Garmin Forerunner 201

"Anyone have comments
On the Garmin Forerunner 201?
It wasn't long before my
Timex GPS was on EBay
So I am trying to avoid that again.
Thanks. . . ."
~ J. Merrill

[Hey!]

So, like, Dude ~
What's the light like,
How often does it change?
When's this nightmare over?
EBay? Is that like, you know, Long Island
Sound? Xem
It? Or rhyme it?
Or just, forget about it all
And die?
Please don't lie. I trust you Greatly,
You know. Your work,
My Dante, my style, my Idle Isle
De C.

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Joe Merrill said:

Anyone have comments on the Garmin Forerunner 201?

Yes. Comments and lots of them. Ask Dr. Google.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

"Forerunner 201?"

"Yes. Comments and lots of them.
Ask Dr. Google.
Cheers"
~ DonVon

Who's that?

_______
Blog, or dog? Who knows. But if you see my lost pup, please ping me!
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General consensus is very good to excellent, given the limiting
parameters of GPS, re tall buildings or thick tree cover. I have had no
problems with accuracy, etc.

Join

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/

for more specific answers.

Joe Merrill said:

Anyone have comments on the Garmin Forerunner 201? It wasn't long before my
Timex GPS was on EBay so I am trying to avoid that again.
Thanks. . . .

Joe Merrill said:

Anyone have comments on the Garmin Forerunner 201? It wasn't long before my
Timex GPS was on EBay so I am trying to avoid that again.
Thanks. . . .

Joe,

I saw your post on the newsgroup about this, and since no one is giving
you a serious answer there, let me try.

I also had a Timex Bodylink before the Forerunner came out. I used the
Timex for my last marathon in January and when it added a 1/2 mile
mysteriously after about 16 miles into the race, I knew I had to try the
Forerunner.

I've had the Forerunner since February. In fact, I've had TEN since
then. They keep breaking. They seem to have a problem that's known by
Garmin and they just replace any units as they develop them.
Specifically, a black dot appears on the display, whether from moisture
(it's supposd to be waterproof) or from leaking lcd. Soon thereafter the
unit usually shorts out and stays dead.

The good news is while it's working, it works well. I used to get a lot
of "added" miles while doing my training runs with the Timex (like what
happened in the marathon). That NEVER happens with the Forerunner. Of
course, the Forerunner is one piece and I got used to the rather large
size of it on my wrist without any trouble.

The Forerunner also has MEMORY!! It can store a year's worth of runs (I
think I just saw in Runners World that it can hold 5,000 laps). It maps
the runs. The display is fully configurable - there are 2 static screens
each showing three measurements, while one screen is user progammable.

The battery life is great. If it says 13 hours, you get 13 hours. Not
like the Timex with it's useless bar - which wold show full until it
suddenly died 1/2 way through a run. Plus the battery is built in and
the charger doubles as the pc interface.

I live in AZ, but while in SF a couple of months ago it didn't work when
on streets with tall buildings. But I think that's true for all gps units.

Overall I really like using it. But there is that problem with the
display and then the unit dying. The customer service is great and I've
never had any problems dealing with them.

You could check out this for more feedback on the Forerunner:

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/etrexforerunner/

Joe Merrill said:

Anyone have comments on the Garmin Forerunner 201? It wasn't long

before my

Quoted message said:

Timex GPS was on EBay so I am trying to avoid that again.
Thanks. . . .

Got it a couple months ago, and I love it. I travel a fair amount, and
it really helps me keep track of time/distance when I run in unfamiliar
locales. I also like the fact that it helps me keep track of my pace
and time. I ran a Turkey trot race...having the Forerunner allowed me
to keep an eye on my time, and I set a PR. I've read comments from
others about the Forerunner getting "lost" when you're in wooded areas,
but I've never had that happen.

Bottom line--apart from my shoes, it's the best money I've ever spent
to enhance my running.

Jim

Joe Merrill said:

Anyone have comments on the Garmin Forerunner 201? It wasn't long before my
Timex GPS was on EBay so I am trying to avoid that again.
Thanks. . . .

BTW, what do you want to use it for ? If you're using it to estimate your
milage, it's probably just fine.

But if you want to "certify" a course for training purposes, it's probably not
going to be accurate enough. If this is what your intention is, see my post
about bicycle computers (which are much cheaper and more accurate)

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

Joe Merrill said:

Anyone have comments on the Garmin Forerunner 201? It wasn't long before
my Timex GPS was on EBay so I am trying to avoid that again.
Thanks. . . .

A waste of monery. Constantly losing signal, wild variations in pace
read-out, poor accuracy overall.

Mine's for sale if you want it :-)

--
Brian Wakem

"Joe Merrill" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Anyone have comments on the Garmin Forerunner 201? It wasn't long before

my

Quoted message said:

Timex GPS was on EBay so I am trying to avoid that again.
Thanks. . . .

i loved mine until my stupid wife threw it away by mistake. stupid.

it is ugly as sin but it keeps good stats. if the software was more robust
it would be great!

