crappy software - help ?

Former Member over 14 years ago

I am finding this software to be pretty user unfriendly. If the other posts are any evidence, others are too. Some questions for those of us who have managed to figure out the product:

1. I have a G2vision map (VUs003r). On my plotter (545s) I am able to see maps with satellite overlay, and increase/decrease transparency of the overlay. Can I do this in Homeport? If so, how? All I see are cartoony maps without the satellite level detail I paid for when I bought the G2 map.

2. There's an option to "view in Google Earth" - how is this supposed to work? That option is perpetually greyed out for me (I have both Homeport and Google Earth installed)

3. Why does it have to be so difficult to see my routes & waypoints in Homeport? My boat is slipped at a marina. I bring the plotter home whenever I leave the boat. I assumed I could just pop the SD card from my plotter into my computer, access my waypoints, add new ones, etc., and then re-open on the plotter next time I'm on my boat. Now I find out that I have to transfer my waypoints from my plotter to an SD card, THEN I can access them in Homeport. What a PITA! Now I have to wait until I'm at the boat to do this exercise since there's no way for me to power up the plotter without hooking it up to my boat.

4. zooming is poorly designed. Why do I have to use the slider? Isn't it pretty standard for mapping apps (such as google) to zoom upon double click?

I suppose I just expected better. Most software today is designed with a certain level of user-friendliness. Unfortunately, Homeport seems to be stuck 7 years in the past in terms of user interface and operation, and documentation for the product seems to be non-existent.

0 rwidman over 14 years ago

Yes, I have loaded the new version, and still have issues with speed. I have no issues at all with Mapsource, and use a new laptop with plenty of speed and memory.

For #2, I am referring to the awful anchor that is displayed and not able to change the default to a small point or something that does not consume the screen when there are a lot of waypoints in a route, such as plotting a route in the ICW or in a creek to the inlet.

I use three computers, A desktop and notebook, both at least five years old and a relatively new "netbook" with limited power. No speed issues. It's not the fastest loading software I have ever seen, but it's OK in that respect.

The "anchor" is gone in version 2.0.4. At least it's gone if you create foutes with the mouse. I do have an issue with my route turns as displayed on my plotter. You can read my other post on that.

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

5. No way to sort waypoints by symbol

A colleague just reminded me that this is indeed possible in 2.0.4.

Right-click on an empty area in your list and you can set the sorting. I attached a screen-shot for illustration purposes.

0 aftergolf over 14 years ago

I have version 2.0.4 loaded

If the area with waypoints is full, there is no "white area" to right select to sort.

On my machine the software takes a very long time to load, and nothing happens, no hour glass, no icon in the system tray, no way to know anything is going on except for the hard drive light.

When I select a route for example it takes at least 30 seconds for the small box at the bottom of the screen to populate with the information.

I have a large number of waypoints used for fishing. How do I know how many are on the list in Homeport? The Garmin plotter (4012) has a limited number of waypoints (1,500 I think) that will load at a time.

Additions requested from other users such as -
From Machria -
To simply create a new route from some saved track points and part of another existing route just took me over 1 hour. This would take me 30 seconds in Mapsource. The reason for time? No sorts or filters. So I have to create a fake route, then select the track I want to start with. Highlight the track points in the list I want to copy, copy them, now scroll down the list of 1200+ items (wp's, tracks, routes...) to find the newly created Route, select it, now position the curser at the front of the data list, Past the track points in. Now find the couple of fake track points I used to create the route, delete them from the route. Now go back to the 1200+ data list and scroll around and try and find those coupel of "fake" points, to delete them from the data. Now scroll around the 1200+ lsit again to find the route I want to copy some WP's from, select it, then highlight the WP's in that route I want to copy, select copy. Now again scroll down a giant 1200+ list again to find the newly created route, select it, now scroll down the data points in the route to where I want to insert the copied WP's, Past them in.

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

If the area with waypoints is full, there is no "white area" to right select to sort.

The sorting option is also accessible under the "View" menu

I have a large number of waypoints used for fishing. How do I know how many are on the list in Homeport? The Garmin plotter (4012) has a limited number of waypoints (1,500 I think) that will load at a time.

