NaviGadget

new Garmin GPSmap chartplotters

Nov 16, 2009 garmin, gps navigation, marine 5 Comments

We’ve talked about Garmin’s GPSmap series here on Navigadget but just today they came out with a bunch of new models including this one pictured above – the GPSmap 7215.

Their new series of chartplotters are the GPSmap 6000 and GPSmap 7000 which include the new Garmin G Motion technology that promises to smooth map panning, and zooming with super fast updates. Unlike most other devices out there when it comes to marine GPS devices it is sometimes really important to have a really really dim backlight – and all the new models in these series boast a display that can dim down to 0.5 nits.

The new models are:

• GPSMAP 7015: touchscreen, 15″, basemap only
• GPSMAP 7215: touchscreen, 15″, U.S. coastal charts and more
• GPSMAP 7012: touchscreen, 12″, basemap only
• GPSMAP 7212: touchscreen, 12″, U.S. coastal charts and more
• GPSMAP 6012: soft key interface, 12″, basemap only
• GPSMAP 6212: soft key interface, 12″, U.S. coastal charts and more
• GPSMAP 6008: soft key interface, 8″, basemap only
• GPSMAP 6208: soft key interface, 8″, U.S. coastal charts and more

Youll have to wait until February 2010 to get one of these MFD chartplotters. Expect to pay more than $3000… Read More …

Garmin to use MediaTek GPS chipset

May 26, 2009 garmin, gps navigation Leave a comment

No, not for all their devices. They’re smarter than to rely on only one supplier for their GPS chipsets. But apparently Garmin is going to use and have been doing so for a while – the new all-in-one MediaTek MT3329 GPS chipset on their GPSMAP 60 series.

MediaTek MT3329 is very sensitive at -165dBm and consumes very little power as well as boasting rapid time-to-first-fix (TTFF). Also listed as a feature is the ability to provide positioning even under slow movements like hiking or mountain climbing.

GPS maps for snowmobiles

Feb 3, 2009 fitness, gps navigation Leave a comment

We just came across this and thought it would be useful – if you live somewhere with snow and have a snowmobile. A recently launched site – SledGPS.com – now offers comprehensive maps of trails for snowmobiling.

There are 6 packages offered and each of them cost $50. Or you can buy them all for $125. The regions are Great Lakes, Mountain West, North East, Pacific West, and Upper Midwest.

Your maps will arrive on a memory card and will be compatible with all Garmin nuvi’s, Colorado, Oregon, Zumo, and PSmap 60Cx/60CSx, GPSmap 76Cx/76CSx, eTrex Vista Cx/HCx, eTrex Legend Cx/HCx, eTrex Venture Cx, Rino 520HCx/530HCx, Edge 605/705.

They’re located in sunny Arizona :)

Garmin GPSmap 76

Jan 21, 2009 garmin, gps navigation, tracking 2 Comments

Garmin GPSmap 76 GPS fits into the palm of your hand and features a backlit LCD display which is 1.6×2.2 inches displaying at 180×240 pixels. It is powered by two AA batteries, it is fully waterproof and is clearly a practical device which will determine your location quickly. It comes with detailed built in information on the US and Canada and an 8MB memory so you can store additional maps.

It has simple and easy to use controls, features Wide Area Augmentation Support and can be connected to your PC for information updates and map downloads. You can save up to 1000 favourite places and there are various handy navigation aids for land or sea travel from detailed maps of cities and roads to buoys and day beacons at sea. It also has celestial data built-in including sunrise and sunset times and tide information. Garmin GPSMap 76 is a highly portable budget GPS device. Read More …

Garmin GPSMAP 545s Marine GPS Receiver

Jan 20, 2009 garmin, gps navigation, marine 6 Comments

Garmin GPSMAP 545s is a chart plotting device which uses global positioning satellite technology to help you navigate safely and accurately at sea. It features a full color 5 inch screen capable of rendering sharp and bright visuals at 640×480 pixels and specially designed to be readable even in the glare of the sun.

It is easy to read, easy to set up and the detailed routes can be recalculated with fast redraw rates and photo-enhanced cartography. The machine includes detailed offshore maps and Bluechart g2 coverage of the USA and Bahamas. Powerful dual frequency or dual bean sonar allows you to map depth contours or target fish and structures beneath the water. It is also CANet enabled which means you can share sounder data with other plotter displays on your boat. This looks to be a very useful and versatile device for professional or casual sailing and you can currently pick one up for a knock down price of $779.20 – or get it from Amazon for $830… Read More …

Garmin GPSMAP 696 GPSMAP 695

Oct 31, 2008 garmin, gps navigation 5 Comments

Garmin just announced two new portable aviation systems: Garmin GPSMAP 696 and Garmin GPSMAP 695.

Both devices are already available and will cost $2,695 and $3,295 for GPSMAP 695 and 696 respectively. The GPSMAP 696 is the new flagship product from Garmin as far as aviation goes. It is quite similar to GPSMAP 496 but the screen is three times larger and provides extra features such as airways, electronic charts and expanded weather.

GPSMAP 696 and 695 are a tablet-style devices with a 7″ portrait sunlight readable screen that makes it possible to view an entire approach plate on the display; day or night.

GPSMAP 696 comes with a receiver for XM radio and XM WX Satellite Weather (U.S. customers only) that gives next generation radar (NEXRAD), aviation routine weather reports (METARs), terminal aerodrome forecasts (TAFs), temporary flight restrictions (TFRs), lightning, winds aloft, turbulence forecasts, and several other important weather products.

