with the Bad Elf Flex to offer centimeter-level accuracy and unparalleled reliability.
Bad Elf Flex Review
Let’s review the Bad Elf Flex features, specifications, and how accurate it can get.
Product Specifications
- Positioning Engine: Works with GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, and IRNSS
- Accuracy: Autonomous accuracy to the meter level; centimeter-level accuracy possible with RTK
- Connections: USB 2.0 device and host via mini-USB, Bluetooth V4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
- Compatibility: Works with iOS, Android, and Windows; Bad Elf Flex App with iOS 9.0+ or Android 9+
- Battery: Lasts 11 hours with RTK, 7 hours with L-Band Atlas
- Durability: Operates in temperatures from -4°F to +131°F, waterproof rating IP65
Accuracy
On its own, the Bad Elf Flex can achieve meter-level accuracy. When paired with Polaris, the Bad Elf Flex’s accuracy improves to centimeter-level.
- 1 meter autonomous
- 1 centimeter RTK via NTRIP, such as Polaris RTK
- 5cm-10cm via satellite corrections worldwide
- 30cm-60cm via SBAS
Bad Elf Flex Pricing
Pricing for the Bad Elf Flex varies based on the accuracy level and subscription model. Basic models are competitively priced, with options for upgrades through subscription plans that unlock higher accuracy and additional features.
- Pricing starts at USD $2,999
- Extreme option starts at USD $5,999
- For those who need higher accuracy only on occasion, Bad Elf Flex tokens provide a USD $25 per day rate
Bad Elf Flex App
The Bad Elf Flex app is available on iOS and Android and provides essential tools for configuring and managing the Bad Elf Flex GNSS receiver. With the Bad Elf Flex app, users can explore GNSS fix information, satellite portraits, and activate the built-in NTRIP client. The Bad Elf Flex app also offers real-time visualizations of GNSS data, ensuring accurate positioning and providing feedback on signal strength and accuracy levels. With the satellite screen, users are able to get a detailed sky view portrait all the way to individual constellations. From within the app, users can also manage and activate Extreme mode by using Bad Elf Flex tokens.
Once you set up your Bad Elf Flex, you can activate Point One’s RTK correction service, manage your Point One and Bad Elf subscriptions, and monitor your device performance–all from within the app.
Bad Elf Flex Firmware Updates
Firmware updates can be applied via the Bad Elf Flex app or through USB connection, ensuring that your device stays current with the latest features and improvements. These updates to firmware enhance performance and optimize GNSS reception, improving the overall stability.
Users are able to easily check for and install firmware updates directly from their mobile device or computer.
Product Compatibility
Bad Elf is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows operating systems, ensuring flexibility in device pairing and usage across platforms. It supports Bluetooth SPP and USB Serial connections, enabling easy integration with existing technology setups and workflows in different environments.
Bad Elf is also compatible with other cutting-edge location precision technology such as Point One Polaris for users in need of extreme precision.
Bad Elf Flex Manual: RTK Setup
Other Bad Elf Flex Products
The Bad Elf Flex product suite offers several variations, each of which serves a specific need.
Bad Elf Flex Extreme
The Flex Extreme offers enhanced performance and additional features for users requiring the highest level of precision and durability in challenging environments. In addition to the specifications of the Bad Elf Flex, the Extreme unlocks the following services:
- No daily cost
- Fully unlocked RTK engine
- Multiple-constellation enabled
- Multiple-frequency enabled
- Post-processing ready for services like OPUS
Can connect to existing NTRIP corrections like Point One Polaris to deliver centimeter-level accuracy
Bad Elf Flex Mini
The Flex Mini is a compact version of the Flex, providing high accuracy in a smaller form factor, ideal for fieldwork where portability is crucial.
- Provides reliable, high performance GPS reception for tablets and smartphones
- Standard configuration offers meter-level accuracy; extreme configuration enables RTK for centimeter-level accuracy
- Lightweight and compact
- Multi-Frequency GNSS: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou
- Bluetooth connectivity to smartphones and tablets
- Compatible with location-aware apps
- Can be upgraded from standard to extreme configuration
What is Bad Elf GPS?
Bad Elf GPS Pro is a discontinued product that was originally geared toward both professional and consumer use. It is ideal for general navigation, recreational activities, and some professional applications that do not require high precision. Bad Elf GPS provides positioning typically with meter-level accuracy, serving those who only need basic GPS capabilities.
While Bad Elf continues to offer replaceable parts for its GPS products, the GPS Pro and GPS Pro+ have been discontinued and replaced by the Bad Elf Flex Mini, which offers all of the same capabilities with significantly higher accuracy, reliability, usability, design, and value.
Bad Elf Flex and Point One GNSS Corrections
Choosing the best RTK network can feel daunting--which is why Bad Elf Flex has partnered with Point One Polaris. Bad Elf Flex offers centimeter-level RTK corrections through integration with Point One Navigation’s Polaris subscription GNSS corrections network.
Thanks to the partnership between Bad Elf and Point One, users can activate RTK corrections with a single button press, eliminating the need for complex configurations or long-term contracts. According to Larry Fox, Bad Elf’s VP of Marketing, “With multi-constellation support, we maximize integrity and availability while delivering a cost-effective combined solution.”
This integration enhances the capabilities of Bad Elf Flex for GIS and surveying professionals, offering convenient access to high-precision GNSS corrections without the usual setup complexities. When paired with Polaris RTK, the Bad Elf Flex can provide 10cm R95 accuracy and automatically selects reference stations without user intervention.
Best of all, Point One is compatible with the entire Bad Elf Flex suite, from the Standard to Extreme to Mini models.
- Free 2-week trial
- Daily Plan: $25/day
- Monthly Plan: $99.99/month
- No long-term commitments required; start or stop services as needed
Get started by downloading the latest Bad Elf Flex app, connecting your receiver, and following prompts to activate the trial or subscription.
Set Up Your Bad Elf Flex with Polaris RTK
With a network of over 1400+ base stations across the US, EU, and AU, Point One Polaris is the best RTK network for your Bad Elf Flex. Polaris offers:
- Centimeter-level accuracy
- Unparalleled reliability at 99.99% uptime
- Highest overall density of U.S. RTK corrections networks
- Automatic connection and transfer to the closest local base station
- Connects to any dual band GNSS service
- Modern, scalable, and future-proof, capable of adapting to new advancements due to modular architecture
- Predictable and transparent pricing
Point One’s dedication to innovation and continuous improvement ensures that Polaris remains at the forefront of GNSS technology–offering Bad Elf Flex users a state-of-the-art solution for their positioning needs.
