Garmin Forerunner 305?

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~ Folly

Quoted message said:

I really want to get a GPS/HRM watch, but the 305 is sure spendy. I've
noticed that the street price of the 301 has fallen substantially since
the 305 was announced (like, to less than half the price of the 305).

It is due out some time this month. I've seen the 305 advertised for
$286.58 http://tinyurl.com/cujeg. The 301 is $171.84 on the same site.
REI is showing the 305 on back order for a much higher price.
http://tinyurl.com/auaun

Quoted message said:

Other than better GPS reception and the fact that it doesn't look like
you're wearing a matchbox on your wrist, what does the 305 have over
the 301? Is it really worth twice the 301? And just how bad is the
reception on the 301?

The first published review of the Forerunner 305 is here:
http://tinyurl.com/bd5oz

Here are some differences between the 301 and 305 from what I've
gathered from the site above and from Garmin's site.

* High sensitivity SiRFstarIIITM architecture provides for faster
acquisition
times and improves tracking in challenging conditions such as heavy
foliage or "urban canyons" created by city skyscrapers (see track
of
Muir woods below)
* Better view of the sky with the antenna placed at an angle below the
screen so that it faces upwards when worn on a runner's wrist
* Course functionality that allows you to record a particular run and
to
compare subsequent runs against it. They may download and share
courses with other users through MotionBased.com
* Auto pause feature that allows you to set up the unit to record only
when traveling at a speed above a set threshold
* auto lap feature which triggers a new lap under any one of a set of
different conditions
* Case is far more robust
* Screen has a far higher resolution
* HRM strap appears to be better quality
* HRM strap is softer and more comfortable
* More waterproof by removing the USB port from the unit

There is a also a review of the 305 by motionbased.com at
http://tinyurl.com/afta7
However, motionbased is owned by Garmin so I don't know how critical
they can be.

"SiRFstarIIITM architecture. That means dramatically improved GPS
reception. We've subjected our prototypes to GPS torture - Muir
Woods tree cover, Skeggs Point canyons, and downtown skyscrapers -
and they've performed like a champs. We were blown away to see our
route up-and-down the isles of our local Best Buy. Check out this run
though Muir Woods - the tallest trees on earth."

Pretty serious tree cover here:
http://tinyurl.com/9qpgr
http://i1.tinypic.com/nfjtld.jpg

You can check out the Garmin forum here http://www.garminf.com. Check
out the posts concerning the Edge 305. The Edge has been out for a few
months. It uses the same technology as the Forerunner 305, but is
geared for cyclists.

--
Phil M.

For what it's worth. I love the Forerunner. It has made all the
difference in my running motivation. If the 305 is smaller and has
better reception it is worth the money for me. Those two things were
my only complaint with the old one. Good luck!

Well, I have data only on the FR201, which I assume is similar to the
301. The real time speed accuracy BLOWS. I am very anxiously about
the 301, if it is as accurate as the Garmin marketing suggests it is,
it is well worth the money.

Quoted message said:

It might be too early for this, but does anyone have any personal
experience with the Garmin Forerunner 305 yet?

I really want to get a GPS/HRM watch, but the 305 is sure spendy. I've
noticed that the street price of the 301 has fallen substantially since
the 305 was announced (like, to less than half the price of the 305).
Other than better GPS reception and the fact that it doesn't look like
you're wearing a matchbox on your wrist, what does the 305 have over
the 301? Is it really worth twice the 301? And just how bad is the
reception on the 301?

thanks
ras

I bought a 305 from REI last week. I have a 301 which my wife was now
going to use. I've enjoyed using the 301 so anticipated the improved
GPS chipset for faster acquisitions. Wrong. The 305 would not achive
lock most of the time I turned it on. I left it one once for more than
2 hours, and it never was able to get a position fix. Cycling power
did not help. It would however achieve a GPS lock at times, but it was
slower than the 301 when comparing at the same time. So half of the
times I tried to use the 305, I gave up and used a different GPS (301
or 76CS) which always achieve lock in short order. The 305 has gone
back to REI and I have no intensions of trying it again. I will share
the 301 when needing to measure heart rate with my wife.

Other observations, the screen on the 301 is much more readable, even
though the 305 has higher "resolution". But maybe I'm now biased by my
bad experience.... The 305 was not a better performer than the 301.

APL said:

I will share
the 301 when needing to measure heart rate with my wife.

You sure you need a hrm for that? 😉 (sorry, couldn't resist)

On a more serious note,

Quoted message said:

Other observations, the screen on the 301 is much more readable, even
though the 305 has higher "resolution". But maybe I'm now biased by my
bad experience.... The 305 was not a better performer than the 301.

It's not surprising that a lower resolution screen is more readable if
the same size (at least with these small screens) - the pixels are
larger so the lines are darker.

Dot

--
"Success is different things to different people"
-Bernd Heinrich in Racing the Antelope

I can't speak for the 305, but I'm assuming the 205 is the same thing,
just without HRM. And my new 205 gets a satellite lock much better and
faster than my 201 ever did. I used to have to balance the 201 on a
front-porch railing outdoors, pointed straight at the sky for 3 to 5
minutes to get a lock. My new 205 gets a lock sitting indoors on a table
next to a window in less than 30 seconds.

Maybe you just had a bad unit?

"APL" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:1142984767.400349.120220
@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Quoted message said:

I bought a 305 from REI last week. I have a 301 which my wife was now
going to use. I've enjoyed using the 301 so anticipated the improved
GPS chipset for faster acquisitions. Wrong. The 305 would not achive
lock most of the time I turned it on. I left it one once for more than
2 hours, and it never was able to get a position fix. Cycling power
did not help. It would however achieve a GPS lock at times, but it was
slower than the 301 when comparing at the same time. So half of the
times I tried to use the 305, I gave up and used a different GPS (301
or 76CS) which always achieve lock in short order. The 305 has gone
back to REI and I have no intensions of trying it again. I will share
the 301 when needing to measure heart rate with my wife.

Other observations, the screen on the 301 is much more readable, even
though the 305 has higher "resolution". But maybe I'm now biased by my
bad experience.... The 305 was not a better performer than the 301.

On Wed, 22 Mar 2006 00:51:29 -0600, Newsdud <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I can't speak for the 305,

Well actually, I am a newsdud, and I speak for nobody but my pathetic
self.

Newsdude said:

I can't speak for the 305, but I'm assuming the 205 is the same thing,
just without HRM. And my new 205 gets a satellite lock much better and
faster than my 201 ever did. I used to have to balance the 201 on a
front-porch railing outdoors, pointed straight at the sky for 3 to 5
minutes to get a lock. My new 205 gets a lock sitting indoors on a table
next to a window in less than 30 seconds.

Maybe you just had a bad unit?

It is possible I did have a bad unit, though it did work at times. I
have not had any lock issues with the 301. I don't live surrounded by
a lot of foliage above to block the GPS signal. I hope it was just my
unit and not inherant to the 305 line.

APL said:

It is possible I did have a bad unit,

What's your boyfriend say about it? If your unit is under 5", then
it's likely a problem, more than that and you're golden with the
chics.

Quoted message said:

APL said:

It is possible I did have a bad unit,

Gee, a jogger with a defective unit? What are the odds...