I am going to upgrade my FlightBox to include AHRS but I am curious if I actually need the remote powered external GPS if the AHRS upgrade comes with the internal GPS. I am using a WiFi only iPad which, of course, doesn’t include the GPS, but I was under the impression that WingX would use the internal GPS of the FlightBox. So, do I need to buy the external GPS? I fly a Cirrus SR20.
I do not use WingX so my comment will not be specific to that. If you have the AHRS/GPS board you do not need the external GPS unit. The board GPS is all you need.
I have an iPad with integrated GPS. For testing purposes I turned off the GPS Location Services to check if the AHRS/GPS was functional. It was. The iPad picked up my location as soon as the Flightbox picked up the GPS signal.
I think you’re referring to the optional remote powered GPS antenna. The AHRS board has both an on-board antenna and a connector for the remote powered antenna. The remote powered antenna is not required if you will be setting the FlightBox on your glare shield or in some other location that has a clear view of the sky. However, if you want to put the FlightBox someplace out of the way you will need the antenna.
I have another customer who flies a Cirrus. He has it mounted to the floor in the baggage area and has the remote powered antenna mounted beneath the skylight on the top of the cabin. Other Cirrus drivers have put it in the console between the front seats. In either case the remote ADS-B antenna mount and the remote powered GPS antenna make this pretty easy.