Garmin Launches New Fishfinder/Chartplotter Lines and Mobile App

Garmin has announced three new products that will be available for the coming winter boat show season.

The company’s all-new EchoMap Plus series of next-generation chartplotters and sonar combination units build on the success of its previous EchoMap Chirp line, with new, more powerful sonar capabilities, preloaded charts and mapping, and built-in Wi-Fi. Suggested retail prices ranging from $199.99 to $1,099.99.

Garmin EchoMap Plus family.

The EchoMap Plus series features a bright, sunlight-readable 4-, 6-, 7- or 9-inch display screens. The EchoMap Plus series also offers the convenience of a new keyed-assist touchscreen on the 7- and 9-inch units, which gives users quick access to the features they use most. Built-in CHIRP traditional sonar and CHIRP ClearVü and SideVü scanning sonar send a continuous sweep of frequencies which are interpreted individually upon their return, allowing crisper fish arches with better target separation. All 7- and 9-inch Plus units provide support for all Garmin Panoptix all-seeing sonar transducers, so anglers can see real-time sonar imagery at video-like speed.

Available with preloaded cartography for coastal or fresh waters, the new EchoMap Plus units feature built-in BlueChart g2 charts, U.S. or Canada LakeVü HD maps. LakeVü is an extensive database of more than 17,000 US lakes, reservoirs and rivers that includes over 13,000 lakes with high-definition 1-foot contours. Canada LakeVü features more than 13,500 lakes, 4,800 of which have 1-foot contours.

Garmin also announced its all-new Striker Plus fishfinder series.  “The new Striker Plus series has the features that will bring the benefit of built-in GPS, Quickdraw Contours and Wi-Fi to first-time users, and will convince existing Striker customers to upgrade,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president global consumer sales. “These new fishfinders are the perfect entry-level solution for anglers who want the best sonar available plus the ability to create and store their own contour maps.”

Garmin Striker Plus product group.

Striker Plus models will come in 4.3-inch, 5-inch, 7-inch and 9-inch display sizes, all with bright, sunlight-readable color displays. All offer built-in CHIRP traditional sonar and CHIRP ClearVü and SideVü scanning sonar technology and built-in Wi-Fi. The Plus series also comes standard with a built-in high-sensitivity GPS receiver, so fishermen have the ability to not only see fish and structure below the boat, but also to quickly and easily mark favorite fishing spots and other areas of interest like brush piles, stumps and docks, and get back to them. When trolling, the high-sensitivity GPS provides an update once per second, giving fishermen the precision needed to dial in the exact trolling speed and optimize lure presentation. Users can also share waypoint data across multiple Striker Plus units, as well as the new EchoMap Plus series devices.

The new Striker Plus fishfinders will carry suggested retail prices ranging from $139.99 to $699.99.

Both the Striker and EchoMap use built-in Wi-Fi as a key to connecting with Garmin’s new ActiveCaptain mobile app, also announced this week. The free, all-in-one mobile app for mariners is said to deliver a seamless content management system with unlimited access to cartography, automatic delivery of the latest software available, off-vessel planning capabilities, connected services and so much more in one simple, yet powerful application.

Whether out on the water or planning the next trip, boaters can utilize the ActiveCaptain app as a one-stop-shop to manage their experiences from nearly anywhere, including the ability to purchase maps and charts, text messaging, route planning functionality, over-the-air software updates, and remote operation of their Garmin product using a smartphone or tablet. The app also provides access to the ActiveCaptain Community, where users can access to up-to-date feedback from the boating community on marinas, reported hazards and other points of interest in the area. The app also supports access to Garmin’s Mobile Quickdraw Community, allowing users to upload and download the latest community-made Quickdraw contours chart and map content.

The ActiveCaptain app is available as a free download from either the App Store or on Google Play. It’s compatible with a range of Garmin chartplotters and MFDs, including the new EchoMap Plus series, the Striker Plus series, as well as the GPSMAP 7×2/9×2, 10×2/12×2, 7400/7600, 8000/8200 and the 8400/8600 series.