Matt_Colie wrote:
You people have hit all around the real issue.
Garmin (Delorme), Microsoft, TripWizard, ALK (CoPilot) don't even care if we exist and maybe would prefer we did not. This is a real bummer. With what Garmin owns now, they could do an integrated package that even reminded you to wash the windshield.
First problem: I want a planner that has a convenient interface. Delorme and Microsoft suffered here but both had the power to make up for it. Several essential functions of both were virtual Easter Eggs in that you had to already know where they were to use them and it took in depth reading of the help to ever find them.
Second Problem: If it requires web access to be functional, it is of dubious value. Even east of the Mississippi, we can get into no coverage areas where even my hot-spot goes cold. West of the Mississippi that can be all day long unless we plan to track through an urban area.
I want a planner that I can use to assemble a 30 day excursion (about 10K miles) and know before departure where I will be sleeping and buying fuel. Sleeping can be anywhere it is legal. We rarely pay for cramp grounds when all we need is sleep. Fuel has to include anything that shows up on GasBuddy as the deal of the day along the route. Diversions are seldom cost effective.
Trip Wizard's demo package is enough to make me know that even if I could supply real time charts offline, it is not all that simple to get it to take me where I like.
There is a newer webplanner called Furkot. It does better and is free right now. But it is still web based. To make it work at all, you have to work both the forum and the help files. It is the closest I have found to SA so far.
With SA running, the navigator could have a complete picture of the situation in real time. This has been a real help when a route is suddenly blocked or the situation changes.
Thank you for listening to the old navigator's rant.
Matt
