Opinions on Garmin Edge 305
Kendall
software updates that have improved it? I ride some remote country roads
and would like to be able to use GPS for orientation, navigation and finding
my way back, but I would also like the training features. I have read that
you don't really see where you are on a map etc. but can you use it to
navigate etc.?
Thanks in advance,
Kendall
Ken
news:nK6dnfgkCLcfmt7Z...@comcast.com:
> been software updates that have improved it? I ride some remote country
> roads and would like to be able to use GPS for orientation, navigation
> and finding my way back
Garmin Edge does not display your location in real-time, so it is not a good
choice for navigation.
Skippy
"Ken" <u...@ftc.gov> wrote in message
news:Xns97A7D0...@192.160.13.20...
Well that depends on how good you are at navigating! I bet you can get
lat/lon or local grid coordinates out.
Taking a few seconds to look in the manual online... It doesn't have
internal maps. You can program routes. You can probably 'track-back' to
where to started too. I never really rely on anything electronic for
navigation. I take paper maps and compass too. I even try and remember how
to use them once in a while.
GPS is very handy and the the 305 looks like a great little box (saw one at
the weekend). Like most 'outdoor' GPS units it isn't about built in route
planning or pretty picture maps. It's about positioning and recording. It
uses a SirfStar 3 chipset which is as good as it gets. I'd be tempted by
the HR recording. Lots of lovely data to play with.
The main drawback with it seems to be the internal battery. It's flat...
you're lost... no easy way to turn it back on again. Ever used an iPod?!
Skippy
E&OE
peter
> "Ken" <u...@ftc.gov> wrote in message
> news:Xns97A7D0...@192.160.13.20...
> > "Kendall" <ckstover-t...@comcast.com> wrote in
> > news:nK6dnfgkCLcfmt7Z...@comcast.com:
> >> Any opinions on the Garmin Edge 305 would be appreciated. Have their
> >> been software updates that have improved it? I ride some remote country
> >> roads and would like to be able to use GPS for orientation, navigation
> >> and finding my way back
> >
> > Garmin Edge does not display your location in real-time, so it is not a
> > good
> > choice for navigation.
>
> Well that depends on how good you are at navigating! I bet you can get
> lat/lon or local grid coordinates out.
Not clear to me that it displays either of those. I think it will show
you graphically which way you went and guide you back out the same way,
but it won't help you find a shortcut back.
> GPS is very handy and the the 305 looks like a great little box (saw one at
> the weekend). Like most 'outdoor' GPS units it isn't about built in route
> planning or pretty picture maps.
These days most of the outdoor GPS units do support mapping. There are
still a few basic models that don't like the yellow eTrex and the Geko
models, but higher models like the 60C/S/x and LegendC/x or VistaC/x
can display detailed maps and let you see alternate paths.
> It's about positioning and recording. It
> uses a SirfStar 3 chipset which is as good as it gets. I'd be tempted by
> the HR recording. Lots of lovely data to play with.
But the tracklog data is available with the other models that also
support mapping as well - just without the HRM. The hiking-oriented
models seem much more versatile than the 305.
>
> The main drawback with it seems to be the internal battery. It's flat...
> you're lost... no easy way to turn it back on again.
Pretty easy solution - get one of the little holders that take 4 AA
cells and use that to recharge when needed.
john
>Pretty easy solution - get one of the little holders that take 4 AA
>cells and use that to recharge when needed.
That's doable? One can just replace the built in batt. w/ a 4 AA
adapter
that fits inside the 305? Does this render the rechargeable batt
useless?
Great news if it doesn't make the built-in batt. useless, John
Richard Bollar
The Edge does not support much in the way of navigation at all. The
only way to see your current latitude/longitude, for example is to
create a waypoint. The map only shows waypoints you've entered plus
the current track.
It is great fun for training, though.
You can see some of my thoughts on the Edge here:
http://www.bollar.org/edge305.htm
Richard Bollar
No, you can't replace the internal batter with 4 AA batteries -- the
case is way too small.
I believe the other person was referring to a USB charger, which can
power a USB device with 4 AA batteries.
peter
> Peter wrote:
>
> >Pretty easy solution - get one of the little holders that take 4 AA
> >cells and use that to recharge when needed.
>
> That's doable? One can just replace the built in batt. w/ a 4 AA
> adapter
> that fits inside the 305?
No, as I wrote above, you use the 4 AA cell holder to recharge the 305
when needed. One of those little Bento Box things that sit on the top
tube would be a good place to hold the AA holder and you could connect
it to the 305 when the internal battery starts to run down.
