Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor
Christmas gifts For Him – Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor
- Made By: GARMIN USA INC
- Model Number: 010-00467-02
- See Description
When we talk about GPS, the Garmin trademark has been a leader for several years. If you already have a GPS system in your automobile, it is possible that it is a Garmin as it is the most popular brand. Garmin has come a long way from the large bulky units created for cars and they are now producing wrist worn GPS systems. When Garmin first went about creating the wrist worn gadgets they were not hot sellers. Because all the technology that was necessary to be fit in the unit, it was not a very portable size. The size of the wrist worn GPS units were roughly the same size as the normal Garmin.
The size concern has been addressed when Garmin introduced their 305 series of wristband GPS systems. This brand new GPS unit is much smaller in size than its predecessors, still it is still larger than a standard wrist watch.
This is a nice compact gadget which has both GPS and a heart rate monitor. Which makes this GPS unit great for folks who delight in adventures and exercising. As the company also made this GPS device waterproof, you don’t have to worry if it starts raining while you’re running or biking.
People are also saying nice things about the latest design as it wraps around their wrists, making it much more comfortable than the older models. The company also had to keep the GPS unit somewhat bigger than a wrist watch so that you will have no issue reading the wide screen display.
Changing the batteries a lot of the times will not be a concern either because this device is powered by a rechargeable battery. And the fact that this device is accompanied by a cradle so you can charge the device from your laptop is just another advantage.
Even though the GPS doesn’t possess all the features of the larger vehicle GPS units, it has everything you will need. This device nevertheless allows you to save positions, just like its more sizable brother. If you hit numerous different destinations, you can save them to design an exercise path.
And for those of you who want more of an exercise tool, you will see a number of amazing features with this unit. While being able to monitor your heart rate and keep it at a steady tempo is extremely important for a lot of people, this little guy can also allow you to monitor how many calories you have burned off throughout your exercise routine. A lot of people like competition and perform really well when competing, and this device allows you to compete against the computer. This feature can add a little fun to any workout program and will also help to keep you exercise more.
Amazon.com has this GPS device and other GPS units in the 305 series. If you don’t like paying retail, you won’t have to because Amazon is offering this Garmin GPS unit for $128, and that includes free shipping. One of the terrific things about purchasing this Garmin GPS unit from Amazon is the fact that you can save over $100 rather than paying the retail price.
This wrist unit has a lot more features that we never even mentioned here, so if you’re looking for other features, this Garmin GPS unit may have them. You really have to check this Garmin GPS unit out before you decide to get any type of wristband GPS with heart rate monitor. You already know that Garmin has been producing high quality GPS gadgets for many years and now you can have this high quality in a wrist worn unit..
List Price: $ 396.42
Price: $ 128.54
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Excellent workout tool,
I like this thing quite a lot. I’ve had it for about three weeks, and have used it on 12 workouts so far. I use it primarily for running, with biking a secondary usage. The main reason I wanted it was for the instantaneous readout of distance, running pace and heart rate, the latter needed for the speed work I want to do this running season.
The core functionality (distance and heart rate monitoring) works perfectly. There’s none of the signal drops I’ve had with other heart monitors. Once the satellites are initially acquired, I’ve only had one dropout when I was outside. The initial acquisition of the satellites can be quirky and can take some time. The accuracy (according to the readout) is +/- 25ft, depending on how many satellites can be found. I’ve compared the distance measurement on the GPS with a known, measured distance on one of the trails I run on (the Chicago lakefront path). The GPS always increments a mile when I’m within 5 or 10 feet of the mile marker sign on the path. Well, I guess that’s the least I should expect from a $350 GPS unit! Of course it’s bigger than a normal running stopwatch, but that hasn’t bothered me at all. The heart rate strap is also very comfortable and well-designed.
