Marine Electronics
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Garmin International, one of the leaders in the GPS marine handheld market, has introduced three new high performance GPS units. The new models, the GPSMAP 78sc, the GPSMAP 78s and the GPSMAP78, not only float in water, but are also more reliable and accurate then ever before. That’s because these GPS units have GPS WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System)-capable receivers. WAAS receivers use more than just GPS satellites to give an accurate position, they also use 25 strategically placed ground stations to correct GPS signals.
The WAAS technology puts GPSMAP 78 series users on the same reliability and accuracy track that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is on. As part of the FAA’s program to make GPS workable for aviation, its has developed WAAS with the goal to correct GPS errors that result from ionosphere disturbances, timing, and satellite orbit errors.
These WAAS GPS corrected signals, because they can be read by WAAS receivers, allow users of the new GPSMAP 78 handhelds to obtain much more accurate and much more reliable positioning information. According to Garmin, WAAS receivers provide a position accuracy of better than three meters and provide that level of accuracy 95 percent of the time. This level of accuracy is about 5 times better than you can expect from your typical GPS unit and is on par with or better than what you can expect from much more expensive and complicated differential GPS systems.
The GPSMAP units also have new features that allow you to keep track of GPS satellites. The GPS units now have the ability to store satellite orbit information and have the capability to calculate where specific GPS satellites should be. This capability, called HotFix, gives navigators a heads up on where in the sky satellite signals will most likely be coming from and the best direction to point the GPS unit.
Besides improved overall tracking and accuracy, the GPSMAP 78 series also comes complete with wireless data transfer, a world base map, BlueChart g2 marine maps of the coastal United States and 3 axis tilt-compensated electronic compass. The 3-axis tilt compass, because it has three axes instead of two, frees you from having to move the compass to obtain a heading; now it gives a heading when you are standing still. You will also find that the GPSMAP 78 series is much easier to read in direct sunlight, thanks to highly transflexive 65 K color LCD display.
The unit is lighter than ever, only weighing 7.7 ounces. It also can be counted on to work without a charge for up to 20 hours using just two AA batteries. The 78 series also offer 1.7 Gigabytes of internal memory and a microSD card slot for adding more memory. Besides being able to use that memory to store more maps, waypoints and routes, you can also use it to store your own paper or electronic maps. For those that want a bird’s eye view of their surroundings, the GPS units also support the subscription service. This service lets you download high-resolution satellite photos.
The new units are priced at $549.99 for the GPSMAP 78sc, $449.99 for GPSMAP 78s, and $349.99 for GPSMAP 78.
