Garmin: GPS chartplotters, fish finders and LiveScope live sonar

Garmin, an American company founded in 1989, designs GPS units and marine electronics for fishing: chartplotters, fish finders and live sonar.

1989
Founded in Kansas by Gary Burrell and Min Kao
Olathe, Kansas
Brand headquarters in the United States
LiveScope
Real-time live sonar launched in 2018

The story of the brand

Two Kansas engineers and a first GPS for boats

Garmin was born in 1989 in Kansas, first under the name ProNav. Its founders, Gary Burrell and Min Kao, met at King Radio, a maker of aviation electronics. The name Garmin combines their two first names, Gary and Min.

The brand's first product was a GPS for boats, the GPS 100. It was shown in 1990 at the IMTEC show, a marine industry trade event. In 1991, Garmin opened a factory in Taiwan. Since then, the brand has kept control over the manufacturing of a large share of its devices.

Garmin then turned to what happens under the hull. Panoptix sonar arrived in 2015. In 2017, Garmin acquired Navionics, the Italian marine chart specialist based in Viareggio. One year later, in 2018, the brand launched LiveScope, a live sonar that shows fish in real time. This sonar and the ECHOMAP chartplotters now equip fishing boats at sea and on fresh water.

Key dates

SKU 010-02706-00
Brand Garmin
Weight (g) 5000.0

LiveScope™ Plus System with GLS 10™ and LVS34 Transducer

2.199,00€
SKU 010-02879-01
Brand Garmin
Weight (g) 5900.0

ECHOMAP™ Ultra 2 10"

2.249,99€
SKU 010-02687-01
Brand Garmin
Weight (g) 4000.0

ECHOMAP™ UHD 2 9"

1.249,99€

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Everything about the brand

Who founded Garmin?

Garmin was founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao. The two engineers had met at King Radio, a maker of aviation electronics. The company was first called ProNav. The name Garmin then combined their two first names, Gary and Min. The brand's headquarters are in Olathe, Kansas.