Garmin Release new Marine Radio.

Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, announced today the VHF 300 – the company’s flagship marine radio with premium features like multi-station support, a space-saving black box configuration, and options like an integrated dual-band AIS receiver.


“With the VHF 300, Garmin is targeting larger, high-end boats that can be installed at the OEM level,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Since the unit’s industrial design complements the rest of the Garmin Marine Network, boat builders will find Garmin an increasingly attractive option when outfitting their helms.”

The VHF 300 has 25 watts of transmit power and has both NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 connectivity. Because the black box can be mounted anywhere out-of-sight, the VHF 300 saves important real estate on the helm.

Boaters operate the unit via the GHS™ 10 microphone. This handheld mic features a crisp 2-inch LCD display, dedicated rotary key for frequent tasks, and three soft buttons for dynamic controls. The VHF 300 supports up to three GHS 10 mics which have built-in speaker for vessels with multiple stations, and uses either the supplied four-inch active speaker with volume knob, or an optional third-party passive speaker. With multiple stations, the system can be used as an on-boat intercom.

The VHF 300 also features NOAA weather alerts, Class D Digital Selective Calling (DSC) capability, and Position Tracking, which allows a mariner to locate and keep tabs on up to three other boats. The radio is equipped with a two-way 30-watt hailer compatibility for communication with other boats or deckhands. The helmsman can also replay up to 90 seconds of the last incoming voice transmission at the touch of a button.

For those wanting to take advantage of the Automatic Identification System (AIS), Garmin has the new VHF 300 AIS, which combines all of the features mentioned above with four built-in receivers: one dedicated for VHF communications, one for Class D DSC transmissions, and two dedicated AIS receivers. The VHF 300 AIS receives both Class A and Class B signals simultaneously, ensuring that no critical information is lost.

AIS gives recreational boaters mariners a new way to identify and avoid other large sea vessels at long range in virtually any visibility. AIS provides detailed information like ship identification information, position, course, and speed for vessels equipped with an AIS transponder within range. Users can make the AIS target’s position appear on their electronic chart for a variety of ranges. Boaters may also select an option that draws a heading line from the target in the direction of travel, as well as graphic representation of turn direction and rate of turn (when applicable).