March 1, 2000

Garmin® Adds New Position Formats on Two of its Handheld GPS Units

GPS III Plus and GPS 12MAP now support Loran TD and MGRS coordinate systems

OLATHE, Kan. – Garmin International, the leading manufacturer of GPS for the marine and outdoor recreation markets, announces new Loran Time Difference (TD) and Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) capabilities on two of its most popular handheld units -- the GPS III® Plus and the GPS 12MAP.

The Loran TD conversion feature is ideal for mariners that have previously used Loran as their primary source of navigation. Now with the addition of this position format, GPS III Plus and GPS 12MAP users can navigate using their Loran TD locations.

Garmin users who are accustomed to using large scale military and civilian topographic maps will now be able to select the MGRS option from a list of grids on these units.

Both the GPS III Plus and the GPS 12MAP feature a built-in basemap of North and South America, with the ability to accept additional downloadable cartography from Garmin's exclusive MapSource® line of CD-ROMs. While the 12MAP comes packaged in a case with a vertical display, the screen display orientation on the III Plus can be changed from vertical to horizontal with the touch of a button. Both units are completely waterproof.

The Loran TD and MGRS capabilities are also available on other select Garmin handheld and fixed mount GPS units.