Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter : Garmin GPSMAP 5212 12.1-Inch

Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter : Garmin GPSMAP 5212 12.1-Inch  - High-tech meets high-touch in Garmin's new flagship chartplotter lineup: The GPSMAP 5000 series. These sleek, visually stunning network plotters feature super-bright touchscreen multifunction displays (MFDs) with robust, fully waterproof construction. So, they're built to handle even the harshest marine environment. The new slim-line design gives all 5000 series units a "flat panel" look when flush mounted in cabin bulkheads or nav stations. The revolutionary new menu-driven user interface makes operating your entire Garmin Marine Network as easy as pointing your finger! Both MFDs offer built-in cartography, worldwide satellite imagery, and a new simplified user interface.

 The GPSMAP 5212 features a 12.1" XGA "big screen" touchscreen display. The slightly smaller GPSMAP 5208 is designed with an 8.4" diagonal VGA touchscreen display. The 5208 and 5212 MFDs are preloaded with highlydetailed BlueChartg2 marine cartography of the coastal United States - including Alaska, Hawaii and the Bahamas. This data provides detailed coastlines, shaded depth contours, navaids, port plans, wrecks, restricted areas and tide and current information. Plug in optional BlueChartg2 Vision cards to add true 3D-view detailed mapping capabilities (both above and below the waterline), plus helpful auto guidance, high-resolution satellite imagery detail, and "real picture" aerial photos of ports, harbors, marinas, waterways, navigation landmarks and other points of interest.

Garmin GPSMAP 5212 12.1-Inch Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter Features and Specifications

• Includes WAAS-enabled, 12 parallel channel GPS sensor with 30 ft. cable length
• Display: 5208 - 8.4-inch, 4096 color capable VGA sunlight readable touchscreen display (640 x 480 pixels) - 1200 nits of brightness, 5212 - 12.1-inch, 4096 color capable XGA sunlight readable touchscreen display (1024 x 768 pixels) - 1400 nits of brightness
• New streamlined user interface offers easy selection of functions and features
• Preloaded with worldwide satellite imagery

Garmin GPSMAP 5212 12.1-Inch Reviews

Installation was was a breeze and the touch screen is a plus. It is very user friendly. The large screen is another positive feature.The processor they chose to use for this device is adequate at best. I would not classify it as "terribly slow" but it's certainly not particularly fast, either. Granted, the unit is doing a lot of work with the sat feeds, image overlays, SONAR, RADAR, etc...

Again, it's not painfully slow switching between the screens but it's not as fast as I'd like after spending $5 Large on the newest GPS Chart plotter (and SONAR/XM units that go with it) out there!

The hardware is put together very very well and is indeed waterproof to IPX7 standards (don't ask how I know this. It's embarrassing :D