Garmin AIS 300, first NMEA 2000 receiver

Today Garmin announced the $500 AIS 300, the first receiver to output NMEA 2000 as well as 0183.  Which means that if you're in Miami like I am, you can not only check out Garmin's new GPSMap 700 series, and the new top-of-line 6- and 7000 series, but what's also becoming quite the line-up of VHF and AIS choices.  Oh, plus HomePort and N2K/analog adaptors; is Garmin on a roll or what?  Actually the show doors open tomorrow, but today there are demo cruises with Sirius/XM Satellite Weather (most of the companies who use their receivers will be aboard) and with FLIR (which is getting to be a tradition).  I also mooched onto a small Humminbird demo with my Bonnier colleagues Chris Woodward and Glenn Law.  Hell of day!  I may not even be able to Twitter much due to those trips and other reasons, but weren't you planning to do the Panbo marine electronics poll anyway?

Ben Ellison is electronics editor for Bonnier Marine Group, specifically Yachting and Cruising World. He previously was electronics editor for Power & Motoryacht and SAIL, as well as a writer for Ocean Navigator. His blog posts appear courtesy of his website www.Panbo.com, which has 80,000 monthly readers worldwide.