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ActiveCaptain vs HomePort

hlabarre
11 months ago

The Garmin HomePort application has been discontinued: support.garmin.com/.../

The replacement app is Garmin ActiveCaptain where waypoints and routes can be managed using Navionics maps on a either a phone or tablet.

In my opinion AC should only be a backup solution to HomePort as complex editing of many waypoints and routes are way better performed either on a desktop or laptop computer.

Complex waypoint and route management requires:

  • A large high resolution screen
  • A keyboard (for naming waypoint, routes)
  • A mouse for precise marking of waypoints
  • Waypoint and route folders and lists
  • etc ...

Another area of concern is that AC requires a peer-to-peer WIFI connection to the chart plotter to update its maps. With a bluetooth connection was not used for this purpose (maybe transfer speed issue)?

WIFI peer-to-peer connection requires a lot of steps:

  • To turn ON WIFI on the chart plotter
  • Disconnect from your current WIFI network on your phone or tablet
  • Connect to the chart plotter WIFI SSID with your phone or tablet
  • Perform the map updates
  • Disconnect from from the chart plotter SSID on your phone or tablet
  • Reconnect to your WIFI network on your phone or tablet
  • Turn OFF WIFI on your chart plotter

To summarize, given the identified weaknesses of AC,should Garmin develop a desktop/laptop HomePort replacement to interact with the latest generations of chart plotters / fish finders sonars?

  • 0 10 months ago

    I agree.  HomePort was very useful, and AC doesn't come close to replacing its functionality.  Garmin, please bring back AC

  • 0 9 months ago

    Home port is my favorite desktop activity

  • 0 9 months ago

    I concur. HomePort was a great feature, and AC is nowhere near as functional as it was. Please bring back AC, and Garmin.

  • 0 7 months ago

    HomePort was very simple, useful and intuitive.
    I still use to manage my GPS Ploter routes and points and I never used Active Captain.
    Homeport should be developed to work on new PC's / Apples with new cartography.
    Unfortunately Garmin took a step back when discontiued HomePort insted of developing it to new plataforms or to manage new cartography.
    The proof of this is that Garmin lost consideration by the comunity all over the world.
    Everywhere people think it was a bad option do discontinue HomePort.

  • 0 6 months ago

    HomePort was very useful. I still use it to manage my fishing data.
    Unfortunelly new cartography maps doesnt works in HomePort.
    Garmin must develop a new version of HomePort with new cartography compatibility and QuickDraw Contours management.

    A large percentage of fishermen around the world, especially professional fishermen, are not familiar with new technologies and do not want or cannot be constantly connected to the internet.
  • 0 3 months ago

    I absolutely agree. Its even more frustrating now that they have gotten rid of the Navionics web app as well. Why doesn't Garmin understand that not everyone wants mobile only.

  • 0 3 months ago

    Garmin is a big capitalist company. As such, he lives off profits. Everything she does is with profit in mind. Protecting the environment, pleasing consumers, and all the steps it takes are all commercial strategies to dominate the market, gain people's trust and money and therefore enrich their investors.

  • 0 1 month ago

    This is seriously getting to be a joke. I have thousands of way points I need to be able to mange for my charter business. I need to be able to manage them on a desk top computer. We need home port or something comparable. Garmin has really dropped the ball here and it’s making me want to sell my units and switch to another brand. Base camp is our only option currently and it doesn’t even have the same icons as a Garmin marine chart plotter. What a joke. Garmin your making it very hard for people to manage their way points. Please help us

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to 3971473

    If it can help, I uploaded the latest Garmin Home Port MS-Windows Version (2.3.2) that was ever released: https://www.transfernow.net/dl/202410268jywWTkA

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to hlabarre

    Unfortunately that’s not a help. I am a Mac user and I am a boat captain who manages about 12 different boats all equipped with Garmin equipment and also my personal vessel is equipped with Garmin products. I currently have about 8500 fishing way points from the Gulf of Mexico and all through the Bahamas and the entire east coast from Florida to cape cod. It’s getting to the point where I really need to separate them into folders by region because of the amount I have and now with no good program to manage them it’s really making me want to switch to furuno or simrad products. I have been calling garmin customer support for 4 years now asking when they will be coming out with a product that is Mac supported. It’s really a joke that they cannot come up with a solution.