Glider computers - what's important?

"Richard" wrote

6. Free is a very good price, but generally you get what you pay for,
if anyone finds this not true please let us all know so we all can all
get this free stuff. The best free thing I have found is the SeeYou
Connect Me program.

GPS-LOG and XCSOAR are free, I´ve never tried XCSOAR, but GPS-LOG is a great
software.

Michael

XCSOAR is a very good program that is easy to use. It takes about one
evening to understand using the "Quick Start" guide in the manual.

Mike



On Mar 8, 9:31 am, "Michael Huber" wrote:
"Richard" wrote

6. Free is a very good price, but generally you get what you pay for,
if anyone finds this not true please let us all know so we all can all
get this free stuff. The best free thing I have found is the SeeYou
Connect Me program.

GPS-LOG and XCSOAR are free, I´ve never tried XCSOAR, but GPS-LOG is a great
software.

Michael

The question is have you compared the free programs with SeeYou or
WinPilot. We would all like to hear your comparison.

Richard
www.craggyaero.com

On Mar 8, 9:16 am, "Mike" wrote:
XCSOAR is a very good program that is easy to use. It takes about one
evening to understand using the "Quick Start" guide in the manual.

Mike

On Mar 8, 9:31 am, "Michael Huber" wrote:



"Richard" wrote

6. Free is a very good price, but generally you get what you pay for,
if anyone finds this not true please let us all know so we all can all
get this free stuff. The best free thing I have found is the SeeYou
Connect Me program.

GPS-LOG and XCSOAR are free, I´ve never tried XCSOAR, but GPS-LOG is a great
software.

Michael- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

On Mar 8, 11:25 am, "Richard" wrote:
The question is have you compared the free programs with SeeYou or
WinPilot. We would all like to hear your comparison.

Richardwww.craggyaero.com


Richard,

I think that everyone understands that the free programs do not give
you the features or support of the for-pay programs. SeeYou Mobile,
StrePla and WinPilot are great top-end programs. There is something
to be said for having someone to call to sort out problems. It is
great to have a friend who flies the same software to provide face to
face help.

That being said the for-pay programs are fairly expensive to just jump
straight into. The fear of spending money for something that is too
(much/complicated/fancy/annoying/etc) is real.

Thus the free software, while admittedly is not as good as the for-pay
stuff, can suffice for the new XC pilot. It allows him a stepping
stone to the more complicated programs, getting his feet wet so to
speak. To me the next step up is Glide Nav (for-pay) and then onto
the top drawer products.

Not everyone needs the feature sets of those for-pay programs. I know
that I don't as of yet but I can now see more clearly what those
benefits are and will one day move up.

- John DeRosa

"ContestID67" wrote:

I think that everyone understands that the free programs do not give
you the features or support of the for-pay programs.

Well,... Speak for yourself. It is exactly this kind of attitude that
gives free programs a "bad name".

Personally I always hear how awfull the support for paid for programs
is .

Cheers,
Henryk Birecki

Why not do the comparison for us Richard? It is your question after
all. I would like to hear your unbiased report.

Mike

On Mar 8, 10:25 am, "Richard" wrote:
The question is have you compared the free programs with SeeYou or
WinPilot. We would all like to hear your comparison.

Richardwww.craggyaero.com

On Mar 8, 9:16 am, "Mike" wrote:



XCSOAR is a very good program that is easy to use. It takes about one
evening to understand using the "Quick Start" guide in the manual.

Mike

On Mar 8, 9:31 am, "Michael Huber" wrote:

"Richard" wrote

6. Free is a very good price, but generally you get what you pay for,
if anyone finds this not true please let us all know so we all can all
get this free stuff. The best free thing I have found is the SeeYou
Connect Me program.

GPS-LOG and XCSOAR are free, I´ve never tried XCSOAR, but GPS-LOG is a great
software.

Michael- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Mike,

First of all you brought up the issue of how great the free programs
are - compared to what? WinPilot and SeeYou simulators are free,
both can be downloaded from my website for evaluation, you only need
the passwords to have a hassel free connection to your GPS.

My biased opinion is the SeeYou and WinPilot are as easy or easier to
use than the free programs, they will be supported in the future, they
allow the new pilot all the features from just flying around the
patch, to badges, records and contest.
The real question is if you own a sailplane how much did you pay for
it and is the cost of one of these programs significant? If it is, I
would suggest a chart with mileage and altutude circles is more cost
effective, I believe you are still required to carry a chart.

I also provide support to those that are considering purchasing
WinPilot or SeeYou from Craggy Aero.

Richard
www.craggyaero.com

On Mar 8, 10:12 am, "Mike" wrote:
Why not do the comparison for us Richard? It is your question after
all. I would like to hear your unbiased report.

Mike

On Mar 8, 10:25 am, "Richard" wrote:



The question is have you compared the free programs with SeeYou or
WinPilot. We would all like to hear your comparison.

Richardwww.craggyaero.com

On Mar 8, 9:16 am, "Mike" wrote:

XCSOAR is a very good program that is easy to use. It takes about one
evening to understand using the "Quick Start" guide in the manual.

Mike

On Mar 8, 9:31 am, "Michael Huber" wrote:

"Richard" wrote

6. Free is a very good price, but generally you get what you pay for,
if anyone finds this not true please let us all know so we all can all
get this free stuff. The best free thing I have found is the SeeYou
Connect Me program.

