Comments for Review: Garmin Forerunner 305 at http://www.surfski.info , comment 0 to 18 out of 18 comments http://www.surfski.info Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:08:06 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_1076 In the write up, it was said that paddlers cant wear it on their wrists as its so sensitive that it will measure the speed of their wrist movement. Would this not happen in running as well? Surely it would messure your arm movement if you wear it on your wrist and jog? - flick Sat, 30 Jun 2007 19:39:06 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_220 I\'ve been using my FR305 for a week now. I\'ve taken it paddling 5 times and it works great. It\'s really easy to program custom workouts. I program in warmup/cooldown time into every custom workout. For now I program everything into a workout so I only have to touch it once the entire workout to start it (no fun to constently take hand out of pogies). Using SportTracks to analyze the data is much better than the Training center that comes with it. One touch export to Google Earth, detailed split analysis, etc. Free too. Like Rob said, the screen is easy to read from the footstrap on my Mako (though water droplets will sometimes distort the screen..no big deal). I use 3 way split screen, though you can set the screen in any config you want up to 4 way split. And I think you can have it cycle through the screens/data you have set up. I use a Finis TempoTrainer for a metronome to keep my stroke rate in check. The FR305 takes a couple seconds to show speed changes, but I find it fast enough to be useful in stroke experimentation. I wish they\'d incorporate a metronome..It shouldn\'t be hard. It\'s gotten wet (not submerged) every paddle and no problems with that. Haven\'t tried HRM yet, sorry. When you do set distances (say 1000m intervals), it beeps 5 times as you near the projected 1000m mark based on how fast you\'re paddling. Of course, it has the same warning beeps on timed sets ending with an alarm to tell you it\'s on to the next interval (or a cheesy victory tune when your workout is complete). I\'ve also run once with it (~10k) and thought it worked great, maybe 50% wooded trail. Seeing that I used to use Google Earth to measure distances for workouts, and then if the winds picked up and I needed to paddle another way, oh well!..I think this unit is great. Sorry, I can\'t compare to previous versions..it\'s my first GPS. eric - Guest Thu, 09 Mar 2006 20:36:22 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_219 The 305 available in Aus is a different unit to the above. It is labeled as Edge 305 with HR (Aus$550) or Edge 305 with Cadence and HR ( Aus$559). These have the old USB ports at the back. Cadence does not work with paddling as the points are too far apart so that stroke rate cannot be loaded with all the other data for paddlers. You could use an accelerometer to measure this but this would be a separate unit and I don\'t think you could add it to the data in the Garmin software package. Has anybody found a unit or method that can include stroke rate to the data? - Guest Thu, 09 Mar 2006 09:58:16 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_200 The USB port recharges the battery in addition to transferring info to your computer. Bluetooth can\'t charge batteries... :cry - Guest Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:47:21 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_154 I just wonder why Garmin didn\'t use Bluetooth instead of a USB port on the watch. I have the Nike Traix Elite (for running) and it connects to my computer via bluetooth. No cables. - Guest Mon, 20 Feb 2006 20:15:12 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_147 I am also anxious to see just how much more accurate the 305 is over the 301. I have been running with the 301 for my last twenty runs and have noticed continual problems with elevation readings (1000 foot elevation swing when I am running on the beach), and many spikes and drop-offs with my heart rate monitor (205 to 75 bpm on a run of a very even pace on flat ground (my max heart rate can\'t be more than 165)). If I have read the product info correctly, Garmin has stated that both these problems have been addressed, but I would like to hear more info from \"field testers\" as to whether the improvements actually resolve these problems. - Guest Mon, 20 Feb 2006 01:52:09 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_146 I just pre-ordered one of these for $265 in the US. I\'ll let you how the virtual self works when it gets here. By the way there is a mini review of the 305 at motionbased\'s website by the creator of the site Aaron who also got a beta version... - Guest Sun, 19 Feb 2006 23:23:09 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_145 