Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN) , has  announced the new 4kW GMR 18 - a space-saving 18-inch radar that is twice as powerful as most other radars in its price and size range. The product was introduced at the 2006 Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) in Amsterdam.

"Garmin's latest radome is a breakthrough in marine radar design," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "With four thousand watts of transmit power and an unsurpassed range for its class, the GMR 18 represents the pinnacle of innovation. And with a small 18-inch footprint, it's easy to mount on almost any boat."

The GMR 18 features a 5-degree horizontal and 25-degree vertical beamwidth, which allow for accurate target acquisition and separation. The GMR 18 has a best-in-class range of 36 nautical miles (nm).

With the GMR 18 all radar data is digitally processed within the radome via a digital signal processor, and is dynamically presented on a Garmin Marine Network(TM) compatible chartplotter/multifunction display (MFDs). Digital processing allows for more precise recognition, enhancement, and filtering of radar echoes - making the finished display easier to read and interpret.

The unit also supports MARPA (Mini Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) capability, which allow boaters to track the bearing, course, speed and predicted closest approach (by both time and distance) of multiple targets (number varies by MFD). MARPA functionality requires a Garmin Marine Network MFD and an optional heading sensor. The GMR 18 has radar overlay capability, allowing boaters to reconcile radar signatures with known objects on the chartplotter. Users can also configure a split-screen, dual overlay with a standard radar presentation.

The GMR 18 features automatic and manual sensitivity and tuning controls, including gain, sea clutter, and rain clutter - which allows boaters to spend less time tuning the unit and more time navigating. The units also boast selectable interference rejection, which mitigates the effect of nearby radar transmissions.

Like Garmin's other radars, the GMR 18 communicates with the Garmin Marine Network through a waterproof 100-megabit plug-and-play proprietary network - which affords users the ability to expand their boat's system as needed. A Marine Network cable connector kit is also included for customizing installation.

The Garmin Marine network can provide important situational awareness data like GPS, radar, sonar, and near real-time graphical weather data and audio channels directly on Garmin Marine Network compatible MFDs, through a subscription to XM WX Satellite Weather and XM Radio.

Garmin is also pleased to announce that it will begin featuring a two year warranty on all Garmin marine radar systems. The extended warranty comes at no additional charge and will be prorated from the date of purchase for all current Garmin marine radar customers.

The GMR 18 is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2007.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 16 November 2006 )