Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor
by Garmin
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor
Customer Review: Better than 405 & Polar....1 Caveat....Love GOOGLE EARTH!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I use mine for cycling and running, the direct link to see your workouts mapped on GOOGLE EARTH is FANTASTIC!!!! (the included software is far more stable than the junk Polar included with their HRM's.
Heart rate strap with replaceable battery is coded and comfortable. It's better in my opinion than the Polar products (of which I've owned three)
I'd avoid the 405 unless you really want to use this watch as a normal day to day wristwatch (check out the 405 reviews)
My only complaint is that it's easy to leave it on and run the battery down - which is a bummer if you're just about to work out. I wish there was an "auto off" feature which would shut it down if it detects no movement or heart rate within an hour or so. Fortunately, with Li-Ion batteries, as little as a 10 minute charge gives you enough juice for a 90 minute run.
This is much better than the Forerunner 201 which I previously owned (locks on satellites 10 times faster) and I'd avoid the 405 unless you really want to use this watch as a normal day to day wristwatch (check out the 405 reviews)
I bought the 201 when it first came out. It was head and shoulders above the Timex product (remote GPS pod) and I even used it to go geocaching.
However, I'd have to strongly recommend against anyone buying the 101/201 today - I was "lucky" to have lost this kayaking a couple of years ago at which point I upgraded to the 305. It is SOOOOO much better that I have to now rate the 201 as one star in comparison. (The 205 is the same as the 305 but without heart rate)
First, the 101/201 had a very unusual shape. The 205/305 is a bulky watch but the looong 201 prevented you from wearing gloves - a real problem when skiing, cycling, etc.
Second - and more importantly, the 205/305 have the SIRF Star III Chipset, which means it can lock on to your position and hold the lock better.
Imagine if you will - you're all ready to run and pumped up - whoops, you now have to wait an extra few minutes to lock your position, otherwise it cannot tell you your speed, location, etc.
My 201 locked on far faster than my running partner's Timex (He had to hang it on a tree while he was getting ready since it often took > 5 minutes to lock.) the 305 can lock in as little as 5-10 seconds most of the time. The 201 would lock in ~2 minutes half the time and would occasionally would take up to 5 minutes. If you had traveled to a new location ~100 miles away from your prior location, the 201 would take up to 10 minutes to get a new lock. ARRRGGGGHH.
Also the 201 would lose lock all the time when running in even moderate tree cover or heavy clouds. With the 305 I can even get a lock in my house most of the time.
Finally, the 201 cannot lock IF YOU ARE MOVING! The 305 can lock even if you're riding a bicycle. I think I've even gotten a lock while driving.
Yes the 205 and 305 cost more but with the huge difference in functionality I find it astonishing that Garmin would continue to sell the 101/201 given how much better the 205 and 305 are.
p.s. Don't bother with the 405. Interesting concept but not practical. Read the reviews.
If you've found this review to be helpful, please let me know!
Customer Review: Let me add my positive review to the others...
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been an on-again-off-again runner for years, and never bothered to use more than a heartrate monitor when running regularly. Last month I signed up for a half-marathon scheduled for August 2010. When I began looking into various training programs to get me ready for the run, I realized I was either going to have to spend some tedious time online mapping out my routes in order to be sure I was running the correct mileage on my training runs...or I could invest in something that would do that for me. I initially thought I wanted something smaller on my wrist, but since the smaller versions of the Forerunner cost twice as much, I decided I could handle the larger size.
I invested in the 305, have been using it for a week, and am very happy with it.
One thing I haven't seen in any previous reveiws is a mention of the tiny font used for the heartrate information. I was hoping I could do something about that: customize a screen, for instance, to make it larger, but I haven't found any way to do so. When I'm running, especially in dim light, I need to stop for a moment and peer at the tiny numbers to check my heartrate. Since this is a heartrate monitor in addition to its other functions, it would be nice if I were at least given the option to make the numbers on the screen larger and easier to read.
On the other hand, information I didn't expect to be interested in, such as my pace, has already become more important to me than my heartrate, so perhaps I eventually won't mind the tiny heartrate numbers.
Pace, as other reviews have mentioned, can vary quite a bit during the course of a run. I tend to notice a difference of about a minute-per-mile, even if I think I'm carefully running at a consistent pace. (As a beginner, I'm not completely sure I'm being consistent, even when I think I am). That doesn't really bother me at this point, I figure that as long as it's reasonably accurate, it keeps me from running too quickly or too slowly on my training runs.