Select a list, then click on the "Edit" menu -> "Select All", it'll display the selected item count at the bottom.
(Note: if you move your cursor over the map, the item count info will be replaced by the map coordinate)

0 aftergolf over 14 years ago

Thanks, got sorting to work.
Cannot determine still how to figure out how many waypoints -
After I select all, and they all highlight, where are you referring to "it'll display the selected item count at the bottom"?
After I get that data, how does it count waypoints, as the routes are included as well?
What about the creation of a route from track points?
Still slow.
Please advise.

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

After I select all, and they all highlight, where are you referring to "it'll display the selected item count at the bottom"?
After I get that data, how does it count waypoints, as the routes are included as well?

What about the creation of a route from track points?

Try right-click on a track -> "Create Route from Selected Track" and start from there?

0 aftergolf over 14 years ago

I only get that info when the waypoints are selected and the mouse pointer is in the waypoint box. As soon as it is moved in the map area I get lat/lon and when I move the mouse pointer back into the waypoint list I get nada.

You guys have a very long way to go in order for this software to be robust and usable on a casual basis, without spending time on a message board getting answers to very basic parts of operation of the s/w. I have been in the very advanced type of s/w (semiconductor design) for over 30 years, and I believe you either need much better programmers or a much larger staff to implement needed changes on a much faster basis.
As stated earlier, I am very unimpressed and disappointed. For the people that have commented that I did not pay very much, I guess I got what I paid for, a crappy piece of software.
I will continue to use Mapsource until / or if Homeport becomes much better.

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

Software concerns

So your plan for getting suport and help is to join the HomePort support forum and call the software "crappy"? :rolleyes:

I spent a few years supporting computers and users, and I can tell you from personal experience, this is not the best way to get people to help you with a problem.

HomePort has a different "feel" than MapSource. If you're used to the "old" software, it will take time to get used to the new. It's not unlike getting a new car or boat. Use it, use the "Help" section, and just experiiment until you are comfortable with the product.

HomePort will do some things MapSource will not do. One major difference of course, is that it will read maps downloaded from your plotter. With MapSource, you had to purchase a CD and pay to unlock each region you wanted to use. I have personally paid for three such regions because I moved and my new home base is near the border of two regions.

DANDEITZ, saying that if you had known about the software you would have bought a different brand of plotter is a little extreme. Same with your "warning other boaters about Garmin". You paid $30.00 for HomePort. You can't buy dinner at a decent restaurant one time for that price.

I don't work for Garmin and have no stake in the company other than as a customer, but really, I believe you all will get more response to your questions if you present them as questions, not complaints.

Think about it.

Wow! I was off having a merry Christmas and missed this exchange. What does it matter if I paid $30.00 or $300.00 for the software? Are you inferring that I deserve poor quality software because Garmin set the price at $30.00? Garmin had very good software and now it has very bad software. Hopefully if enough people complain, Garmin will consider a change. I have not listed all of my complaints because I doubt Garmin will correct the issues.

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

Rwidman: I want to spend my time boating, not laboring over a program that really only needs to do a few things to be effective and can't seem to manage it.
BTW, I have contacted support numerous times and they have left me waiting for a solution so long that I have given up and will pave my own way. If you think I got this frustrated after 5 minutes, you are sorely mistaken.

Falagar:

"We don't mind complaints, but if they were a little more specific than "it stinks" that would be most helpful.

What bothers you, which functionality are you missing, what errors are you experiencing?"

Please read my earlier post, I do give some examples of what bothers me. Software needs to be intuitive. Thanks for listening.

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

I got Homeport last Spring when I purchased a 441 chartplotter. I had tried a few other charting programs and do like the features of some of them. Also, I agree with a number of the above complaints. But I also feel the software has some good potential and is worth working with the programmers to develop. The interface with Google Earth alone makes the software worth the $30 I paid for it. Most of what it is supposed to do works. It's new and there are bugs to be worked out. I still have a lot to learn and I have started talking to Garmin Tech Support to answer some of my questions before the 2011 boating season starts. I'm plugging away and getting some things resolved. I do wish Garmin had some detailed instructions for both the 441 and Homeport. They both do LOTS more than the instructions indicate.