I'm with you there in most respects, but I've come to NEED my GPS after a passionate affair over a number of years.:DQuote:
Originally Posted by sjedwardz
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I'm with you there in most respects, but I've come to NEED my GPS after a passionate affair over a number of years.:DQuote:
Originally Posted by sjedwardz
Fudge, don't forget that you also need a nice piece of thin, slightly stretchy string to measure on the map how far you have run.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fudge the Elf
Stretchy string makes it look as though you've not run very far! I use very thin copper wire - flexible enough to get the intricacies of the route and doesn't stretch.Quote:
Originally Posted by RichT
It depends how you use it! I follow the intricacies as close as possible then lay said string across the grids to measure total distance, stretching it as much as I feel the need to!Quote:
Originally Posted by Pilgrim
Sussing out ydt's Meirionnydd Round in Snowdonia finally converted me to gizmoism. You need far more detail than OS or Harveys will give you, to get a reasonably efficient line. Plus the sheep trods... Yiannis of course can remember every rock and sheep trod :eek:. Brilliant info SteveS -thanks a lot. 305 sounds good to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fudge the Elf
I've got a 305 and a 405, so no axe to grind either way.
The 405 is my favourite because its a proper watch, not a wrist-bound TV. You can use it with GPS off and then the batteries last ages. The wrist strap snapped recently when I fell and a new one costs £20. May be a coincidence but I know someone else whose 405 wrist strap has also broke.
Functionally the 305 is superior. It has better battery life with GPS on, it is directly compatible with more software and you can use it for navigation.
At the Rossendale way in a day last weekend, I needed a watch that (a) could last 9.5 hours; and (b) can provide a 'bread crumb' trail of the 42 mile route so we wouldn't get lost at the front of the pack. The 305 ticked both boxes, the 405 ticked neither. The 305 was perfect for the job.
But if you don't need the long GPS battery life and bread crumb trail navigation, don't muck about much on the computer, and can afford the hefty 405 price tag, thats the one to go for.
I have a F405; never use it to navigate with and in my experience battery life is 5 hours max with HR and GPS on, but it is a fantastic bit of kit for keeping tally of time / distance / height gain / HR on runs, plus it is brilliant for my training. I have a fairly scientific training plan from my coach that will include HR zones, plus tempo runs at different target paces. With the 405, I can programme in the session (on the PC) upload it to the watch and off I go.
I don't use the Garmin "Training Centre" software as my training / race diary, but upload all the data into Sportstrack. I also have a Garmin Edge 305 for the bike which has pretty much the same functionality but a much better battery life.
I do also tend to wear it as a watch at weekends.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brummy John
Nice comparison, those were the main reasons I chose the 305. yeah its bigger but it has a much bigger screen so its bound to be! If it fails and is out of warranty I'd get the new 310xt which is even better:p
More money though so would wait for the prices to fall a bit.
...and it seems like it gives GB OS rid refs as well!....
Providing the navigation qualities are the same or better as a 305 it looks good to me.
fb
Im going for the Garmin 305
Ive looked on ebay but with the postage i cant seem to find anything that cheap.
After a quick google ive found this one so far for £135 with free postage.
http://www.bitesizedeals.co.uk/index...FZkA4wodfyBx_Q
If anybody knows/can find any for less that 135 inc. postage please tell me.:)
Al
If you type 'bitesize deals problems' in google you will find that some people have given the company some fairly negative feedback
I use ' Motion Based' software to download my runs and bike rides, they have just revamped it as ' Garmin Connect'
is it as good ? can't really make my mind up,think I preferred the Motion Base one.
I like tracking my runs on Google Earth, quite fascinating
The Garmin connect website is really slow and motion based is good.
Thread hijack... I have the Garmin 405 which is great and wanted to put courses onto my 405 next week when I am around Pendle on holidays, however the watch will only store one course at a time.
The Garmin Training center software has the "ability" to import courses once you export them from Garmin Connect onto your PC so you can store them as a TCX file and send to your watch when you want, however this doesn't work and is frustrating the hell out of me.
Does anyone else know of any software which does the same as Garmin training centre but works?!
Its taken me 6 months, but ive ordered the 305.:D
Supposed to be arriving today...hope it does...i can go and do a hill rep session and see what nice pretty number it tells me ive climbed.:D
Good arrows! I've used them since 2005 & am on a 305. The best bit for me is relaxing with a tin of lager free alcohol & importing the track I've just done to see where I went, where I got lost etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Fowler
It has helped me pace myself & get a bit faster.
The Forerunner is great if you want to know where you went and even where you are going. I have found GPS a great way to improve my map and compass skills - not as an alternative. By-the-way, I just started using a free download software to anal(yse) my trainning runs http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks/Downloads/ this is much better than the Garmin Training Centre and comes with somewhat better mapping software (incl. satalite images).
I've got the 305 as I wanted to be able to better clock my run distances when i'm darting down different tracks on the Chevin, or need to hit a particular mileage in a session. Generally really pleased with it, especially at the price (£120?), would recommend it but be aware of 2 things that could be much improved:
1: It takes ages to pick up a satellite signal, and I mean about 5 minutes. I have to leave it on the doorstep while I get dressed and sort my shoes/dog out. Once on though i've never lost the signal under tree cover etc so that's good.
2: Altitude is unreliable, but when worn on wrist is positively useless due to the fact that your arms go up and down when running!! In an hours session on the athletics track I apparently did 500ft ascent & 700ft descent!!!!!!!!!
If you can get over that, it does give a reasonably accurate view of your current altitude.
