Connecting A Bad Elf Flex Mini To Diamond Maps

The Flex Mini by Bad Elf is a popular choice of Diamond Maps customers. These instructions were written with the Standard and Extreme models in mind. While the online version of Diamond Maps will work with the Flex Mini, we recommend using the Diamond Maps Offline app for a more direct connection.

Compatibility Android Apple Windows
Diamond Maps Online (browser)
Diamond Maps Offline App
Works great  Some limitations  Not compatible

Using Diamond Maps Offline App with Apple Device

  • Power on the Flex Mini.
  • Note: The Bad Elf Flex app is not needed for this type of interface. If it is running you will need to close it before continuing.
  • Wait for the center green light on the Flex Mini to be solid indicating that it has a satellite lock. You will need to be outside with an unobstructed view of the sky. If this is the first time you have used the Flex Mini it could take a several minutes to obtain its first fix.
  • Open your phone's Settings app and go to the Bluetooth settings. Find the "Bad Elf Flex Mini ###" in either the list of My Devices or list of Other Devices and click on it to connect to it. When connected, your Bluetooth settings screen will say "Connected" next to the Flex Mini and you will see a steady blue light come on to the Flex Mini itself. Note: ### refers to the serial number of your Flex Mini which is printed on the case.
  • These instructions assume you already have a Diamond Maps account. If you don't then go to diamondmaps.com and start a free trial. See Video #201 for instructions on adding some layers to your map which you will need prior to proceeding.
  • Go to your Apple App Store and install "Diamond Maps Offline." Open the app and enter your Diamond Maps user name and password. Then click the Download button to download one of your maps to your phone/tablet for offline use.
  • Click on the map name to open the map in the offline app.
  • Click the Menu button and choose GPS Status
  • Leave the source datum set to WGS84 and if your Flex Mini is mounted on a pole enter the pole height in the box provided. These settings will be remembered.
  • Click the Select button next to GPS Source and choose your Flex Mini from the list.
  • If you see Lat, Lon, and Accuracy readings changing in the grey box then that confirms that Diamond Maps is connected to the Flex Mini.
  • You are all setup. Next see How To Use Your GPS To Mark A Point.
  • Note: The optional RTK correction is not an option when connecting Diamond Maps directly to the Flex Mini in this way. If you need RTK correction then follow the instructions further below titled "Using Diamond Maps in browser with Apple".

Using Diamond Maps Offline App with Android Device

  • Power on the Flex Mini.
  • Note: The Bad Elf Flex app is not needed for this type of connection. If it is running, then you will need to close it before continuing.
  • Wait for the center green light on the Flex Mini to be solid indicating that it has a satellite lock. You will need to be outside with an unobstructed view of the sky. If this is the first time you have used the Flex Mini it could take a several minutes to obtain its first fix.
  • Open your phone or tablet's Settings app and go to Bluetooth settings.
  • If the "Bad Elf Flex Mini ###" is not already in the list of paired devices, then select it from the list of available devices. Note: the Flex Mini's serial number (###) is printed on the bottom of the case.
  • These instructions assume you already have a Diamond Maps account. If you don't then go to diamondmaps.com and start a free trial. See Video #201 for instructions on adding some layers to your map which you will need prior to proceeding.
  • Go to your Google Play Store and install "Diamond Maps Offline." Open the app, and enter your Diamond Maps username and password. Then, click the Download button to download one of your maps to your phone/tablet for offline use.
  • Click on the map name to open the map in the offline app.
  • Click the Menu button and choose GPS Status
  • Click the Select button on the GPS Source line, and click Scan for Bluetooth devices. Select your Flex Mini from the list.
  • If you are using the optional RTK correction feature of the Flex Mini then set the source datum to Nad83. Otherwise leave it as WGS84. And if your Flex Mini is mounted on a pole, then enter the pole height in the box provided. These settings will be remembered.
  • If you see Lat, Lon, and Accuracy readings changing in the grey box, then that confirms that Diamond Maps is connected to the Flex Mini.
  • You are all setup! See How To Use Your GPS To Mark A Point.
  • Optional RTK Setup: You cannot run the Bad Elf Flex app whenever Diamond Maps Offline is directly connected to the Flex Mini. Therefore, if you want to use RTK corrections with your Flex Mini, then you will have to use the NTRIP settings in the Diamond Maps Offline app instead of those in Bad Elf Flex app. The Flex Mini requires that you connect to a NTRIP mount point that supports RTCM version 3.2 or higher.

