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Garmin International does not want to be left behind in the High Definition race by making marked improvements to a couple of its popular marine radomes - the GMR 18 HD and the GMR 24 HD. Both devices will not only offer better target separation but clearer definition as well, especially in close ranges. According to Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales, “These new radar scanners process up to eight times the information of their predecessors, which helps take the guesswork out of identifying the precise location of targets. And unlike many competing products, these new units are completely backwards compatible with the current Garmin marine lineup.”

Both the GMR 18 HD and GMR 24 HD feature a full 4kW of transmit power, with the former boasting a 5-degree horizontal and 25-degree vertical beamwidth that allows for accurate target acquisition and separation and a best-in-class range of 36 nautical miles (nm). As for the GMR 24 HD, it comes with an industry-leading 3.6-degree horizontal and 25-degree vertical beamwidth and a maximum effective range of 48 nautical miles. Skippers who tend to navigate in tight quarters need not sweat it out, since they can switch the GMR 24 HD’s rotation speed from 24 RPM to 30 RPM for rapid target updates.

These new units will be able to process signals within the radome thanks to a digital signal processor, and is dynamically presented on a Garmin Marine Network compatible chartplotter/multifunction display (MFDs). The use of digital processing makes way for more precise recognition, enhancement, and filtering of radar echoes so that the finished display will be much easier to read and interpret. When paired with relevant Garmin MFD, these units will sport the following features:

MARPA (Mini Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) collision avoidance capability, which allows boaters to track the course, speed, and predicted closest approach (by both time and distance) of multiple targets.

Requires an optional heading sensor.

Chart overlay capability, allowing boaters to reconcile radar signatures with known objects on the chartplotter.

Split the screen between standard radar presentations and radar overlay.

The GMR 18 HD and GMR 24 HD are tipped to retail for $1,199.99 and $1,999.99 respectively when released in Q1 2008.

Press Release

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