Alternatives to Active Captain

[Nodak7]

Since Garmin purchased Active Captain (AC) they am systematically taking it away from non Garmin device owners. I was just wondering what (if any) alternatives there are to AC. I have looked into Zulu Waterways but there is not much information there yet. I would assume that eventually that will change as users enter information. Does anyone else have any suggestions. I currently use AC on my (ipad) through Garmin BlueCharts and find it very helpful but I am not certain how much longer Garmin will keep that available. Additionally will that information begin to get stale without general boating input other than Garmin users. Your thoughts...

 

[ActiveCaptain]

> Since Garmin purchased Active Captain (AC) they am systematically taking it away
> from non Garmin device owners.

Is this speculation? Or do you know something that no one else, including Garmin insiders, knows?

If your statement is true, man, the facts supporting it are incredibly weak. Today, Garmin has removed ActiveCaptain support from their own HomePort products and has non-update support inside their own ActiveCaptain app. They've terminated their original BlueChart Mobile product which was one of the primary ways boaters interacted with ActiveCaptain previously. Instead, Coastal Explorer for Windows, Aqua Map for Android and iOS, Wilhelm SK for iOS exist right now and support the new ActiveCaptain API's. It seems like non-Garmin device owners have better support right now than Garmin device owners!

Stop the hysteria. Garmin had a transition of the product at the exact moment when a new set of European security standards started. They had to step back, determine the path through the new standards, and re-release everything. We're 2 weeks into that. Give them a little time to catch up. Everything is going to work out except new capabilities that we only dreamed of adding to ActiveCaptain will be part of the full product in the upcoming months. It's all good except for the wild guesses about what's "really" going on.

In case it isn't well known, Garmin also owns Navionics today and Garmin has publicly announced that the Navionics apps will have ActiveCaptain support in the upcoming months. Other companies have also announced that they will be supporting the new ActiveCaptain API's in their products - it just takes some time to cut over to the new security and data models.

Although I'm not affiliated with ActiveCaptain or Garmin in any way today, I was the product manager at Garmin for the last year for ActiveCaptain. I also created ActiveCaptain in 2006 and have a pretty good understanding of the issues happening with it all.

Jeffrey Siegel

 

[BigEasy]

Thanks for your insight as to developments inside Active Captain. Appears that better days are ahead.

 

[Nodak7]

Jeffrey, thanks for the reply and I truly hope that I have gotten bad information. However, if you call Garmin regarding AC the first question is "what Garmin product are you using" additionally they no longer allow downloads of their "Garmin Blue Charts" stating that it will be replaced in the future by another application. Let me refer you to this statement from an article I read recently "ActiveCaptain: Data delivery changing, but free access assured" (https://www.panbo.com/activecaptain-data-delivery-changing-but-free-access-assured/) "In a bit of timing I’ve never been able to figure out, BCM was removed from the App Store before the new app wasn’t even available. Then it became clear that ActiveCaptain the app is primarily designed for owners of Garmin electronics (though it does display ActiveCaptain Community data)." To date there is no other "new" app available to access AC on an iPad or iPhone. If I am incorrect (and I really hope that is the case) then I apologize but my question remains until a "new" access to AC information (or something similiar) becomes available what do other members of this forum use as an alternative?

 

[Nodak7]

Update: OK after further research there is a App called "Garmin Active Captain" that accesses AC information. However in order to download this App you have to have a registered Garmin device. It does not have to have a connection. Once registered you can download the App to an iPad or iPhone but you are limited to two (2) devices.

 

[seadaddler]

I read some place that AC will be available on Navionics soon and also that Garmin owns Navionics all good news and hope Garmin
doesn’t nickel and dime us.
Nick

 

[ActiveCaptain]

There are multiple iOS apps with full ActiveCaptain support right now. More are coming. Navionics is coming for iOS and Android and there are other Android products announced by other companies. Those are the facts.

 

[Jackdaw]

I read some place that AC will be available on Navionics soon and also that Garmin owns Navionics all good news and hope Garmin
doesn’t nickel and dime us.
Nick

Every company has to sell products (goods and/or services) to survive. We of course want this; nobody like owning a 'orphan' product with support and parts unavailable, or worse depend on a service that 'goes dark'. So we pay, one way or another. Something has to pay salaries and keep the lights on.

For a crowd-sourced service like AC, its beneficial for all concerned that it have a wide a user-base as possible. Seems reasonable to think that Garmin will facilitate that, and licence the technology broadly.