Most electronic devices can be operated while attached to the charger
and I'd expect that would be true of the 305 as well.
Kendall
news:1145318010.9...@e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com...
Thanks for the info. Nice overview on the web site. It sounds like a very
cool bike computer overall. I wonder if they will eventually come out with
a version that has more mapping and nav capabilities. Something like the
GPSMAP series with SiRF and the bike functions. For now, can one download a
route from another source to the 305.
Thanks,
Ken
d...@topowest.com
> cool bike computer overall. I wonder if they will eventually come out with
> a version that has more mapping and nav capabilities. Something like the
> GPSMAP series with SiRF and the bike functions. For now, can one download a
> route from another source to the 305.
They do. It's called the Foretrex. I have a Foretrex 201 and
Forerunner
201 and have found the Foretrex more useful so far. No HRM though. I
use GPStrans under Linux to download from the foretrex and then I plot
the
tracklog on my site:
http://www.topolabs.com/dkl/blog/11-07-2004/
http://www.topolabs.com/dkl/blog/11-01-2004/
Doug
Joe Riel
> They do. It's called the Foretrex. I have a Foretrex 201 and
> Forerunner
> 201 and have found the Foretrex more useful so far. No HRM though. I
> use GPStrans under Linux to download from the foretrex and then I plot
> the
> tracklog on my site:
Do you have a driver that works with the USB on the Garmin 205/305?
I haven't figured out how to download stuff from it using my Linux box.
--
Joe Riel
d...@topowest.com
'logbook' program found on the Garmin site.
FWIW gpstrans will work with any standard (NMEA) GPS. I put this in
my .gpstrans file (am in California).
# Properties file of gpstrans - do not edit this file
FMAT: 0
OFFS: -8.00
DATU: 61
DEVI: /dev/ttyS0
MODL: y
dkl
Kendall
<d...@topowest.com> wrote in message
news:1145322657.6...@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com...
The Foretrex doesn't have cadence (does it?) and is not SiRF.
d...@topowest.com
>
> The Foretrex doesn't have cadence (does it?) and is not SiRF.
1. Correct. What irked me about the Forerunner was that I was not
able to set the split feature to be suitable rowing.
2. I dunno if it's SiRF or not. But that's a chipset, right? What is
the effect of SiRF on functionality? Not saying there isn't any, just
that I don't know what it is.
dkl
Skippy
"peter" <prat...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:1145310213.7...@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Owning the older Legend, and having looked at the Legend C, the mapping was
far from detailed enough for navigation away from classifed roads (UK). I'm
happy to stand corrected if the other units do have such maps. It seems
unlikely that a handheld unit would store anything like the detail of a
paper map: that was my point.
>
>> It's about positioning and recording. It
>> uses a SirfStar 3 chipset which is as good as it gets. I'd be tempted by
>> the HR recording. Lots of lovely data to play with.
>
> But the tracklog data is available with the other models that also
> support mapping as well - just without the HRM. The hiking-oriented
> models seem much more versatile than the 305.
>>
>> The main drawback with it seems to be the internal battery. It's flat...
>> you're lost... no easy way to turn it back on again.
>
> Pretty easy solution - get one of the little holders that take 4 AA
> cells and use that to recharge when needed.
>
Not sure that's a great solution. A replaceable battery, as most older
units seem to have, seems a lot easier to me.
d...@topowest.com
> > Pretty easy solution - get one of the little holders that take 4 AA
> > cells and use that to recharge when needed.
> >
>
> Not sure that's a great solution. A replaceable battery, as most older
> units seem to have, seems a lot easier to me.
I dunno about the newer models, which do have a different form factor,
but the batteries in both my Forerunner 201 and Foretrex 201 have been
a complete joy to use. They are not removable but are quickly
rechargeable (well under an hour) and do last the advertised 15 hours.
So far, anyway - I probably have less than 100 or 200 hours on each
unit. But so far they are -way- easier to use and longer lasting than
removeable AA or AAA cells. If I forget to charge my Foretrex or
Forerunner until the moment I want to leave the house, and they are
both totally dead, I can get a two-hour+ charge on them in 5-10 minutes
while I stand there tapping my foot or go to the john one last time.
Awesome!
dkl
Skippy
<d...@topowest.com> wrote in message
news:1145381237.6...@z34g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
just wary (as a former electronic engineer) of sealed-in batteries. All
cells do have a finite lifespan. I can see the plus points (simplicity,
smaller unit, possibility of longer operating time).
I suppose that GPS is just a nice-to-have, so no one should be lost without
it!