The display is crisp and has one outstanding feature: The information presented on the various pages can be completely user-customized. The default screen layout is rather poor, but in just a few steps I could replace it with the information I wanted to see while I run. There are almost 40 different data fields you can choose from for display. Examples: current pace, average lap pace, average run pace, heartrate, distance.
The only disappointment is the point-in-time (instantaneous) pace measurement: It varies wildly during a run. I see swings as big as +/- 3 minutes/mile. I’m a marathoner and I know my pace is fairly consistent during a run. I just looked at my run today, and according to the data the first mile varied from 5:57/mile to 12:06 mile. I suspect the problem is either in the averaging algorithm (too short a distance?), or in the uncertainty that results from different satellites coming in and out of view. The variations seem to get worse under tree cover compared with an open area. Luckily there’s a lap-average pace that can be presented, and at least that value is useful and more accurate. The bottom line is that you can’t look at the watch and say “right now I’m running 9 mins/mile”. There is the ability to specify a pace smoothing factor, but I have it maxed out and still see the variations. The elevation readout also seems inaccurate, but that isn’t important to me.
Upload of workout data to the PC software (Training Center) is transparent. The PC software is very good for presenting time/distance/pace/heartrate/calorie data. However the maps it shows are very crude. I’ve worked a bit with one of the online, subscription services (MotionBased). That looks really good and provides some additional functionality beyond the included Training Center software, although I still haven’t decided if it’s worth the $$$ yet for long-term data storage. MotionBased allows export to Google Earth, and it’s tremendously cool to see your running path superimposed on a satellite image. You can recharge the unit through the USB port on your computer, although it’s slower than using the dedicated recharger.
I had hoped that owning this device would prove motivational for me, and indeed it has. I can’t imagine running or biking without it. Updating my training log is trivial now: Plug this thing into my computer, and it’s done. My hope is that a future software update will do something about the pace calculation (maybe a few additional levels of smoothing?). If so, the Forerunner 305 would earn 5 stars+++.
Positives:
Flawless heart rate sampling
Great distance measuring and lap-average pace calculation
Seamless integration with a PC
Fully-automatic training log update
User-customizable display
Negatives;
Wildly-varying pace readout.
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|Better than 405 & Polar…GOOGLE EARTH alone is worth the upgrade!!!,
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)
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)
One nice feature is being able to customize the display screens. Another review criticized the 305 for the numbers being too small to read while exercising. I don’t have an issue but would point out that you can significantly increase the size of the display by simply displaying fewer fields.
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.
If you’ve found this review to be helpful, please let me know!
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|All I hoped for!,
With a few one-star reviews, I was a bit hesitant to order this. Now, after two weeks of use (10 runs of 2 to 2.5 miles each), I have no regrets with the purchase whatsoever.
I haven’t had any of the problems reported by any of the one-star reviewers. It syncs to the satellite in a reasonable* amount of time, seems to track my pace very well, tracks distance well, and the heart rate monitor seems WAY more accurate than the dedicated exercise machines at my local gym.
*by reasonable, it does take a minute or two to sync to the satellites each time. That’s the only thing I could possibly think of improving, but it’s not a big deal. Being the super-impatient person I am, I often turn on the watch, set it on my front porch, go back in and change into my running outfit, and by the time I come back out it’s ready to go.
I haven’t seen the pacing issues others have reported. I’m a beginning runner… but if I keep a solid pace… it reports about 10mins/mile… if I push a little harder… about 9mins/mile… if I let up… about 11mins/mile. It seems very consistent over my entire 2-2.5 mile run.
I have a 2.1 mile run where I’ve done the same exact route about 6 times… and when I compare the maps of each run… they overlap almost exactly.
I have thyroid and heart issues, and this watch gives me the confidence to know I’m not exceeding my max hr for too long (I can easily get into the 180′s) and gives me the feedback and stats to keep me motivated.
Last but not least, I’ve bought dozens and dozens of items from Amazon over the years, and this is the first review I’ve taken the time to write – hope that gives you an indication of how happy I am with this product.
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