Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Watch – The Perfect Workout Tool For Bikers And Runners
The core of Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS 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 first 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 Garmin Heart Rate GPS always increments a mile when I’m within 5 or 10 feet of the mile marker sign on the path. Well, I think that’s the least I can expect from a $350 GPS unit! Of course it’s bigger than a normal running stopwatch, but that is not a problem for me. The heart rate strap is also very comfortable and well-designed.
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 seems really good and provides several 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 can simply 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.
The BIGGEST improvement of this Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver is that this model is more like a typical GPS in that it offers many different modes and screens to track various types of information (one can toggle between three different screens). For example, on one screen, I have the current time, sunrise, sunset, and running time. On another screen I have the grade, altitude, average pace, and current pace. I have heart rate, calories, distance traveled, and heading on the other screen. It looks amazing.
This is an excellent workout tool for the enthusiastic people!
Related posts:
- Why Do You Need The Garmin 305 Forerunner?
- Garmin Forerunner GPS Watch: Helping You Exercise Efficiently
- Worth For The Cash! Get Remarkable Garmin 305 GPS – Your Reliable Individual Trainer Watch
- Garmin Forerunner 305 – A Brilliant Individual GPS
- An Evaluation: Garmin 305 And Garmin 305 Forerunner
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