Jeppeson

Jeppeson sure has a nice little monopoly going. $760.00 to get the updates
for my mx 20 and Apollo 60 GPS.
Dang.

Aluckyguess writes:

Jeppeson sure has a nice little monopoly going. $760.00 to get the updates
for my mx 20 and Apollo 60 GPS.
Dang.

And the margins are probably around 99.9999%, since generating an update
probably requires no more than pressing a button.

--
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Mxsmanic wrote:
Aluckyguess writes:

Jeppeson sure has a nice little monopoly going. $760.00 to get the updates
for my mx 20 and Apollo 60 GPS.
Dang.

And the margins are probably around 99.9999%, since generating an update
probably requires no more than pressing a button.

Not really. Creating the distribution media is pushing the button. But
acquiring the data from the appropriate CAA (civil aeronautical
agency), verifying & validating it, then ensuring it's in a format
suitable for distribution for the corresponding hardware/software...

That's what you're really paying for.

Of course I'm not a happy camper either, when I need to update the
GPS. But at least I understand the process involved.

"Aluckyguess" wrote in message
...
Jeppeson sure has a nice little monopoly going. $760.00 to get the
updates for my mx 20 and Apollo 60 GPS.
Dang.

How often do you have to update?
Crash Lander

Blanche writes:

Not really. Creating the distribution media is pushing the button. But
acquiring the data from the appropriate CAA (civil aeronautical
agency), verifying & validating it, then ensuring it's in a format
suitable for distribution for the corresponding hardware/software...

That's what you're really paying for.

Over, and over, and over, even though it's a one-time conversion, highly
automated, that costs very little. There are no white-haired scribes
transferring data from one sheet of parchment to another, even though the
final product is priced as though there were.

--
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On Apr 5, 7:10 am, Mxsmanic wrote:
Aluckyguess writes:
Jeppeson sure has a nice little monopoly going. $760.00 to get the updates
for my mx 20 and Apollo 60 GPS.
Dang.

And the margins are probably around 99.9999%, since generating an update
probably requires no more than pressing a button.


Good god; the fjukkkwitedness is just beyond belief:


Bertie

Mxsmanic wrote:
Aluckyguess writes:

Jeppeson sure has a nice little monopoly going. $760.00 to get the updates
for my mx 20 and Apollo 60 GPS.
Dang.

And the margins are probably around 99.9999%, since generating an update
probably requires no more than pressing a button.

And paying engineers to design the software that backs up pushing the
button. Maintaining a cartography staff to handle the fact that there
are holes in the government provided data. Maintaining 24/7 customer
support for people who can't figure out how to download the data. Oh,
and paying for liability insurance or self insuring in case someone
gets a judgement. Oh and maintaining legal counsel to defend against
a number of lawsuits pending against them at any given time claiming
they were responsible for real or perceived responsibility in an
accident.

Oh yeah, it's such a profitable business that Google and every
other computer company is clamoring to get into the biz.

Ron Natalie writes:

And paying engineers to design the software that backs up pushing the
button. Maintaining a cartography staff to handle the fact that there
are holes in the government provided data. Maintaining 24/7 customer
support for people who can't figure out how to download the data. Oh,
and paying for liability insurance or self insuring in case someone
gets a judgement. Oh and maintaining legal counsel to defend against
a number of lawsuits pending against them at any given time claiming
they were responsible for real or perceived responsibility in an
accident.

All that, plus a 95% mark-up for profit.

Oh yeah, it's such a profitable business that Google and every
other computer company is clamoring to get into the biz.

It's not a free market.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

Mxsmanic wrote:
Blanche writes:

Not really. Creating the distribution media is pushing the button. But
acquiring the data from the appropriate CAA (civil aeronautical
agency), verifying & validating it, then ensuring it's in a format
suitable for distribution for the corresponding hardware/software...

That's what you're really paying for.

Over, and over, and over, even though it's a one-time conversion, highly
automated, that costs very little. There are no white-haired scribes
transferring data from one sheet of parchment to another, even though the
final product is priced as though there were.

Actually, there is. 1/4 of the first floor of the main offices is
dedicated to an extremely human-labor-intensive activity that must
validate and verify *each and every* item of information when it
comes in from the various CAAs. I didn't notice any "white-haired scribes",
oh wait -- yes, there were a couple of gentlemen that might be offended
at the term.

Then the data is verified and validated a *second* time.
Add to this the time constraints - there are four cycles of
7/14/28/56 days depending on need. Then and only then can the data
be converted to the JAD - Jeppesen Aviation Database, from which
all Jepp data is munged.

Every time an airport changes a frequency, identifier, phone number,
runways, departure procedures, approach procedures, terminal information,
fixes (intrument, visual, GPS), low-enroute, high-enroute, *anything*.
And it happens more frequently than most people realize imagine.

And, Jepp handles the world. When I use the term CAA, that's the generic
for any country's aviation authority. In the US, it's the FAA. There's
also the JAA, and others.

The advantage of living in the Denver area - Jepp is located just
west of the 17-35 runway of KAPA. When you decide to visit, I'll
happily arrange a tour.

On Apr 5, 1:10 am, Mxsmanic wrote:
Aluckyguess writes:
Jeppeson sure has a nice little monopoly going. $760.00 to get the updates
for my mx 20 and Apollo 60 GPS.
Dang.

And the margins are probably around 99.9999%, since generating an update
probably requires no more than pressing a button.

Don't they wish. Updates have to be compiled, verified manually and
then checked again. You're talking about things like the change in
elevation of a tower you could run into, for example, so lives are at
stake. They have to be put in the correct chart, and perhaps other
markings moved around. And that's just a tiny piece compared to all
the frequency, runway, nav aid, taxiway, etc changes each cycle.

Anyone who's spent their evening doing the update sheet dance with
their paper binder, knows a minor part of the pain from the end user
standpoint ;-)

Kev