Garmin -Homeport software

[Sinc]

I wondered if anyone has any practical experience of the 'Homeport' software from Garmin.
Garmin support say that it is the only way to transfer data (including charts) from their chartplotter to a PC - in this case a 551. At extra cost of course.
If it really does give the ability to use the charts at home for passage planning and then transfer all the needed data to the plotter then the cost is probably worth it.
But other supposedly seamless software has disappointed - so a bit of actual user experience would be helpful.
Thanks.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

I wondered if anyone has any practical experience of the 'Homeport' software from Garmin.
Garmin support say that it is the only way to transfer data (including charts) from their chartplotter to a PC - in this case a 551. At extra cost of course.
If it really does give the ability to use the charts at home for passage planning and then transfer all the needed data to the plotter then the cost is probably worth it.
But other supposedly seamless software has disappointed - so a bit of actual user experience would be helpful.
Thanks.

I have used Garmin Homeport. Yes, it is nice to be able to see the same charts as you see on your plotter, but I have stopped using it.

The charts aren't actually transferred as far as I recall - its just that you use a card reader to display them, so you have to remember to take the card back to the boat.

It is possible to transfer waypoints, but to me that is of little value. They say no plan for battle ever lasts beyond the first few seconds of engagement with the enemy, and I feel the same way with passage plans. No point in putting in lots of waypoints as I prefer to adapt my plan to wind and tide and with our Garmin plotters we just point and click anyway, so who cares about lots of waypoints. I just do one where I want to go and them do another when I reach the first etc.

From a planning standpoint it is a lot easier on an ipad which is what I now use.

My other concern is that despite being a big Garmin fan, I do not think this software is important to them and I can see them ditching it. It hasn't developed much and I do not think it will. It could easily be a complete navigation tool but that would compete with their plotters so is unlikely.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

For LONG range cruising, a short coming of the 551 chartplotter is that it doesn't display locations south of 60 degrees S or north of 85 degrees N.

 

[Sinc]

For LONG range cruising, a short coming of the 551 chartplotter is that it doesn't display locations south of 60 degrees S or north of 85 degrees N.

That could be a benefit - if it stops displaying the location I know I've gone too far!

 

[Neil]

As far as I'm aware, Homeport is the development of nRoute, which in it's original incarnation, allowed you to download your charts onto a PC, and then attach a GPS dongle to allow real-time plotting. However, ever since Bluecharts were hacked, Garmin has successively removed functionality from such software, and now it's relatively useless.

I can't help but wonder whether Garmin is going down a dead end - they've seemed to have funneled down the proprietry hardware/software route and with other systems being more open, they could progressively lose market share. Think of Mac - had they opened up the operating system in the early days, we'd all be using Mac now, not just the cognoscenti, like my self.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

As far as I'm aware, Homeport is the development of nRoute, which in it's original incarnation, allowed you to download your charts onto a PC, and then attach a GPS dongle to allow real-time plotting. However, ever since Bluecharts were hacked, Garmin has successively removed functionality from such software, and now it's relatively useless.

I can't help but wonder whether Garmin is going down a dead end - they've seemed to have funneled down the proprietry hardware/software route and with other systems being more open, they could progressively lose market share. Think of Mac - had they opened up the operating system in the early days, we'd all be using Mac now, not just the cognoscenti, like my self.

Same goes for MapSource, which used to have far more capability than it now does.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

As far as I'm aware, Homeport is the development of nRoute, which in it's original incarnation, allowed you to download your charts onto a PC, and then attach a GPS dongle to allow real-time plotting. However, ever since Bluecharts were hacked, Garmin has successively removed functionality from such software, and now it's relatively useless.

I can't help but wonder whether Garmin is going down a dead end - they've seemed to have funneled down the proprietry hardware/software route and with other systems being more open, they could progressively lose market share. Think of Mac - had they opened up the operating system in the early days, we'd all be using Mac now, not just the cognoscenti, like my self.

I disagree with the analogy.

Garmins strategy is to be the platform of choice for navigation, irrespective of the environment. As far as i can see, they are the only manufacturer that has leading products on the water, in the air, walking and driving. The problem they have is that there is no dominant player in the cartography space, so until one emerges they have chosen to do their own.

Mac can chose to do what they did because there were leading players emerging. The nav market is nowhere near as mature.

I actually like proprietary, as long as it works. Give me a benevolent dictatorship any time over the democratic mess that the Microsoft environment has become, or the free-for-all (but no money) Linux space.

P.S. And this is from a Mac convertee.

 

[Sinc]

Thanks for all the comments.
I'm going to try it and see. It's "only" £25.
I take the point about plans not surviving - understand that very well - lol.
Howeveer the biggest issue is managing the data on the plotter. Four of us own our boat and so the plotter data isn't as well organised as it perhaps could be. Faffing about putting naming data in by the scrolling button is a real pain but always just taking the allocated WP no. when 4 people are doing it independently makes for potential mistakes.
The annoying thing is that I already have chart data on the PC (Imray and not too bad at all) but there's no easy way to get data from it into the plotter. Your proprietary vs. open comments are well made.

 

[Sans Bateau]

With four different people using the plotter, I'd be inclined to buy my own Bluechart G2 Vision card, that way I could keep all my routes and waypoints. You have to have your chart card plugged into the PC to allow the homeport software to access the charts.