I love the fact that distance is displayed. If I'm doing a four-mile run, I get on a trail, run just over two miles in one direction, turn around, run two miles back and walk the last little bit to cool down.
Satellite response time has been very quick for me: I haven't yet had to wait longer than a minute. When I can, I set it outside and turn it on, put on my running shoes, and the Forerunner is ready to go when I am. When I can't do that, I stretch for a bit while the Forerunner links with the satellites.
I didn't intend to write a review this soon after my purchase, but in only a week, my Forerunner has already revolutionized the way I run and the way I think about running. Instead of being stuck to my standard path or being forced to calculate a new route online, I'm free to run anywhere I want. Since I travel a great deal for work, this is incredibly helpful. I find a nearby trail, and I'm off!
As far as the size goes, it has not been an issue for me. The 305 is not as large as I'd anticipated, and other than the heartrate numbers, the large screen makes it easy to glance down and check my time, pace and distance.
I think this is a wonderful training tool, and I'm only sorry I didn't buy it sooner. I highly recommend it.
Customer Review: FR 305 Failed to Turn On
Summary: 2 Stars
As a few reviewers mentioned, the Forerunner 305 may have a tendency not to turn on at all and there is nothing in the small owner's manual that explains it. If this should happen to you, before you go to garmin or consider purchasing another as I was about to do, first take the following steps to see if your problem is resolved. Step 1: Depress the mode switch and lap/reset buttons together for about 5 seconds. Step 2: Release the two buttons and attempt to turn the 305 on as you normally would using the on button. Taking these two steps resolved my issue and it has not occurred again. I wrote this procedure in the back of my owner's manual in case it happens again so I wouldn't forget what to do.
Another area of concern from time-to-time is that the heart monitor doesn't always work...even if you use water or the gel that's recommended. I found out that after simply wetting the back of the strap with tap water as recommended and taking the following steps, the monitor will work within 15-30 seconds: 1) Turn on FR305 like normal; 2) press mode switch twice until you get to the list that shows History at the top; 3) Scroll down to Settings using arrow key on right side, then depress the Enter switch on right side; 4) Highlight General and depress the Enter switch again; 5) Scroll down to Accessories and depress the Enter switch; 6) Highlight Heart Rate Monitor and press the Enter switch; 7) Make sure word next to Heart Rate Monitor says Yes. If not then depress the Enter switch to bring up a window that gives you an option of Yes or No. Use up or down arrow on right side to highlight Yes and depress Enter again; 8) While still on this page use down arrow to hightlight Restart Scan, then depress the Enter switch. Back out of this page to your normal display page using your mode switch several times and then use your up/down switches to get to the page which shows your heart rate info. If your FR305 is within the distance from your heart monitor strap which should be properly positioned around your chest, you should be able to see your heart rate properly being read within the timeframe mentioned above. If not, double-check your strap for proper positioning per the book. You also may need a new battery.
Last thing I've noticed about the FR305 is that as many others have said, it seems to take forever for it to lock onto a satellite for the GPS feature. I've noticed this problem ONLY occurs if the FR305 did not come directly off the charger. In other words, I've noticed that it takes no time at all for the FR305 to lock onto a satellite IF it has a complete fresh charge on the battery. And I do not mean you took it off the charger yesterday when you used it and thought that because it has a lithium battery it should work just fine today. Nope. I did that and had the same complaint as all the other reviewers. So I tried an experiment. After completing my run for the day and downloading/uploading the software into my computer/Garmin Connect website, I turned it off and set it back on the charger. The next day it recognized a satellite within seconds....and I was in the house pointing the FR305 out the window! So far I have been doing this religiously each time after using the FR305 for the day and it hasn't failed to lock on quickly everytime. Try it out!
Customer Review: No stars for the disappointing Garmin Forerunner 305
Summary: 1 Stars
Very disappointing for the serious athlete.
1. Calorie Function: A huge disappointment. The calorie counter can not be activated when set to indoor mode - so much for counting calories when riding the trainer or running on the treadmill. When indoors and set to outdoor mode, the calories are not counted when the Forerunner can not communicate with the satellites. The Forerunner goes into auto-pause mode thinking you are at an intersection waiting to cross the street. Consequently in zone 5, you can spend 3 minutes and burn 1 calorie and in the next 20 seconds you can drop to zone 2 and burn 70 calories. Come on Garmin guys, this is really bad engineering. Calorie counting algorithms should not be dependent on a connection with a satellite.