I was looking at Garmin's and Suunto's today, comparing features and reviews etc. In the end i settled for one of these: :D
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/images/silva...surer-plus.jpg
Not a wind up it's true, i got a really good deal on the bay :D
Does it count contour lines too?;)
Unfortunately not but i'll just do that myself. I can now throw away the tatty piece of string i used to use to measure distances :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by southernsoftie
as the last post on here was 3/2010 are there any NEW gps / heart rate watches, usb stick ect on the market that anyone recomends about time i invested in one me thinks
cheers.
8 hours! About 7 1/2 hours too long! :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Feet in the Cowclaps
I've got the 405CX and it has been great.
Whatever you decide to get, just be patient and watch Amazon for a few weeks. Cheapest prices go up and down surprisingly much.
Takes me that long to warm up and convince myself I'm enjoying it:wink:Quote:
Originally Posted by Feet in the Cowclaps
I've got the 405CX and its great except the battery life is sometimes only 7.5hrs when its recording a run...got to admit that I never thought I'd see the day when that was a problem but I've come to enjoy my long runs and really like a record of them. Re watch strap, I didn't like the plastic one as I have quite small wrists so I changed it to the fabric one which was included when I bought it and that is really comfy.
Sometimes my watch has glitches where it gets stuck on one screen but I've learnt how to do a force reset (hold down the two buttons on right for ten seconds) and that sorts it out.
I love my Garmin 405. I've had it since 2008 and it's never failed me in all that time. Easy to use and less bulky than than the 305 - which to me always like someone's strapped a cooker timer to their wrist!
I'll sell my garmin 405cx if anyone is interested..... I don't use it. Bought at Christmas and worn a handful of times...£100
Whats the differance between the 405cx and the 410 they both seem the same as far as i can tell, has anyone got the 410?
I've used a 305 for the last four years; 100%reliable, easy to use once you get used to it, all the features you need.
I actually got mine free as part of a corporate sponsored triathlon team but, if it broke, I'd buy another without hesitation (if you can still get them; might be obsolete by now?)
I have a 310XT - I cant sing its praises enough. Great battery life - advertised as 20 hours - I have had over 16 hours from it. I have never had any problems with it and love it - not pretty to look at but I dont wear it for nights out, only for training.Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodzy
Any updates here?
I'm thinking about getting a Forerunner 410,as they're quite cheap, but given the 310xt is out , and similarly priced, I am confused!! Does anyone have experience of either / both??
I have a 310xt -it downloads by wifi, has a vibrator, is water proof and has updated/prettier data pages. (I have had several 305).Quote:
Originally Posted by Blacky
Haven't people been disappointed with the bezel feature on the 410?
The previous post mentioned 410XT, I don't think such a watch exists, maybe it was a mis-type for 310XT ?
The XT stands for cross train, and there are 2 models, the 310XT and the 910XT - they are primarily designed as triathlon watches, and as such have long battery life, advertised as up to 20 hours. All other Garmin running watches have a battery life advertised as up to 8 hours. Many ultra runners will go for the 310XT or 910Xt because of the longer battery life.
If you don't need the long battery life, then check out all the other features at the Garmin website and decide what is best - it may come down to looks and size ( the 410 more like a normal watch compared to the 310 ) if you want to be able to wear as an every day watch.
Graham, I think it was the 405 that had all the bezel problems, the 410 is a lot better I believe, but I have not owned either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham Breeze
OKQuote:
Originally Posted by Yaks
I have only had 305 (three actually!). One cannot pretend that the "chunky" size of the 305/ 310xt is ideal but on the other hand as an erstwhile engineer I believe sometimes miniaturization leads to compromise.
I've had the 205 twice!! the battery connections eventually disintegrate, Garmin will repair but it costs around the 50 quid mark, I've given up now and just run how I feel which I think has made me quicker and I've run enough local routes to have a good idea of how far things are, as a bonus I now no longer run with my 'Garmin arm' which my kids used to make fun of, I've only been running for around 7 years so found the Garmin a helpful tool when starting out, I did find that I had a tendency to 'race the watch' all the time or add extra miles, as nine and a half was never enough, it always had to be 10, then when it was 10 every run had to be a half marathon etc etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Fowler
lol, I can see myself developing one of those.Quote:
'Garmin arm'
I've only been at it for a few months and think it will definitely help keep track of progress etc.
Think the bezel's relatively sorted on the 410 now - not sure I'm gonna need 20 hours battery life for a while yet but what's it really like on the 410?
Edit:
Just compared the specs for the 410 and the 310xt (thanks for that Yaks) and basically they're the same apart from the battery life (way more on the 310) and some multi sport related functions (of no use to me) and, obviously, they look different. 410 has to be the winner then, as it's cheaper!
Yes. The 405/410 is functional, but the screen is small, battery life poor and the bezel a pain in the backside. I have been keeping my eye open for a 310xt, when one comes my way at a decent price I'll grab it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham Breeze
Not quite in the same vein (i.e. wrist-mounted), but I do have one of the new eTrex 30 GPS units and it is absolutely brilliant, once I'd worked out how to drive the thing it rapidly became a treasured item. Terrific bit of kit and very durable (waterproof), possibly its only real drawback is the smallish screen.
Martyn
The actual battery life you will get will depend on how many features you have enabled - eg distance alerts ( beeps or vibration say every mile ), time alerts, etc, how often you use the light, how often you look at different screens during the run, etc, etc. I normally get about 6.5 hours from my FR610 which I think has the same battery as the FR410Quote:
Originally Posted by Blacky
That's better than my 405. I struggle to get more than 5 hours out of it, it's not been that useful on the fells if I'm honest. I've got an old 205 that has lost its beep and the battery life on that is much better.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yaks
eTrex 30 will last 24hrs + on a couple of decent AA 1.5v batteries.