Garmin and McMurdo Ltd join forces to create a unique MOB safety feature

McMurdo Ltd and Garmin® have joined forces and are pleased to announce that with immediate effect, all AIS-equipped Garmin plotters will be optimised to work with the McMurdo Smartfind S10 personal AIS Beacon and the Kannad Marine SafeLink R10 Survivor Recovery System (SRS).

These innovative personal safety devices incorporate both AIS and GPS technology which, when manually activated, give precise location information to aid the recovery of persons in difficulty at sea.
The Smartfind S10 and SafeLink R10 are the must-have personal devices for all safety-conscious sailors, with the chances of being rescued greatly increased thanks to their unique ability to transmit both AIS and GPS data to the vessel the individual has come from, and to other AIS equipped vessels within a typical four mile radius. They also feature inbuilt high precision GPS receivers, which transmit target survivor information, including structured alert messages, GPS position information, and a unique serialised identity number.

 
This information can now be displayed on Garmin’s range of chart plotters. Not only will the correct IMO-approved icon be shown to differentiate the activated personal beacon from vessel targets, the option to navigate to the target will also be offered, treating it as a waypoint  with course, speed and cross-track error displayed.
In order to maximise this new feature, a software update will be required for the majority of Garmin’s chart plotters, which can be downloaded free of charge from the ‘Marine Device Software Updates’ section of www.garmin.co.uk. This software can be downloaded on to an SD card and simply plugged in to the plotter, which will recognise the new version of software to be added.

We feel this feature would be ideal for all boaters, especially those venturing out at night and those with young families onboard, it provides cost effective peace of mind.
To find out more about the McMurdo or Kannad Marine ranges of emergency location beacon products, please visit www.mcmurdo.co.uk or www.kannadmarine.com.

About McMurdo Ltd

McMurdo Ltd is a world leading producer of  Emergency Positioning Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs),  Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs), Search and Rescue Transponders (SARTs), NAVTEX and VHF Radios for the maritime and leisure markets, including shipping, yachting,  and outdoor adventure pursuits.  The high quality product range is manufactured in the UK utilising the very latest technology available, and in partnership with the world’s safety regulatory organisations. 

About Garmin
 
The global leader in satellite navigation, Garmin Ltd. and its subsidiaries have designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications since 1989 – most of which are enabled by GPS technology.  Garmin’s products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information visit Garmin's media centre at http://garmin.blogs.com/ukpr. Garmin is a registered trademark and GHP, GHC and GWS are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.  All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

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This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. All statements regarding the company’s future product introductions are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 26, 2009 filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of suchForm 10-Q can be downloaded at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.