2. Altitude Function: A huge disappointment. My 12 year old Avocet 50 does a much better job. The Forerunner does not provide accumulated altitude. Nor, does the altitude algorithms compute correctly (it is beyond hope). I feel like Keanu Reeves in the Matrix - in less than a second, I can go 60 feet straight down and then 120 feet straight up. I have seen other postings about the Forerunner altitude problems, but most people do not understand how these devices really work. Let me explain: The Avocet 50 calculates based on barometric pressure. When you start your course and finish at the same point, theoretically, the altimeter should return to the same altitude. However, it is normal to be off a few feet depending on the weather conditions. If a front moves in, expect the reading to be off even more. For me, this is okay, I understand what is happening and I can discount an 80 foot delta in 100 miles. My goal is to understand how many vertical feet per mile I am averaging. For a 100 mile bike ride with 10,000 vertical feet gain, means I climbed 200 vertical feet per mile on the climbs and averaged 100 feet per mile for the entire ride. The Forerunner computes based on satellite data. This is where the mistake is made. There is an assumption there is a direct line for the satellite to the Forerunner. However, in reality, these types of wireless devices get very confused when the signal bounces off of an object (such as a building, a large body of water, a mountain, etc.). If you are running around in a big city, training indoors, or near any large body that can reflect a signal, you will become Keanu Reeves for a few seconds. The Avocet 50 has a smoothing algorithm built in to the system. It will not measure insignificant altitude changes. The solution for the Forerunner is to use a smoothing algorithm and/or add a barometric sensor and compare the two results to determine the altitude.
3. Geo-Location Function: Another huge disappointment. These Garmin guys may be good at plotting points on a map, but they do not understand signal interference or what to do to with false data readings. When ever I am out for a run and decide to stop for an energy drink, as soon as I walk into the store, I am beamed directly through the walls and start bouncing around like being in a pin-ball machine. This effect is also caused from the same signal interference problems that I discussed in the altitude function. These problems are corrected by applying smoothing algorithms just as the Avocet 50 did 12 years ago.
Customer Review: Just what I was looking for
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the Garmin Forerunner 305 just last week and have had a chance to use it everyday this week. It is exactly what I expected and more. For starters, let me tell you I am a beginner so I can not verify that all of the data collected (pace, distance, hr) are accurate, but they seem pretty close to me. I jog around a lake and I did a google map point to point search and found the Garmin distance was within .2 miles of what Google maps told me. As stated earlier, I am not a beginner. My short term goal is to work my way up to running nonstop for half an hour and work my way up from there. I hope to accomplish this through interval training doing the run/walk method. Guess what?.... You can actually set the Garmin to beep after certain distances or time to let you know you are now in the next interval. I don't even have to look at the watch... just wait for the beeps. Its incredible. The heart rate monitor seems pretty accurate. Sometimes, I will stop to check pulse and it seems like the Garmin is always within 5 beats of my physical check. Just make sure you have the strap on right side up. One day I had it on upside down and my numbers seemed a little skewed. I love the fact that I can customize what information needs to be displayed on each of the screens. Since I use the interval feature, the first screen will contain information about the lap...number and remaining time. The second screen, I have customized to include additional information about that lap, and the last screen has info about the overall total. I have a whole other screed which I don't use! Overall, I think its a great product which will give you a wealth of information whether your the beginner or ultra marathoner.
The software that came with the unit is a bit limited. I really have not found a use for it and the map functionality could use an update. I subscribed to the GarminConnect site which was a little bit better but not the best. The good thing about it is you can view it from anywhere since all of the data is uploaded to the website. Maps are based on Google Maps here as well. I also downloaded Sports Trax ... for free!!!.... which is the best program I have found. You can get much more data through the graphing tool. You can also upload pictures of your shoes and the software will keep track of the mileage you put on them after each use. This is useful if you rotate your running shoes and need to keep up with when they need to be replaced.
I am happy with this product and it does much more that I expected. The reasons for why I gave it a 4 star rating are due to the software (not very intuitive), and the overall look of the unit. I love the big display, but I wish they would give you color options! Also, I am concerned about the microphone. They placed it on the bottom of the unit and I have noticed every time I take it off, there is a small pool of sweat underneath the case and on my wrist. I hope it is not easily water damaged. And while on that point, I wish they would have put a different material on the bottom keeping it from sliding around when wet. I do not like the feeling of the band squeezing on my wrist so I go just a tad looser. When dry it stays in place but when wet its starts sliding!