GPS-LOG and XCSOAR are free, I´ve never tried XCSOAR, but GPS-LOG is a great
software.

Michael- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

First of all I did not bring up how great free programs were- you
brought up how worthless they are-if you care to check your post. I
mentioned however that XCSOAR is a good program -which it is.


Come on Richard, tell us point by point how superior See You is over
XCSOAR . Prove your point to us-that it is a worthless program-you
know....as you say that it is worth what you pay for it.

Mike










On Mar 8, 11:58 am, "Richard" wrote:
Mike,

First of all you brought up the issue of how great the free programs
are - compared to what? WinPilot and SeeYou simulators are free,
both can be downloaded from my website for evaluation, you only need
the passwords to have a hassel free connection to your GPS.

My biased opinion is the SeeYou and WinPilot are as easy or easier to
use than the free programs, they will be supported in the future, they
allow the new pilot all the features from just flying around the
patch, to badges, records and contest.
The real question is if you own a sailplane how much did you pay for
it and is the cost of one of these programs significant? If it is, I
would suggest a chart with mileage and altutude circles is more cost
effective, I believe you are still required to carry a chart.

I also provide support to those that are considering purchasing
WinPilot or SeeYou from Craggy Aero.

Richardwww.craggyaero.com

On Mar 8, 10:12 am, "Mike" wrote:



Why not do the comparison for us Richard? It is your question after
all. I would like to hear your unbiased report.

Mike

On Mar 8, 10:25 am, "Richard" wrote:

The question is have you compared the free programs with SeeYou or
WinPilot. We would all like to hear your comparison.

Richardwww.craggyaero.com

On Mar 8, 9:16 am, "Mike" wrote:

XCSOAR is a very good program that is easy to use. It takes about one
evening to understand using the "Quick Start" guide in the manual.

Mike

On Mar 8, 9:31 am, "Michael Huber" wrote:

"Richard" wrote

6. Free is a very good price, but generally you get what you pay for,
if anyone finds this not true please let us all know so we all can all
get this free stuff. The best free thing I have found is the SeeYou
Connect Me program.

? GPS-LOG and XCSOAR are free, I´ve never tried XCSOAR, but
GPS-LOG is a great
software.

Michael- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Mike,

I reread my post but and never saw the word worthless. But now I
will go to my corner and look up the word sufferance.

Richard
www.craggyaero.com

On Mar 8, 11:26 am, "Mike" wrote:
First of all I did not bring up how great free programs were- you
brought up how worthless they are-if you care to check your post. I
mentioned however that XCSOAR is a good program -which it is.

Come on Richard, tell us point by point how superior See You is over
XCSOAR . Prove your point to us-that it is a worthless program-you
know....as you say that it is worth what you pay for it.

Mike

On Mar 8, 11:58 am, "Richard" wrote:



Mike,

First of all you brought up the issue of how great the free programs
are - compared to what? WinPilot and SeeYou simulators are free,
both can be downloaded from my website for evaluation, you only need
the passwords to have a hassel free connection to your GPS.

My biased opinion is the SeeYou and WinPilot are as easy or easier to
use than the free programs, they will be supported in the future, they
allow the new pilot all the features from just flying around the
patch, to badges, records and contest.
The real question is if you own a sailplane how much did you pay for
it and is the cost of one of these programs significant? If it is, I
would suggest a chart with mileage and altutude circles is more cost
effective, I believe you are still required to carry a chart.

I also provide support to those that are considering purchasing
WinPilot or SeeYou from Craggy Aero.

Richardwww.craggyaero.com

On Mar 8, 10:12 am, "Mike" wrote:

Why not do the comparison for us Richard? It is your question after
all. I would like to hear your unbiased report.

Mike

On Mar 8, 10:25 am, "Richard" wrote:

The question is have you compared the free programs with SeeYou or
WinPilot. We would all like to hear your comparison.

Richardwww.craggyaero.com

On Mar 8, 9:16 am, "Mike" wrote:

XCSOAR is a very good program that is easy to use. It takes about one
evening to understand using the "Quick Start" guide in the manual.

Mike

On Mar 8, 9:31 am, "Michael Huber" wrote:

"Richard" wrote

6. Free is a very good price, but generally you get what you pay for,
if anyone finds this not true please let us all know so we all can all
get this free stuff. The best free thing I have found is the SeeYou
Connect Me program.

? GPS-LOG and XCSOAR are free, I´ve never tried XCSOAR, but
GPS-LOG is a great



software.

Michael- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Mike wrote:
Why not do the comparison for us Richard? It is your question after
all. I would like to hear your unbiased report.

It's asking too much of a dealer to give unbiased reports on products he
does not sell, and even it the dealer managed to achieve it, many would
still just assume his monetary interest took priority. So, the dealer
spends a lot of time for very little return.

In fact, it is just plain difficult to write an unbiased report on these
products, even if you aren't selling them. These programs have many
features, most of them in common but with variations, and the value and
appeal of each feature/variation depends a lot on the pilot's
personality, where he flies, what he flies, and how he flies.

It gets worse: a really experienced pilot comparing these products will
write quite a different review than one with moderate experience.

And worse: after a pilot flies with a particular product for year or so,
he'll often find he uses it differently than when he started. Try to
account for that in a review!

So, download the programs and try them in simulator mode. I like the
suggestion to "fly" with it on flight simulator like Condor. And keep in
mind they all do the basics, which it is 80-90% of what most of us need
done.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org