Quoted message said:

Hey Brian,

How much do you want for it? I might pick it up for my wife.

Brian Wakem said:

Joe Merrill said:

Anyone have comments on the Garmin Forerunner 201? It wasn't long before
my Timex GPS was on EBay so I am trying to avoid that again.
Thanks. . . .

A waste of monery. Constantly losing signal, wild variations in pace
read-out, poor accuracy overall.

Mine's for sale if you want it :-)

Brian said:

Hey Brian,

How much do you want for it? I might pick it up for my wife.

I don't know, make me an offer.  It's in perfect condition with box, manual
etc.

Are you in the UK?  If not I don't think it's worth shipping abroad.

--
Brian Wakem

So, the Timex is not accurate but the Timex unit uses the exact same
technology as the Garmin yet people still continue to say that the
Garmin is acurate, and the Timex is not. Look on the side of the Timex
people it says "GARMIN". Same satelites, same processors, same
everything when it comes to the GPS side of things.
I also live in AZ (Sedona) and I run through canyons, caverns, and
through thick tree growth and I have never had a problem with
reception, but it could be due to the area being free of buildings and
what not. Although there are a great many mountains and hills.
I would say buythe 201 as it is one unit and not 2, or 3 if you get the
Timex assistant device.

Quoted message said:

I saw your post on the newsgroup about this, and since no one is

giving

Quoted message said:

you a serious answer there, let me try.

I also had a Timex Bodylink before the Forerunner came out. I used

the

Quoted message said:

Timex for my last marathon in January and when it added a 1/2 mile
mysteriously after about 16 miles into the race, I knew I had to try

the

Quoted message said:

Forerunner.

Quoted message said:

The good news is while it's working, it works well. I used to get a

lot

Quoted message said:

of "added" miles while doing my training runs with the Timex (like

what

Quoted message said:

happened in the marathon). That NEVER happens with the Forerunner. Of

Quoted message said:

course, the Forerunner is one piece and I got used to the rather

large

Quoted message said:

size of it on my wrist without any trouble.

I live in AZ, but while in SF a couple of months ago it didn't work
when

Quoted message said:

on streets with tall buildings. But I think that's true for all gps

units.

Quoted message said:

Buddy Guy said:

So, the Timex is not accurate but the Timex unit uses the exact same
technology as the Garmin yet people still continue to say that the
Garmin is acurate, and the Timex is not. Look on the side of the Timex
people it says "GARMIN". Same satelites, same processors, same
everything when it comes to the GPS side of things.
I also live in AZ (Sedona) and I run through canyons, caverns, and
through thick tree growth and I have never had a problem with
reception, but it could be due to the area being free of buildings and
what not. Although there are a great many mountains and hills.
I would say buythe 201 as it is one unit and not 2, or 3 if you get the
Timex assistant device.

Lots of variables when it comes to reception. In some areas, it can vary
from day to day. Also, I've found that some days, it's really hard to get
a good lock, but once I get one, it stays. This is with a handheld magellan
GPS unit.

Regarding odometer accuracy, the firmware of the two units could differ, and
that could make a difference to the accuracy of distance estimates. The unit
I have seems to do some sort of smoothing and the odometer reading is worse
than useless, though one can read the track data into GPS software and get a
better estimate of distance via that route.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

"Donovan Rebbechi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Buddy Guy said:

So, the Timex is not accurate but the Timex unit uses the exact same
technology as the Garmin yet people still continue to say that the
Garmin is acurate, and the Timex is not. Look on the side of the Timex
people it says "GARMIN". Same satelites, same processors, same
everything when it comes to the GPS side of things.
I also live in AZ (Sedona) and I run through canyons, caverns, and
through thick tree growth and I have never had a problem with
reception, but it could be due to the area being free of buildings and
what not. Although there are a great many mountains and hills.
I would say buythe 201 as it is one unit and not 2, or 3 if you get the
Timex assistant device.

Lots of variables when it comes to reception. In some areas, it can vary
from day to day. Also, I've found that some days, it's really hard to get
a good lock, but once I get one, it stays. This is with a handheld

magellan

Quoted message said:

GPS unit.

Regarding odometer accuracy, the firmware of the two units could differ,

and

Quoted message said:

that could make a difference to the accuracy of distance estimates. The

unit

Quoted message said:

I have seems to do some sort of smoothing and the odometer reading is

worse

Quoted message said:

than useless, though one can read the track data into GPS software and get

a

Quoted message said:

better estimate of distance via that route.

i' ve used them both and both on the same routes. i got identically varying
readings...but the variance was in the hundredths of a mile. not that big a
deal unless you're building a bridge.

Quoted message said:

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

I believe Garmin no longer makes the GPS unit for Timex.