Hi, I also read the manual, and to me it looks that you have to perform quite a few keypresses to do various tasks like marking a location, switch to virtual trainer mode, select a previously stored location as your next target, etc. While this is OK when hiking, I can\'t imagine myself pushing so many buttons while running. What was your overall impression on menu navigation/functions? Thanks, Peter - Guest Sun, 19 Feb 2006 17:20:43 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_100 :upset :x :-) :? :sigh :p :x - Guest Tue, 14 Feb 2006 17:00:42 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_77 :upset :x :sigh - Guest Sat, 11 Feb 2006 15:35:45 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_50 I have long been awaiting a GPS unit that allows you to compete against a \"virtual self\" from previous workouts along the same route. The 305 seems to offer just this with its Course feature. I\'ve downloaded the manual, but the feature isn\'t all that well described. What is your experience with this feature? I see that the unit displays a map with your current and recorded position, which is excellent. Can you also get a numerical, real-time display of the distance you\'re leading/lagging your previous/virtual self? Kind regards, OTO Norway - Guest Mon, 06 Feb 2006 01:14:15 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_34 If you tell MotionBased that you were paddling, it automatically sets the elevation to zero no matter what the GPS actually measured! If you look at the actual data points you can see that the elevation reading varies quite a lot. Rob - Guest Sat, 28 Jan 2006 12:32:55 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_33 >> ZERO elevation gain I hadn\'t noticed that :-) Of course it does make sense given the activity (paddling at zero feet above sea level)... Garmin is hyping \"much more sensitivity\" as one of the key features of this unit. But as with my response to the guy who condemned the unit on the basis of a couple of bad HR readings from a single paddle, I\'d want to use the unit a lot more before coming to any conclusions! Rob M - Guest Fri, 27 Jan 2006 10:14:20 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_32 Is this possible? I\'ve looked at all 3 routes you\'ve uploaded to MotionBased and found it most amazing that it registered ZERO elevation gain (or drop)... Is this maybe due to the activity type (paddling)? The reason I\'m surprised is that in general GPS performs bad in recording accurate elevation changes - even on level surfaces it will record elevation changes ranging between -10 to +10 meters from my actual elevation (depending on the 3D accuracy of the GPS at the time). If it indeed accurately recorded 0 feet elevation changes it would score a perfect 10 in my books for GPS accuracy... Please let me know if it is indeed the case. Regards Andre Louw :grin - Guest Fri, 27 Jan 2006 10:05:51 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_27 Could the \"blanks\" on the HR data simply be due to the large distance from the chest strap to the unit mounted on the footstrap? My Polar 625X will go \"blank\" at that distance, too. - Guest Wed, 25 Jan 2006 23:38:17 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_26 To be fair to Garmin, a sample of two workouts is not a statistically meaningful number. During the first workout I detected no spikes or blanks at all. Who knows what might have caused the blanks in the second session. The garminf newsgroup will no doubt make their findings known if the 305 does have problems. But even with the occasional blank spot, the unit is still the best training tool I have ever used. Rob. - Guest Wed, 25 Jan 2006 22:09:27 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_29 I am glad they changed the port placement. Over the past 2 years I have had to replace 2 of the 301\'s due to corrosion and 1 due to the face leaking. I had a few irregular HR readings but that has been rare on the 301.Despite this problems I feel like it is a great training tool. Like the reviewer commented,I will be moving up to the 305 when my 301 dies. Wesley, Newport,RI - Guest Wed, 25 Jan 2006 22:02:39 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/134/156/#pc_25 Did I read the review right? He said out of two workouts the writter had a bad HR reading of 5 minutes two times during one of the workouts. During a 5 mile race that could be two miles out of five. This is not a good sign that the Forerunner 305 had two five minute blank spots in the readings for heart rate. I\'ve had an Polar S625x for years and it has never had a blank spot for more than 5 or 10 seconds and only one or two runs a week out of 5 or 6 runs. It sounds as if Garmin still hasn\'t gotten it right. I just stick to my S625x. - Guest Wed, 25 Jan 2006 21:37:59 +0100