Totally agree with Bratters
Cannot disagree with either MLAt or an updated database.
The database is and always will be an issue - until a service is provided either professionally or (as is of now) voluntarily, whereby at least quarterly or preferably in my mind ,monthly updated navdata files are issued.
When I was involved in the Updater team, the suggestion of asking users to request database updates via this forum was spawned - as a temporary measure initially. I don't think any of the team expected this to still be effectively the only medium to address this issue so many months down the line, with still no fix or revised file being issued.
I don't believe I'm speaking out of turn on this or being anyway disrespectful to the other guys in the team, but some closure is needed on this.
We hear of the possibility of new database files becoming available, but I still can't believe the real annoying issues which the team continually have to "bat away" regarding ICAO/silhouettes/photos seems no nearer completion??
I think there is a resignation from many users ,to use other databases which supplement the current situation, so although the info on their screen is not accurate, they are still able to deduce what the upto date info for the aircraft is?
To have a database two years at least out of date on such a product is ridiculous, and it's ridiculous that we're still debating all this.
MLAT, for me is a much much attractive addition, and I would personally put it ahead of the database in so far as product development, especially given my earlier point on reliance on other product for an accurate database.
Given the possibilities of MLAT being incorporated within similar competitior products, it will be interesting to see where this goes with RadarBox.
It's encouraging to hear of "five different products" being considered, but we all know the major gripe is the database - so why can't we get a fix, given all the hard graft that's been undertaken, rather than wait and wait and wait???