I have been using the Forerunner 201 for about 6 months and I like it a
lot. It does lose its signal in deep canyons, under thick canopy cover
and is slow to acquire a sat. in times with heavy cloud cover, but all
in all I find it to be a great training tool. Although my one real
complaint is battery life. Yes it lasts for about 13 hours, but if you
are into trips longer that that and want to track/monitor your progress,
I'd say look at the version with replaceable batteries. I think you lose
the PC interface with the Forerunner 101, but you don't have to worry
about recharging it in the back country.

My 201 is actually in for repair. The buttons stopped working. The say
they can fix it and under warranty. The Garmin support folks were
really nice to work with.

I give the Forerunner 201 an overall "Thumbs Up"

-Jason

Buddy Guy said:

So, the Timex is not accurate but the Timex unit uses the exact same
technology as the Garmin yet people still continue to say that the
Garmin is acurate, and the Timex is not. Look on the side of the Timex
people it says "GARMIN". Same satelites, same processors, same
everything when it comes to the GPS side of things.
I also live in AZ (Sedona) and I run through canyons, caverns, and
through thick tree growth and I have never had a problem with
reception, but it could be due to the area being free of buildings and
what not. Although there are a great many mountains and hills.
I would say buythe 201 as it is one unit and not 2, or 3 if you get the
Timex assistant device.

Quoted message said:

I saw your post on the newsgroup about this, and since no one is

giving

Quoted message said:

you a serious answer there, let me try.

I also had a Timex Bodylink before the Forerunner came out. I used

the

Quoted message said:

Timex for my last marathon in January and when it added a 1/2 mile
mysteriously after about 16 miles into the race, I knew I had to try

the

Quoted message said:

Forerunner.

Quoted message said:

The good news is while it's working, it works well. I used to get a

lot

Quoted message said:

of "added" miles while doing my training runs with the Timex (like

what

Quoted message said:

happened in the marathon). That NEVER happens with the Forerunner. Of

Quoted message said:

course, the Forerunner is one piece and I got used to the rather

large

Quoted message said:

size of it on my wrist without any trouble.

I live in AZ, but while in SF a couple of months ago it didn't work
when

Quoted message said:

on streets with tall buildings. But I think that's true for all gps

units.

Jason,

They will probably just send you a new unit. That's what they always
have done for me.

Your problem is quite common, with the unit dying like that.
And yes, the customer service people are very helpful.

holmbrew said:

I have been using the Forerunner 201 for about 6 months and I like it a
lot. It does lose its signal in deep canyons, under thick canopy cover
and is slow to acquire a sat. in times with heavy cloud cover, but all
in all I find it to be a great training tool. Although my one real
complaint is battery life. Yes it lasts for about 13 hours, but if you
are into trips longer that that and want to track/monitor your progress,
I'd say look at the version with replaceable batteries. I think you lose
the PC interface with the Forerunner 101, but you don't have to worry
about recharging it in the back country.

Depending on what you're looking for, you might check out the Foretrex
101 - AAA batteries which are now available in lithium (I'm assuming
should work with this) and tracks are downloadable. I think battery life
is supposed to be 15 hours on alkaline (but may want to verify), so
probably lots longer on lithium. It has more functions like a real GPS,
although it may not do altitude (didn't see it in specs).
http://www.garmin.com/products/foretrex101/#

I hate things that depend on rechargeable batteries since I'm not always
around electricity. No, I don't have any of the forexxxx family since I
use a regular GPS when I want one.

Dot

--
"Dream Big, and dare to fail." --- Norman Vaughn
who was with Byrd in Antarctica and whose 99th birthday was Dec 19

I think the Foretrex units also lack many of the running specific
features that are really cool about the Forerunner like: the Virtual
Partner, the pace alerts, auto lap features, interval alarms. It is
really a pretty complete device for the runner geek who like all the
cool data. I think the Foretrex products of more for hiking and sailing
because they have a more complete GPS feature set.

Dot said:

holmbrew said:

I have been using the Forerunner 201 for about 6 months and I like it
a lot. It does lose its signal in deep canyons, under thick canopy
cover and is slow to acquire a sat. in times with heavy cloud cover,
but all in all I find it to be a great training tool. Although my one
real complaint is battery life. Yes it lasts for about 13 hours, but
if you are into trips longer that that and want to track/monitor your
progress, I'd say look at the version with replaceable batteries. I
think you lose the PC interface with the Forerunner 101, but you don't
have to worry about recharging it in the back country.

Depending on what you're looking for, you might check out the Foretrex
101 - AAA batteries which are now available in lithium (I'm assuming
should work with this) and tracks are downloadable. I think battery life
is supposed to be 15 hours on alkaline (but may want to verify), so
probably lots longer on lithium. It has more functions like a real GPS,
although it may not do altitude (didn't see it in specs).
http://www.garmin.com/products/foretrex101/#

I hate things that depend on rechargeable batteries since I'm not always
around electricity. No, I don't have any of the forexxxx family since I
use a regular GPS when I want one.

Dot