ActiveCaptain discontinued?

[CaptTom]

Of course Garmin is within their rights to do this. And of course we all expected them to.

Just like a store can choose what to sell, and at what price. Absolutely no reason to get worked up over it!

That said, as a customer, I'm under no obligation to support any particular merchant. I liked the AC data, I liked what Jeff was doing with it, and I supported it by contributing.

I don't like what Garmin is doing with it, and I choose not to support it. No morality, no whining, no drama. Just business.

[Emouchet]

The issue with Polar Navy not being able to continue accessing AC data is that Garmin is not doing the things completely:
Polar Navy is still listed on AC web site as an app and navigation product available. For Linux, Mac OSX and Windows. They should update those pages to be fair:
https://activecaptain.com/help/apps-...ations-windows

[Shanachie]

The thing about a crowd-sourced web site is that if Active Captain restricts access or starts charging fees, fewer people participate and the value of the operation dwindles. Garmin will shot itself in the foot. Of course, that wouldn't be he first time a greedy corporation made a stupid decision. I sometimes wonder why the free Google trafic app is a thousand times better than the Garmin GPS Ibought for my car a few years ago.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Emouchet

The issue with Polar Navy not being able to continue accessing AC data is that Garmin is not doing the things completely:
Polar Navy is still listed on AC web site as an app and navigation product available. For Linux, Mac OSX and Windows. They should update those pages to be fair:
https://activecaptain.com/help/apps-...ations-windows

well, yeah. I don't understand why Garmin hasn't done this in a proactive way, by first reassuring everyone that AC is still around, is freely available by web or app, and of course on Garmin devices and apps... and then mentioning that it won't be available any longer on some competitors' products.

Having the news come out this way, on a popular cruising forum, under the thread title "ActiveCaptain discontinued?"... Someone in Garmin marketing is asleep at the switch. This is a self-inflicted PR error.

[jbinbi]

Garmin is only trying to make money from what they just paid for. I only used AC through a browser and on my phone, though I never really got it working correct in the mobile app, maybe my bad.

I have B&G fairly new equipment. It doesn't have dock to dock auto routing. Apparently this is Garmin technology, and Garmin won't give it or won't license it to the others in North America. At least this is what the sales rep from B&G told me at a boat show. Too bad, since this is great technology. Am I upset that Garmin isn't playing nice? Yes. But as an owner of tech company, I understand it as well.

So as I said already, Garmin paid $ to buy out the creators of AC. Somehow, they need to not only recoup that cost, but also make it a worthwhile investment.

[danleach]

Originally Posted by jbinbi

I have B&G fairly new equipment. It doesn't have dock to dock auto routing. Apparently this is Garmin technology, and Garmin won't give it or won't license it to the others in North America. At least this is what the sales rep from B&G told me at a boat show.

Garmin and Navico are still in their legal pissing match over downscan sonar....so it's no wonder they won't license AutoRouting to Navico.

Though Navico is willing to play. The reason 3D Sonar looks so nice on all those new Raymarine Axiom and Axiom Pro models showing up in the stores is that they license it from Lowrance...yet another Navico Brand.

And is it just me....or is anyone else bothered by the fact that Goldman Sachs has bought controlling interest in Navico. Hmmm

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by jbinbi

I have B&G fairly new equipment. It doesn't have dock to dock auto routing. Apparently this is Garmin technology, and Garmin won't give it or won't license it to the others in North America. At least this is what the sales rep from B&G told me at a boat show. Too bad, since this is great technology. Am I upset that Garmin isn't playing nice? Yes. But as an owner of tech company, I understand it as well.

Maybe this is another example of bad info getting out. From about 20 seconds of Googling, it appears that that dock-to-dock autorouting is a technology belonging to Navionics (who are now owned by Garmin), and that they still claim it's available on B&G and other instruments... as long as you've purchased Navionics charts. With some exceptions in the US.... maybe because everyone uses the free NOAA charts and don't buy Navionics US charts?

So perhaps your B&G rep is wrong, or Navionics/Garmin haven't updated their sites to reflect their new goals.

[hpeer]

Dock-to-dock auto routing?

Why?

[danleach]

Nope Lake Effect, he's right. If you look at the Navico product pages for Simrad, B&G and Lowrance....you'll see that it says the products support dock-to-dock autorouting....except in for this one little addition on the page.


"...* Automatic routing features are unavailable in North America."

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Dock-to-dock auto routing?

Why?

My thoughts exactly. But... Different strokes...

Originally Posted by danleach

Nope Lake Effect, he's right. If you look at the Navico product pages for Simrad, B&G and Lowrance....you'll see that it says the products support dock-to-dock autorouting....except in for this one little addition on the page.


"...* Automatic routing features are unavailable in North America."

Thanks. On the page I linked, the caveat is

Available worldwide (not in USA on all plotters).

So, there's some ambiguity there in their info. Funny that it's NOT available in the US. Possibly an IP/licencing thing, maybe a liability thing? or a side effect of that aforementioned p!$$ing match.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Dock-to-dock auto routing?

Why?

Save's utilizing that archaic process called thought..

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Dock-to-dock auto routing?

Why?

Originally Posted by boatman61

Save's utilizing that archaic process called thought..

Exactly! There are so many other things one could be doing on a 7kt boat other than wasting time navigating!

[atmartin]

I don't fault Garmin for making savvy business decisions.

But when you mix ethics, someone gets the short end. Users give data for free on AC or CruisersForum, presumably to help other boaters. This is not something a good business would do. No pay, no play.

When Garmin is seen to be sticking it to their unpaid labor (users), I think it's reasonable for people to register a little moral outrage. To me, it's similar to college athletes or other scenarios where some people are playing by business ethics and making mounds of cash, while others are supposed to be motivated by non-market values.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by atmartin

I don't fault Garmin for making savvy business decisions.

But when you mix ethics, someone gets the short end.

I certainly agree with the first sentence.

I'm not sure I'm ready to judge their ethics, however. Maybe it's just the word I'm hung up on.

Frankly, I see absolutely no need for ruthless profiteering by any corporation or individual. Make a fair profit. Make a fair return on investment. For that matter, if you invent something great, or give a world-class performance, or work significantly harder than anyone else, you deserves even more than a fair return. Good for you!

But this day-in, day-out scramble for more money than anyone could possibly need just strikes me as pointless. Does that make it unethical? I don't know.

I do know that I have a choice, and I choose not to live that way. I also choose what kind of person or organization gets my money. I suspect the world would be a better place if everyone did that, but maybe that's just my own biases.

[jbinbi]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Maybe this is another example of bad info getting out. From about 20 seconds of Googling, it appears that that dock-to-dock autorouting is a technology belonging to Navionics (who are now owned by Garmin), and that they still claim it's available on B&G and other instruments... as long as you've purchased Navionics charts. With some exceptions in the US.... maybe because everyone uses the free NOAA charts and don't buy Navionics US charts?

So perhaps your B&G rep is wrong, or Navionics/Garmin haven't updated their sites to reflect their new goals.

Nope. Not allowed in either the US or maybe it is NA markets. If you are in Europe, you got dock to dock. Not for me in the US. I have Navionics. This is from the website. Look at the latest greatest firmware upgrades, it states this explicitly.