Garmin Introduces Thermal-Imaging and Low-Light Marine Cameras

Garmin® Introduces New Line of Thermal-Imaging and Low-Light Marine Cameras

Garmin the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced a new family of thermal-imaging and low-light cameras – the GCT 30, GCT 20 and GCL 20. These cameras can pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ), and provide extra situational awareness by enhancing visibility at any time of day. The GCL 20, Garmin’s low light camera, is especially useful at dawn, dusk and in light fog, and Garmin’s thermal imaging versions, the high-resolution GCT 30 and low-resolution GCT 20, aide in navigating in total darkness.

“Whether it’s navigating at night, through fog and rain, or for search and rescue efforts, visual information is invaluable for the captain at the helm,” said Ian Edwards, National Sales Manager, Garmin Australasia. “We’re excited to offer our customers these new low light and thermal imaging solutions that – when integrated into a Garmin system – offer capabilities and performance never before found on marine cameras.”

Each new Garmin camera is fully controllable from a compatible Garmin chartplotter and features NMEA 2000 connectivity for greater convenience on board. When interfaced with a Garmin chartplotter via NMEA 2000, and with an additional heading sensor, mariners can use multiple Garmin cameras to track one target from the plotter – simply select the point on the chartplotter screen and the GCT 30, GCT 20 or GCL 20 will automatically lock onto a point and follow it. The GCT 30 and GCT 20 can even detect a hot spot, overlay a box around the spot, and then automatically pan and tilt to follow the identified hot spot, thanks to their innovative target tracking technology. When paired with the heading sensor, each new camera also has the ability to track MARPA and AIS targets, and can provide man overboard (MOB) synergy.

Garmin’s top-of-the-line thermal imaging camera, the GCT 30, boasts a high-resolution VGA (640×480) image, and a continuous digital zoom of 1x to 12x. It pans, tilts and zooms while maintaining a crisp, smooth thermal image in motion at all times with a refresh rate of 9Hz. The GCT 20 thermal imaging camera has a QVGA+ resolution (384×288), offering 44 per cent more pixels than standard QVGA offerings. The GCT 20 has a continuous digital zoom of 1x to 8x, with a refresh rate of 9Hz. Both the GCT 30 and GCT 20 have five definable scene modes and seven colour modes. The powerful GCL 20, Garmin’s new low light camera, offers extraordinary zoom capabilities with an optical zoom of 28x and a digital zoom of 12x, for a combined total of 336x zoom. The GCL 20 has a minimum illumination spec of .0004 lux at 10iRE and is available in PAL and formats.

For ultimate situational awareness, Garmin’s new family of thermal imaging and low light cameras feature continuous rotation and auto flip so that you can keep an eye on what’s around you. Because these cameras are fully integrated into the Garmin system, the firmware for the GCT 30, GCT 20 and GCL 20 can be updated over the NMEA 2000 network from a compatible chartplotter, saving time and making it easy to always have the latest update available. At only 1.22kg, these compact and lightweight cameras can be installed vertically or inverted.

The new GCT 30, GCT 20 and GCL 20 are compatible with Garmin’s award-winning series of GPSMAP® 4000/5000/6000/7000 chartplotters. The GCT 30 has a Recommended Retail Price (RRP) of $15,499.00 and the GCT 20 has an RRP of $9,899.00; both are available in 9Hz configuration. The GCL 20 has an RRP of $3,849.00, and is available in PAL configuration. Garmin’s new cameras are expected to be available July 2012.