Garmin Marine 2009 New Product Guide

Looking for a Garmin GPS Chartplotter and/or Sonar system? Wondering what happened to the units already out there? Wondering what's coming? Wonder no more. Turtle Marine has answers.

The driving force behind the new Garmin Marine line is the development of Garmin BlueChart g2 Vision, a significant upgrade to BlueChart g2 that makes it the most advanced charting system available today. BlueChart g2 Vision features up-to-date detailed marine cartography and adds high-resolution satellite imagery, above and below water 3-D perspective, auto guidance technology, aerial photographs for real world reference, and coastal roads with points of interest.

The biggest (literally) change in the Garmin line is the introduction of the GPSMAP 5xxx and 4xxx line. The GPSMAP 4212 and 4012 feature a 12.1" diagonal screen, the GPSMAP 4210 and 4010 feature a 10.4" diagonal screen, and the GPSMAP 4208 and 4008 feature an 8.4" diagonal screen. These new units are ready-to-use chartplotters out of the box and can also take sonar, radar, XM WX Weather, video inputs, multi-monitor displays, NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 networking, and more! The 42xx units are pre-loaded with BlueChart detail for the U.S. East Coast, West Coast, Gulf Coast and Great Lakes, including Alaska, Hawaii and the Bahamas; the 40xx have basemaps and are ideal for use as second stations or as overseas systems. The GPSMAP 5212, 5208, 5012 and 5008 are have the same features as their 4000 series counterparts, with one big difference: a touch-screen interface for ultimate ease-of-use. If that's not big enough, you can now upgrade to a GPSMAP 5215 or 5015, with 15" diagonal screen!

In 2008, Garmin added the GPSMAPs 5215, 5015, 4210 and 4010 to the line, plus expanded the functionality of all the big-screen chartplotters with enhanced Garmin Network features, with NMEA 2000 for fast and easy connections between devices. The new GPS 17x provides higher-sensitivity GPS reception; the GMI 10 is a color screen multifunction display; new Intelliducers provide depth and water temperature data with easier installation; the new GFS 10 is a fuel sensor compatible with any NMEA 2000 or CANet unit; and the GHP 10 will Garmin's first-ever NMEA 2000 autopilot system! Check out the Garmin Marine Network parts by clicking here.

The new GPSMAP 4x1 line essentially replaced the 17xC line. These ultra-compact units feature 4" diagonal color screens and a revamped interface for easy operation. The GPSMAP 421 is the base model; the GPSMAP 431 is pre-loaded with charts for inland U.S. lakes; and the GPSMAP 441 is pre-loaded with BlueChart detail for the U.S. East Coast, West Coast, Gulf Coast and Great Lakes, including Alaska, Hawaii and the Bahamas. All of these charts accept BlueChart g2 Vision cards, which add satellite imagery, 3-D perspective and extra detail all-around. An "s" added to the end (ex. GPSMAP 440s) indicates the unit is a GPS and sonar combo. Upgrade with a GXM 51 receiver, which allows you to get live NEXRAD weather radar and forecasts, current and wind data, safety warnings and more. All GPSMAP 4x0 units have internal GPS receivers, and an external pole or flush mount antenna can be added as an accessory.

The GPSMAP 5x1 line directly replaces the GPSMAP 29x/39x/49x line. The major differences are a new naming/numbering system, new form factor, the ability to accept BlueChart g2 Vision charts, and the ability to hook up to an acessory GXM 51 receiver for XM WX Satellite Weather. The user interface has also been simplified and the unit is smaller overall despite having the same 5" diagonal screen. The GPSMAP 541 is pre-loaded with BlueChart detail for the U.S. East Coast, West Coast, Gulf Coast and Great Lakes, including Alaska, Hawaii and the Bahamas; the GPSMAP 531 is pre-loaded with charts for inland U.S. lakes; and the GPSMAP 521 is the base model. An "s" added to the end (ex. GPSMAP 541s) indicates the unit is a GPS and sonar combo. All GPSMAP 5x1 units have internal GPS receivers, and an external pole or flush mount antenna can be added as an accessory.

Taking things up a notch is the 5x6 line, which is similar to the 5x1 line but features an ultra-high-resolution full VGA display to cram even more detail, and even sharper images, onto the 5" screen, plus higher-frequency sonar on the "s" models.

New for 2009, Garmin introducted the 5x6, 5x1 and 4x1 series as replacements for the 5x5, 5x0 and 4x0 series, respectively. The new units have stronger processors for faster redraw times and smoother panning, improved high-sensitivity GPS receivers, and updated NMEA 2000 configurability for easy networking. The chart below shows product evolution since 2007:

The following chart lists all the new models:

Here are Garmin's current radar options: