Say the word “Garmin” and most people associate it with Global Positioning System (GPS) navigators that are placed inside automobiles.
But, Garmin Ltd.’s first product was called a GPS 100, a positioning device made in 1990 to use on boats. Just a year earlier, Gary Burrell and Min Kao combined their first names to create the title of their company, Garmin. Burrell is from Kansas and Kao hails from Taiwan.
Kao and his team of engineers created the initial GPS system used by airplanes and approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
A network of satellites was in place to make GPS operational in April 1989, the same year Garmin was founded.
If you want a fishfinder that uses GPS, selecting Garmin puts you in the same seat as the creator of worldwide GPS aircraft units. Garmin uses the words “the power of simple™” as a mantra to guide its philosophy through the products it creates. Garmin fishfinders use sophisticated technology, yet they’re a cinch to use. Garmin makes sure of that.
Most GPS fishfinders update themselves at a 1Hz rate, or once per second. The top-of-the-line Garmin fishfinders possess GPS units with a 10Hz rate. That means these fishfinders update 10 times more often than average fishfinders, giving those who fish with them an extremely accurate position and heading.
A key with an effective fishfinder is the ability to see like a fish with a fisheye view.
So, a keen and sharp eagle eye is not good in the fishfinder world. Your finder needs to see wide. The sonar transmitter connected to a Garmin fishfinder puts a full 120 degrees of vision into your hands, reaching as far down as 1,900 feet, or about 580 meters. Most fishfinders offer a 60-degree field of view.
Wires aren’t necessary for transferring data from your Garmin fishfinder to that smart phone or tablet. Again, Garmin ensures that the process is effortless through the use of Wi-Fi connectivity.
The same touchscreen methods used on “smart” electronic screens, where you use a pinching motion between your thumb and forefinger, allows you to zoom into a closer view of your sonar image on the Garmin fishfinder. The screens on these finders give those who fish visibility in both daytime and nighttime conditions. An auto-dimming feature keeps the screen visible through any lighting condition.
Multiple mounting options are available. Precise data is stored from your Garmin fishfinder to match your boat’s position coordinates at any given time in the past with depth recordings.
Garmin fishfinders use Compressed High Intensity Radar Pulse (CHIRP) technology in their transducers. CHIRP is a method of using ceramics to send a large range of sound waves at 10 to a thousand times the sound energy of conventional marine sonic gear,whichresults in a resolution that’s five times better on your fishfinder screen. It means you can distinguish bait fish from game fish. You also gain better usage in shallow water. Plus, resolution is astounding in deep waters.
High-end Garmin fishfinders come with a base map of the world and maps featuring lakes and offshore features related to the country of origin for your product. Buy it in Brisbane and your unit is fit with Australian coastal maps on the edge of the Coral Sea. Purchase your Garmin in New Orleans and you’ll see maps of the coast along the Gulf of Mexico.
Garmin’s corporate headquarters are in Olathe, Kansas. It’s only retail location is in Chicago. The Garmin Tech Center is in the Xizhi District of New Taipei City, Taiwan. Purchase a Garmin Fishfinder and you receive an international product.