Garmin
Garmin Ltd., incorporated in George Town, Cayman Islands, is the parent company of a group of companies founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao. They develop consumer aviation and marine technologies.
The company’s first product was a GPS receiver called the GPS 100, a panel-mounted receiver aimed at the marine market, and sold for about £1700. It debuted at the 1990 technology show in Chicago. The product was an instant hit and generated orders for 5,000 units.
An early product, a handheld GPS receiver, proved popular with military personnel serving during the 1991 Gulf War. In the early 2000s, Garmin launched a series of personal GPS devices aimed at recreational runners called the Forerunner. A similar wrist-worn GPS device with two dimensional tracking and waypoint projection called the Garmin Foretrex is popular among day hikers, off-road mountain bikers, and sailing boat racers.
Garmin also launched their popular StreetPilot in-car navigation series, starting with a monochrome key-operated unit. This was followed by the 16-color StreetPilot ColorMap, then the more advanced StreetPilot III. The StreetPilot range is now diverse.
Probably the most popular of the Garmin handheld GPS receivers, the compact eTrex series, was introduced in 1998. The eTrex line has several models with several different features and options. The original eTrex, commonly nicknamed "eTrex Yellow", was a sensation when it first appeared, as it offered a lightweight, waterproof, palm-sized 12-channel GPS receiver to backpackers, hikers, and others afoot in remote areas, along with a battery life of up to 22 hours on just two AA-size batteries.
The eTrex 'Yellow' eventually became Garmin's entry-level GPS receiver. Other more advanced eTrex models include the Summit, Venture, Legend, and Vista, each with various additional features such as WAAS, altimeter, digital compass, city database, and highway maps. Many models come in colour and expandable-memory versions.
By 2000 Garmin had sold three million GPS devices, and was producing 50 different models. Its products were sold in 100 countries, and had 2,500 independent distributors
All current Garmin devices can display the current location on a map. The maps are vector based and stored in the built in memory or loaded from additional flash media. The built in, so called 'basemap', displays all country borders and major cities. Garmin offers a wide variety of maps for purchase. Those include detailed road maps, topographic maps as well as nautical maps.
One of the most popular second hand gps systems is the GPSmap 450 - details below.
Garmin GPSMAP450 Chartplotter - UK/Ireland preloaded The sleek GPSMAP 450 features preloaded detailed maps for the UK as well as an ultra-bright 10 cm QVGA display; built-in, satellite-enhanced worldwide basemap and simplified user operation. The unit comes with an internal antenna as standard. If your installation needs an external antenna, you will need to order the Garmin GA29 as well.
The 450 has an SD card slot that makes it easy to add additional maps without connecting to a computer. With just a few buttons and a simple, intuitive interface, the 450 makes navigating your way through the water easy. Add Extras with BlueChart® g2 Vision With the optional BlueChart g2 Vision SD card, you can add a whole new dimension of exceptional features to your chartplotter. 3D mariner's eye view or fish eye view provides you with a 3-dimensional perspective of chart information, both above the waterline and below it. High-resolution satellite images and aerial photographs help you orient yourself in unfamiliar areas.
Auto Guidance technology searches through all relevant charts to create a route you can actually follow — one that avoids obstacles, shallow water, buoys and other obstructions. Sounder Version The 450S version allows a connection of a powerful dual frequency transducer that clearly paints depth contours, fish targets and structure when you're fishing Features: Display Type: 256+ colour QVGA, sunlight-readable Screen Size: 4.0" diag. (102 mm) Resolution: 240 x 320 Cartography:
Enhanced worldwide satellite basemap Preloaded with UK & Ireland BlueChart cartography Interface Inputs/Outputs: NMEA, CANet Receiver Type: 12 channel with WAAS Dimensions: 12.7H x 14.48W x 7.37D cm Waterproof: IPX7 submersible Mount: Tilt/swivel (flushmount option available)
In the box: GPSMAP 450 Tilt/swivel mount Protective front cover Power/data cable Owner's manual are normally included in the sale.
For Garmin gps systems that are advertised for sale just now in our store, go here.