Using Diamond Maps in browser on Apple device

  • Flex Mini Setup (each day)
    • Power on the Flex Mini.
    • Open your phone's Settings app and go to the Bluetooth settings.
    • Wait for the center green light on the Flex Mini to be solid indicating that it has a satellite lock. You will need to be outside with an unobstructed view of the sky. If this is the first time you have used the Flex Mini it could take a several minutes to obtain its first fix.
    • Find the Bad Elf Flex Mini in either the list of My Devices or list of Other Devices and click on it to connect to it. When connected, your Bluetooth settings screen will say "Connected" next to the Flex Mini and you will see a steady blue light come on on the Flex Mini itself. Note: the Flex Mini's serial number is printed on the bottom of the case.
    • Optional: If you will be using RTK correction with your Flex Mini to achieve higher accuracy then you will need to install Bad Elf Flex app and setup NTRIP. See the Bad Elf Knowledge Base for instructions on how to do that.
  • Diamond Maps Setup (each day)
    • Login to your map in Diamond Maps in your browser. If you don't already have a home screen button to your map page, then go to diamondmaps.com and click Sign In. If you don't yet have an account you can sign up for a 30-day free trial.
    • On your map page click the Menu button and choose GPS Status.
    • Change the mode to "On" with "Device's Location" selected as the source.
    • If you are using the optional RTK correction feature of the Flex Mini then set the source datum to Nad83. Otherwise leave it as WGS84. And if your Flex Mini is mounted on a pole, then enter the pole height in the box provided. These settings will be remembered.
    • Confirm that the GPS Status screen is reporting Latitude/Longitude coordinates.
    • Lastly it is important to confirm that your device is tracking the Flex Mini and not your phone/tablet's on-board GPS.  To do this, hold the Flex Mini out at arm's length to your left and then your right while keeping your phone/tablet stationary. If the yellow dot on the map moves to match your movements, then you know it is tracking the Flex Mini.
    • You are all setup! See How To Use Your GPS To Mark A Point.
  • Limitations:
    • The setup above is not a direct connection, but rather involves relaying the real-time location from the Flex Mini to Diamond Maps via the iOS operating system. Thus, it is subject to some limitations. First, if their is an interruption in the Flex Mini's view of the sky or the Flex Mini 's connection to the phone/tablet, then iOS may switch to reporting it's onboard-gps location in place of the Flex Mini location with no warning. Second, the Flex Mini 's accuracy reading may not get relayed through the operating system; therefore, you will likely get a false reading as to the current accuracy of the Flex Mini (the location of the yellow dot is still accurate, it's just the reported accuracy number is wrong). For these reasons we recommend using the Diamond Maps Offline app (instructions further above) in place of the online version when connecting to a Flex Mini.

Using Diamond Maps in browser on Android device

  • Flex Mini Setup (first time setup)
    • Power on the Flex Mini.
    • Wait for the center green light on the Flex Mini to be solid indicating that it has a satellite lock. You will need to be outside with an unobstructed view of the sky. If this is the first time you have used the Flex Mini it could take a several minutes to obtain its first fix.
    • Download and install "Bad Elf Flex" from the Google Play store on your phone/tablet.
    • Open Bad Elf Flex.
    • In Bad Elf Flex, select your Flex Mini from the list.  The Flex Mini's serial number is printed on the bottom of the case. The blue light on the Flex Mini should light up indicating that you are connected to it.
    • Optional: If you will be using RTK correction with your Flex Mini to achieve higher accuracy then you will need to install Bad Elf Flex app and setup NTRIP. See Bad Elf Knowledge Base for instructions on how to do that.
    • Leave the Bad Elf Flex app running at all times while using it with Diamond Maps.
  • Setup Mock Locations (first time setup)
    • On your phone or tablet's Settings screen select "Developer Options".  If you don't see Developer Options on your Settings menu then you may have to enable this option by doing the following: Go to Settings > About > Software Info.  Locate the "Build Number" and tap it 7 times. Now you should see "Developer Options" on your main Settings screen.  Select this new option.
    • On the Developer Options screen click on "Select mock location app" and select "Bad Elf Flex".
    • Click the search button on the settings screen and search for "scanning". You should find settings for Bluetooth Scanning and Wi-Fi scanning. Turn both of these options off because they can have adverse effects on mock location. Turning these off will not affect your Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections.
    • Return to the Bad Elf Flex App.
    • Tap on the Three line in the upper-left corner and scroll till you find Mock Location
    • Slide this to the on position. It should change to say enabled and the other boxes below should start getting green check boxes to confirm everything is set up.
  • Diamond Maps Setup (each day)
    • Each time you use Diamond Maps you will need to power on the Flex Mini, open the Bad Elf Flex app, and connect the app to the Flex Mini. You should then see a solid blue light on the Flex Mini.
    • Login to your map in Diamond Maps in your browser. If you don't already have a home screen button to your map page, then go to diamondmaps.com and click "Sign In." If you don't yet have an account you can sign up for a 30-day free trial.
    • On your map page click the Menu button and choose GPS Status.
    • Change the mode to "On" with "Device's Location" selected as the source.
    • If you are using the optional RTK correction feature of the Flex Mini then set the source datum to Nad83. Otherwise leave it as WGS84. And if your Flex Mini is mounted on a pole, then enter the pole height in the box provided. These settings will be remembered.
    • Confirm that the GPS Status screen is reporting Latitude/Longitude coordinates.
    • Lastly it is important to confirm that your device is tracking the Flex Mini and not your phone/tablet's on-board GPS.  To do this hold the Flex Mini out at arms length to your left and then your right while keeping your phone/tablet stationary. If the yellow dot on the map moves to match your movements, then you know its tracking the Flex Mini.
    • You are all setup! See How To Use Your GPS To Mark A Point.
  • Limitations:
    • The above setup is not a direct connection but rather involves relaying the real-time location from the Flex Mini to Diamond Maps via the Android operating system (via Mock Locations) and thus is subject to some limitations. First, if their is an interruption in the Flex Mini's view of the sky or the Flex Mini's connection to the phone/tablet, then Android may switch to reporting it's onboard-gps location in place of the Flex Mini location with no warning. Second, the Flex Mini's accuracy reading may not get relayed through the operating system; therefore, you will likely get a false reading as to the current accuracy of the Flex Mini (the location of the yellow dot is still accurate, it's just the reported accuracy number is wrong). For these reasons we recommend using the Diamond Maps Offline app (instructions further above) in place of the online version when connecting to a Flex Mini.

Notes

  • If you have any problems, call Diamond Maps support and let us help.
  • Also, Bad Elf has an extensive knowledge base for the Flex Mini in order to help you setup and troubleshoot these connections. Go to their user manual for additional resources.
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