Garmin International recently introduced the Rino 520 and Rino 530, two powerful additions to its line of two-way radios integrated with GPS technology.
The Rino 520 and Rino 530 boast up to a 12-mile communication range, large color display, mini-USB interface, and built-in auto-routing basemap. The Rino 530 has the same features as the 520, plus a seven-channel weather receiver, electronic compass and barometric altimeter.
“Whether being used for an outdoor emergency or for rounding up the family at an amusement park, the Rino series is an invaluable tool in any outdoor activity,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s director of marketing. “With nearly three-times more communication range than earlier Rino models, the Rino 520 and 530 offer the best all-in-one GPS and two-way radio communication unit.”
The patented location-reporting feature combines the unique integration of navigation and communication technologies in the Rino series, enabling users to “beam” their location to other Rino users over the Family Radio Service (FRS) and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) spectrum.
Other users can then see the location of the sender on their map display, which shows the distance and direction between the sender and those receiving the broadcast location. Rino units may also be used for location-polling. Utilizing this feature, a user can send out a polling request to a specific Rino radio within range, and the unit will automatically transmit back its location. These features have been lauded for their life-saving potential in search-and-rescue operations and other outdoor emergencies.
The Rino 520 and 530’s navigation is similar to the eTrex® Vista C. It offers a detailed basemap of North and South America, which displays cities, highways, railways, rivers, lakes and borders. When combined with Garmin’s optional MapSource® City Select® CDs, it performs automatic route generation, off-route recalculation, turn-by-turn directions with alert tones, and icon-driven menus for finding points of interest. The mini-USB port and 56 MB of internal memory enable users to download map data rapidly from a variety of Garmin MapSource® CD products, including U.S. Topo 24K, U.S. Topo, Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hot Spots™, and BlueChart®.
Like all Rino units, the blue colored Rino 520 and gray colored Rino 530 maintain Garmin’s traditional tough, lightweight and waterproof design to handle the rigors of any outdoor adventure. The clean, uncluttered face has a minimum number of keys located on the side and top of the unit, which make these units simple to operate in any condition.
Other specific features of the Rino 520:
- GPS accuracy: 10 feet or less when WAAS-enabled
- High resolution, 176 x 220 color TFT display with backlighting (display size: 2.2”)
- Battery power: Lithium-ion battery pack, 8.4V
- GMRS TX power: 5 watts (2 watts Canadian models)
- FRS TX power: 0.5 watts
- Battery life: 16 hours
- Calendar: Shows best hunting and fishing times, plus clock, stopwatch and alarm functions
- Trip computer with speed tracking, sunrise/sunset read out, trip timer and trip distance
- Waterproof: IPX-7 standards (submersible in one meter of water for up to 30 mins.)
- Storage of up to 500 waypoints, with graphic identification, and 20 reversible routes
- User adjustable squelch
- Exterior temperature reporting
- Robust track log: 10,000 trackpoints and up to 20 saved tracks to retrace user’s path or companion’s path via location-reporting feature
- Lightweight design: 10.4 oz (with batteries).
Additional specific features of the Rino 530:
- 7 channel NOAA weather receiver with weather alert detection
- Electronic Compass
- Barometric Altimeter
The use of GMRS frequencies in the United States requires a license from the FCC. Applicable regulatory agencies should be consulted prior to using the Rino radio outside the United States and Canada.
The Rino 520 is expected to be available in September 2005 and has an estimated retail price of $450. The Rino 530 is expected to be available in September 2005 and has an estimated retail price of $500.
