(iTers News) - Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced exciting new features available to the GPSMAP 8000 Glass Helm Series, including FLIR M-Series and MD-Series thermal night vision compatibility, CZone digital switching control, sailing features and more.

“The GPSMAP 8000 Glass Helm Series has combined power, elegance and user-friendliness to set the standard for the glass helm,” said David Dunn, senior manager of marine sales.  “With this free software update, features like FLIR thermal camera compatibility and CZone digital switching provide the boater even more control and information at the helm.”   

With this free software update comes compatibility with FLIR M-Series and MD-Series thermal night vision cameras.  The user gains the ability to pan, tilt and zoom directly from the chartplotter’s display, GRID or FLIR joystick (optional).  Full support and settings for FLIR joystick operations are also integrated into the chartplotter, including surveillance scan, polarity, color mode, scene mode and more.

CZone digital switching technology provides full, one-touch helm control of the most pivotal systems on-board, including lighting, power monitoring, tank monitoring and many more.  With an intuitive control interface, digital switching simplifies the boating experience by putting full automation and vessel integration at the user’s fingertips.

Full control of music and playlists is now available from the chartplotter’s screen with Garmin Meteor 300 and Fusion Link support.  With a dedicated screen for music and album art, media control can also be added to any layout as a top or bottom control bar.     

For sailing customers, the GPSMAP 8000 Glass Helm Series will now offer a full suite of sailing features. On initial setup, the unit can be configured specifically to meet the sailor’s needs. This unlocks easy-to-use features such as laylines, which guide the user when to tack and gybe.  The sailing package also includes simultaneous heading and course lines, a new wind rose that shows true/apparent wind simultaneously, and new sailing data fields.  In conjunction with our gWind transducers, sailors will have the most pivotal sailing information at their fingertips.

Another new feature is Dynamic Sea Temperature.  This gives the user the ability to dynamically adjust the range of sea temperatures, providing the ability to target any species of fish.  With the GXM 52, water temperatures are detailed within proper range of giving the user better insight as to prime fishing locations.

Other features included in the software update are sonar recording and automatic user data sync.

                                                 GPSMAP 8000 Features

The GPSMAP 8000 Glass Helm Series software update is free and available now for both the GPSMAP 8000 MFD series and the GPSMAP 8500 Black Box series.