AirNavSystems abandons communication with RadarBox database updaters
Wonder how much longer till AirNav Systems( Andre Brandao or Akbar Sherwani ) decides to pack up the product. Leave every RadarBox user hanging and scrambling for another plane tracking box from another company.
Wonder if this will delay AirNav Shiptrax software!
Wonder how much longer till AirNav Systems( Andre Brandao or Akbar Sherwani ) decides to pack up the product. Leave every RadarBox user hanging and scrambling for another plane tracking box from another company.
Two long and interesting posts from one of the updating team complaining that they have heard nothing from AirNav for more than 2 months now about any proposed fix to the update architecture:
We're told that every record in the updaters' database now has all the data fields correct, including the correct ICAO type designator and photo links (although the post goes on to mis-identify an E55P as an "EMB 500"), but users never get to see that information because RadarBox still presents us with the data from its local database, which can be decades out-of-date.
It doesn't seem to have occurred to AirNav that it's not just the updaters, it's all RadarBox customers who deserve to be kept informed about when and if this is ever going to be fixed.
We're told that every record in the updaters' database now has all the data fields correct, including the correct ICAO type designator and photo links (although the post goes on to mis-identify an E55P as an "EMB 500"), but users never get to see that information because RadarBox still presents us with the data from its local database, which can be decades out-of-date.
It doesn't seem to have occurred to AirNav that it's not just the updaters, it's all RadarBox customers who deserve to be kept informed about when and if this is ever going to be fixed.
As has been said, the Airnav response to Database complaints is always the same - we’re working on it. But nobody believes them any more - they have said it far too often and for far too long.
But did Airnav ever intend to update? Airnav have history and they have gone down this road before.
Look at the Airnav Acars page
Acars “support” shows the last upgrade as March 2004 and the Acars link to the enthusiast supplied database updates has been broken for ages - yet Airnav Acars is still on sale.
Radarbox is going exactly the same way. It is obvious that Airnav can’t maintain databases because they don’t have the resources to do so. There is no after-sale revenue stream to pay for this apart from limited network contributions. So, as with Acars, a few keen RB owners club together to make their own little data exchange, egged on by Airnav. It keeps them busy and stops them moaning.
But on past form Airnav will not divert scarce resources getting the data down to us ordinary box users purely because they need to concentrate on new money-making fields.
So unless someone comes up with a simple method for simple people to update their databases via simple downloads from outside sources, most of our RadarBoxes seem destined for the scrap heap.
Spare a thought for the poor devils who have RBs on their Christmas wish lists. Will W&S, ML&S and all the other retailers tell them how out of date the dabases are? I doubt it.
Maybe Airnav will prove me wrong - a nice Christmas present if they do.
But did Airnav ever intend to update? Airnav have history and they have gone down this road before.
Look at the Airnav Acars page
Acars “support” shows the last upgrade as March 2004 and the Acars link to the enthusiast supplied database updates has been broken for ages - yet Airnav Acars is still on sale.
Radarbox is going exactly the same way. It is obvious that Airnav can’t maintain databases because they don’t have the resources to do so. There is no after-sale revenue stream to pay for this apart from limited network contributions. So, as with Acars, a few keen RB owners club together to make their own little data exchange, egged on by Airnav. It keeps them busy and stops them moaning.
But on past form Airnav will not divert scarce resources getting the data down to us ordinary box users purely because they need to concentrate on new money-making fields.
So unless someone comes up with a simple method for simple people to update their databases via simple downloads from outside sources, most of our RadarBoxes seem destined for the scrap heap.
Spare a thought for the poor devils who have RBs on their Christmas wish lists. Will W&S, ML&S and all the other retailers tell them how out of date the dabases are? I doubt it.
Maybe Airnav will prove me wrong - a nice Christmas present if they do.
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