GPSMAP 695 Americas that has similar features to the GPSMAP 696 except that it does not include the GXM 40 smart antenna and does not do XM datalink without an upgrade.

We do not know too much about aircraft navigation systems so we’ll make it short and point you to the press release.

Garmin GPSMAP 620

Oct 4, 2008 garmin, gps navigation, marine 1 Comment

Continuing our marine GPS coverage; we have GPSMAP 620 after the GPSMAP 640 we just talked about.

Both devices have the same form factor and most of the same specs such as the 5.2″ screen and IPX7 waterproof design.

What’s different is that GPSMAP 620 is designed with international boaters in mind and thus excludes street level maps and marine charts. Instead it has a worldwide basemap with shaded relief. All the extra maps will cost you money and you’ll have the SD slot to feed them into your system.

GPSMAP 620 will cost $1000.

GPSMAP 640

Oct 4, 2008 garmin, gps navigation, marine 1 Comment

GPSMAP 640 is the latest dual purpose GPS navigation system from Garmin for both the land and the sea.

GPSMAP 640 is portable and rugged, and has a waterproof (IPX7) 5.2″ WVGA touchscreen display with 800×480 pixels resolution. It comes preloaded with maps of North America and worldwide shaded relief mapping in addition to detailed U.S. coastal BlueChartg2 charts.

GPSMAP 640 is smart enough to automatically start up in marine mode when placed in its included marine mount. Also with the optional BlueChart g2 Vision technology, the GPSMAP 640 can provide a 3-D “mariner’s eye view,” for a navigation perspective above the waterline, and a “fish eye view” for an underwater 3D bathymetric contour perspective.

Mariners will also benefit from the auto guidance technology the g2 Vision data card enables that suggests the best navigational route. In addition, photo references give detail aerial views of points of interest (POI) such as ports, marinas, waterways and landmarks.

GPSMAP 640 also has support for XM WX Satellite Weather with the GXM 40 antenna which can display the information directly on the screen. With GXM 40 you’ll have access to more than 20 different types of weather attributes, nearly 200 channels of commercial-free music, news, sports talk and entertainment with XM Satellite Radio, and XM NavTraffic to avoid traffic.

GPSMAP 640 will go for $1200 when it first comes out.

GPSMap 5012

Sep 5, 2008 garmin, gps navigation, marine 3 Comments

Continuing over coverage of marine navigation systems we also want to talk about Garmin GPSMap 5012. This is one of the high end marine navigators from Garmin with a suggested retail price of $3885. However Amazon have a few of them in stock for $2970.

The GPSMAP 5012 is touch screen based interface with satellite enhanced worldwide base map. The wide 12.1” screen helps for easy navigation by pointing finger on the screen. GPSMAP 5012 comes with preloaded Maps of all over world along with high-resolution satellite images. The product is adaptable to new additions and details in to the Maps with integrated SD memory card reader. The 3D show is user friendly and has a auto guidance technology which avoids road blocks or depth waters. It is connected to Garmin Marine Network.

Features of Garming GPSMap 5012:

Graphics and Video
It has worldwide base map with high quality satellite images compared to more traditional maps in other products available in the market. We can add maps easily with card slot without connecting to a computer. It has high quality video resolution and big XGA screen graphics. It has video connectivity option with live in the boat.

BlueChart g2 Vision
The optional BlueChart g2 vision card feature is useful for the graph plotter.

Astro GPS Dog Tracking System

Jan 4, 2007 garmin, gps navigation, tracking 2 Comments

Garmin today introduced a new dog tracking system – specially designed for hunters. In addition to being able to track multiple dogs, the system also lets you pinpoint the location where you found your lest prey.

After you’ve captured your quarry, mark the exact spot with Astro’s Covey Counter, a special waypoint that tells you the exact location, time of day and elevation where you found your prey, as well as the number of birds you flushed and took from that location. … Astro also offers special waypoint icons to represent food plots, tree stands and other hunting-related points.

The Astro system is made up of two components: the big and bulky dog’s transmitter (called the DC 20) and the user’s handheld receiver (named the Astro 220). The system is designed to work straight out of the box. Once the transmitter and receiver acquire a GPS signal, the receiver automatically lets users know the location of their dog. Unlike existing radio telemetry collars, the Astro features a dog page that shows the precise direction and distance to a dog — even indicating if it is
running, sitting, on point, or treeing quarry.

The Astro also has a map page to illustrate where a dog is and where it has been — in relation to the hunter — and allows hunters to determine if they have covered nearby ground. For even more detail, hunters can download their waypoints and tracks — as well as their dogs’ tracks — to MapSource or Motionbased.com for analysis on topo maps or Google Earth after the hunt.

Some other features:

• track up to ten dogs per receiver at once
• location updates as often as every five seconds
• effective range of up to five miles
• card slot that allows users to insert optional pre-programmed topo maps or road maps
• ability to calculate area
• location-specific sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset tables
• hunting and fishing calendar
• 17 hours of battery life on rechargeable collar
• 20 hours of battery life receiver (powered by two AA batteries)

The Astro is actually based on the handheld GPS GPSMAP(R) 60CSx which features a sunlight-readable color display and a highly sensitive GPS receiver that works even under a thick tree canopy or in deep canyons.

The Astro is expected to be available in June 2007 for a suggested retail price of $642.