Garmin 4- & 5000, what’s in the box?
It’s fabulous that Garmin is now including, or at least plans to eventually include, a NMEA 2000 17x GPS and starter N2K backbone with its 4000 and 5000 Series networked displays (even if it took almost a year to get it all together). But if I were shopping for one of these units today, I’d be darn attentive to exactly what’s in the box. The switch from 0183 to 2000 sensor systems appears to be in transition, and I don’t know how far it’s progressed or what may still be in the supply chain (or if there is any price consequence {nice update: “no price change”}).
For instance, though it could just be a matter of delayed Web page updates, at Garmin.com this morning all the original units like the 4212 still list a NMEA 0183 GPS 17 in the box, while the new 15” and 10” units like the 4210 list the GPS 17x. The “x”, by the way, is meant to signify extra sensitive GPS receiver, so much so that it can even be mounted under “many” fiberglass decks, and includes an optional mount for doing so. But even if the 17x performed only as well as the 17, and even if a GPS was the only sensor I was attaching to the display, I’d still want to do it with NMEA 2000 cabling for its plug’n’play ruggedness and expandability. If you’re in a marine electronics store this week, please check the Garmin 4000 and 5000 boxes and tell us if all the goodies below are listed on the bottom. Thanks!
Ben, you would do ALL of us 4- & 5000 owners a BIG favor if you’d ask your friend Greg DeVries (Garmin’s Marine Sales Manager) HOW they plan to provide their poor suffering existing owners with the new “goodies” from Garmin as part of their customer service and goodwill WITHOUT us having to shell out any more moolah!
By the way, I just checked out the two installation manuals for the 4000/5000 units…among the GPS differences, the April 2007 version which came with my unit also didn’t include a rubber gasket which evidently comes with the new units. This is to seal a “flush mount” installation like in a NavPod or on an cockpit or flying bridge panel. I’m going to call Garmin tomorrow as I’m just getting ready to install the 5212 into a NavPod.
Thanks for the head’s up about the updated manuals, Mike, but you’ll have to make your own pleas to Garmin. Sorry, but I just don’t think a consumer is “suffering” if he gets just what he expected — i.e. the regular 0183 GPS — but then the next batch of the same product gets a free upgrade. I feel your pain, but there’s no grounds for complaint.
Ben, thanks for your comments.
My problem with Garmin is the consumer gets stuck with the “luck of the draw”. My 5212 was literally just purchased a week ago; evidently from a low stock turnover dealer. It seems like a ‘no brainer’ to provide excellent customer service and the goodwill that it would engender to offer an exchange policy to those buyers that requested one – particularly for a product that retails for almost $4000! I know that the computer industry does this all of the time.
My “poor suffering” comment actually resulted from being an early Garmin aviation customer. We pioneering pilots all went through many fits and starts until they got their very expensive avionics products right for that particular market.
the new 4010/4210 and the 5015/5215 will both be shipped with the N2K gps from the get go with the 8″ and 12″ due to change over at a later date.
Just spoke to Garmin and here’s what their Marine Customer Service said after much on-hold time and checking regarding both the GPS 17x 2000 and the rubber gasket: “After checking with the Parts Department, these are both misprints in the 4000/5000 Installation Manual. The rubber gasket has never been made, doesn’t exist and we are not including the GPS17X with any 4000/5000 unit”. Whether that’s true or I’m being fed a load by an unknowing CS agent, hard to say…
Mike, I’d be extremely surprised if Garmin had changed its mind about making the GPS17x standard for all networked displays. But this is a fairly minor production transition within a sizable company.
Maybe commenter Kevin above has the timing correct, which may mean that yesterday no 4- or 5000 unit left a Garmin warehouse with a GPS 17x in the box. That would be true if the 10 and 15 inch units aren’t shipping yet and the switched over 4012, 4008, 5212, etc. boxes have not reached warehouses yet.
But that could change today, or maybe did change last week, and no one has explained it to Customer Service yet. I don’t know how they came up with “misprints” but imagine what an obscure issue this is given Garmin’s vast and always changing product lines?
This is not a model or price change, or a fix; it’s just an upgrade in included accessories. Many buyers who get the older GPS17 won’t know the difference, or won’t care, and the 17x will always be an option anyway.
I just purchased a Garmin 5208 from getfeetwet.com and received it on April 2, 2008 and it has the old style GPS sensor.
Received Garmin 4210 from RB Marine on April 3, 08. It came with 17x and all the N2K wiring.
Installation nearly complete.
Ben – do you know if Garmin will be offering a 15″ version of their 42xx series (i.e., non-touch screen) chartplotters? If so, when?
And another question: they’re listing HD radars for their closed array models only. Any word on when (presumably its a certainty) they’ll be offering HD on their open array radars?
Thanks.
Hi ,
As I’m interested with one of these units ( Garmin 4xxx) , I’m curious to ask an owner if they manage AIS CPA and TCPA alarms as it’s not really clear in the documentation I have.
Thank you for your answer !
Serge , Brussels
Ben I bought a 4208 from Hamilton Marine last summer and it came with the x receiver which worked just fine under the console of my Whaler.