Garmin announced that it received the honor of being the most recognized company in the marine electronics field by the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) at the prestigious 2015 NMEA Convention in Baltimore, Md. Garmin was named Manufacturer of the Year and received awards in four product categories: autopilot, multi-function display (MFD), mobile application—aid to navigation, and mobile application—end user utility.
“We’re honored to be selected as the Manufacturer of the Year, and to be recognized for several of our outstanding products and marine applications,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “The strength and breadth of our innovative marine product line is second to none, and these coveted awards are a true testament to Garmin’s dedication to the design, manufacture, sale, and support of our marine electronics.”
For the third year in a row, Garmin received an award in the autopilot category for its GHP ReactorTM Hydraulic Autopilot with SmartPump. The GHP Reactor was Garmin’s first recreational autopilot system to utilize AHRS technology and boasts the usability, installation flexibility, and many other features that prove to be valuable for any vessel.
Garmin also took home top honors in the MFD category. The accolades went to the GPSMAP® 7616, a 16-inch multi-touch widescreen chartplotter designed for mariners who demand high performance, ease of operation and feature integration. The GPSMAP 7616 comes preloaded with both BlueChart® g2 coastal and LakeVüTM HD inland maps, and is fully network compatible for support of radar, autopilot, instruments, multiple screens, sensors, remote sonar modules, digital switching, thermal cameras, and more.
In today’s connected world, smartphone applications are essential tools for mariners. At this year’s awards, new marine app categories were added and both apps offered from Garmin won their respective categories. Garmin BlueChart Mobile, a route planning application with streaming weather capabilities, was named the best mobile application aid to navigation. And earning the top spot in the mobile application for end user utility was Garmin HelmTM, an application that allows mariners to view and control their chartplotter from a smartphone or tablet.
Garmin’s portfolio includes some of the industry’s most sophisticated chartplotters and touchscreen multifunction displays, sonar technology, high-definition radar, autopilots, high-resolution mapping, sailing instrumentation and other products and services that are known for innovation, reliability and ease-of-use.
For more than 25 years, Garmin has pioneered new GPS navigation and wireless devices and applications that are designed for people who live an active lifestyle. Garmin serves five primary business units, including automotive, aviation, fitness, marine, and outdoor recreation.
