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Well I got to test out a Garmin 440 and 545s with the Lake Michigan G2 Vision card today. I spent about two hours there with the manager who is a friend of mine going through all the menu's and features. Here are some key points that I found out.
Without the Vision card you can only zoom to the 12 mile scale to see the satellite overlay.
I would not even consider buying one without the Vision card. With the card you can zoom all the way in to see the satellite overlay but I found that at the 200 ft level it was still clear and zooming in more did not help at all.
Even on lake Winnebago with the Vision card it had photos of all the ports I go to.
The 440 did not have the resolution of the 545s and the labels looked blurred to me.
Overall the menu is easy to use. The Menu button is also a back one screen or step button so learning it was quick.
It does take a little time with everything turned on to redraw the maps but I was in simulator mode and overall in normal use it will not be a problem.
Summary:
Depending on if you have inland lakes or not and space requirements the minimum I would go with are the following.
425 or 425s with the Vision card for your area if you do not have inland lakes.
525 or 525s with the Vision card for your area if you do not have inland lakes. But have a little more money and or room to mount the head unit.
435 or 435s with the Vision card for your area if you have inland lakes.
535 or 535s with the Vision card for your area if you have inland lakes. But have a little more money and or room to mount the head unit.
The unit is not worth having if you are just going to use stock maps. By buying the ones listed above you can save $100 to $200 to pay for the maps and come out ahead.JMHO
I need to see the 3D features when hooked up to a transducer and be in the water before I have any comment on them.
You also have to get the Flush mount kit in order to flush mount the unit. It has a base you install first and then there are two tabs on the side that will release the unit once you snap it in. This means that the unit can be removed from the base in a couple of seconds and cannot be permanently mounted. This is the only option. Good for some bad for others. As soon as my flush mount kit comes in I will post if there is some way to defeat the quick release. That is all for now
The one thing that annoyed me is in the Nav screen when you show numbers you only have about three pre selected boxes to choose from and you cannot change the data in them. So if on top you have SOG you cannot change it to lets say Volts.
I am pretty versed in how everything works on the unit if anyone has any questions. I should have my 535s by Friday,
JUst got a 545s with vision card, will have it installed next week, will let you know how it goes. I also expierienced delay in chart scrolling at the store but was told it was due to demo mode. Was told that it should e seamless when working with a satalite. Seems to be a pretty sweet unit.
I do not think it is. Let me clarify the maps come up fine but the Sat overlay sometimes takes a little longer to generate. It is hard to know what to expect until the transducer and GPS are online and I am motoring in an area I know well. Then we will see what the unit can really do in the Nav and 3d modes. I try not to give false information so I will wait till it is installed to give further information of the capabilities of the unit. I still stand on everything I have posted above but that is my opinion and some may feel the resolution is fine in the 420-440 or 520-540 units. I looked at the A65 at the same time and found the Garmin much easier to use.
I also dont want to give any false info. Will have the unit installed next week and will give a good report on it. Regarding the processing speed, I believe it has to do with the sat photos, gps, sounder etc all working together. If it works like it did inthe store, it will go back. But I have had Garmins for a while and have been happy with them. Also, the new "safe routing" feature is pretty cool. When chosing a destination, it will auto choose a safe route through bouys and channels for you. Great when navigating through busy harbors that have several channels.
I'll be anxious to hear a real world report. My concern is that the processor can't repaint the screen fast enough because the vision files are so huge. Shouldn't matter if in demo mode or not, but I'll wait to hear what you guys have to say.
I dont really see using the Vison maps too frequently, but the 3d bottom imaging looks pretty good. It will be interesting to see how it all comes together.
Yes no problem. Just the Sat overlay sometimes took a while to show on the screen. Using the unit with and without the Vison maps is a night and day differance. If you are sticking that kind of coin in a GPS it is well worth the cost to include the maps in your budget.
What are the pros and cons of the 378 versus the newer 435 for marine use? I prefer the lower profil landscape display of the 378 for dual purpose marine/road use, but I like the resolution and ease of use of the newer models. The 378 for me is great, because out of the box it has everything I need.
My local Marine store just got the 545s units in and the sales guy was not too well versed in all the features. I am rigging a brand new 20' for S. Florida coastal and inland use. To access the XM feature are the requirements simply to add the XM subscription and a Antenna, or is a receiver needed?
The antenna is the receiver (it's a Smart Antenna). Remember you can only get weatherNo music with the 400/500 series. Not sure why. I've got one in hand I'll do some videos when I get a chance.
I was playing around with a 545S with a Vision card at WM today. Moving the cursor around the screen it was painfully obvious the processor could not keep up with the data. I suspect while cruising around at normal boating speeds it will appear to do a much better job of panning, but so far I am not impressed, especially not for $1500 (including the $300 Vision chip).
bluewaterpirate
Are sure about the 545s and not recieving xm radio? It is my understanding that the 400 seris you cant get xm radio but the the 545s you can purchase a adapter to go to your radio. I had Jim from BOE price one about 16$ https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=148&pID=8109
Theycan dislpayXM weather butdon't haveXM Mucicfunctionality. The 440 come with the GXM 31 Smart Antenna as part of the package but the antenna is extra ($205) on the 545's models.
I stand corrected MJ you saved from a life of darkness and no music........ Thanks
Dumb, dumb, dumb ...... I looked at the Garmin site and made a bad assumption based on what I saw. I saw 430/440 series listed at the bottom of the list and carried that over to the 545 series. I still haven't seen the owners manual for the GXM 31.
Tested Garmin 545s with Vision card at WM 