Skippy
E&OE
SuperPoo
"Kendall" <ckstover-t...@comcast.com> wrote in message
news:nK6dnfgkCLcfmt7Z...@comcast.com...
I have had my edge for a month now. Other than issues speed spikes coming in
and out of tunnels it has worked well. It is more of a training aide than a
navigation device-- though you can navigate using preloaded courses. You can
lso display up to 16 data fields between the two "virtual" computer displays
while riding. Using workouts and courses you can race a virtual partner. The
firmware is upgradeable and Garmin seems to be actively supporting consumer
input. In the month I have had mine Garmin has issued two firmware updates.
I would recommend getting the cadence and speed sensor because gps for speed
is a bit jumpy for my liking.
Steve
carl...@comcast.net
Dear Joe and DKL,
Here's a Linux Garmin USB driver project page:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/garmin-gps/
This page goes through some details setup and testing for a
Garmin 18 USB connection on a Linux laptop:
http://www.trigger.is/blog/archives/2005/01/28/14.47.47/
And this page mentions using the Linux Garmin USB driver and
has some screen shots of a Linux GPS program in action:
http://www.gpscentral.ca/products/garmin/18.htm
Cheers,
Carl Fogel
peter
> "peter" <prat...@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:1145310213.7...@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> > These days most of the outdoor GPS units do support mapping. There are
> > still a few basic models that don't like the yellow eTrex and the Geko
> > models, but higher models like the 60C/S/x and LegendC/x or VistaC/x
> > can display detailed maps and let you see alternate paths.
>
> Owning the older Legend, and having looked at the Legend C, the mapping was
> far from detailed enough for navigation away from classifed roads (UK).
Were you just using the basemap that comes included with the unit, or
the much more detailed MetroGuide (-Eur in your case, -NA in mine) that
are optional and can be downloaded into the unit's memory? I've found
the MetroGuide maps to be plenty good for navigation. When I've gone
cycle-camping I've noticed that even the little roads inside the
campgrounds that loop around to individual sites have usually been
included in the maps. They also let you look up locations by street
address and have many business locations included - very handy in
finding a restaurant or grocery store while on a cycle tour. The
MetroGuide maps are compatible with both the old Legend and the LegendC
although for the latter the similar CitySelect maps would be preferred
since they support the auto-routing feature of that model (map detail
is the same).
> I'm
> happy to stand corrected if the other units do have such maps. It seems
> unlikely that a handheld unit would store anything like the detail of a
> paper map: that was my point.
The little handheld on my handlebars can hold maps that include
essentially every residential street and all country lanes (incl. many
unpaved fire roads as well which are shown as dashed lines) in the
state of California (or for the UK). It could also hold that level of
map detail for the area surrounding a route from San Francisco to New
York. Carrying paper maps with equivalent detail would fill all of my
panniers and leave no room for other luggage.
For extended tours the new LegendCx would be preferred over the
previous Legend models since it can use memory expansion cards to store
a larger map area.
> > Pretty easy solution - get one of the little holders that take 4 AA
> > cells and use that to recharge when needed.
> >
>
> Not sure that's a great solution. A replaceable battery, as most older
> units seem to have, seems a lot easier to me.
My GPS receivers do all use replaceable batteries, but I'm not sure the
above solution is really much different. Whenever I go on a longer
ride I carry a little plastic box with a spare set of batteries anyway.
With a unit like the Edge I'd still carry a similar box filled with AA
cells but it would have a short USB-type cable coming out to hook up to
the Ege when needed. If I liked the other characteristics of the Edge
(which I don't), then I wouldn't consider the battery type to be a
problem.
Kendall
<d...@topowest.com> wrote in message
news:1145376758.1...@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
SiRF is a chipset that apparently locks on faster, is more responsive and
holds a signal better under most conditions. People experienced with GPS
seem to rave about it. Personally I don't have any experience with GPS and
don't know.
Kendall
Richard Bollar
Skippy wrote:
> Owning the older Legend, and having looked at the Legend C, the mapping was
> far from detailed enough for navigation away from classifed roads (UK). I'm
> happy to stand corrected if the other units do have such maps. It seems
> unlikely that a handheld unit would store anything like the detail of a
> paper map: that was my point.
Highly detailed UK maps are available as an addon to the Legend. Go to
this link: http://www.garmin.com/cartography/ and select the City
Navigator Europe or the Topo UK in the MapSource viewer. You should be
able to see street level data -- and these products can download maps
to the Legend.
peter
The regular (gray-scale screen) Legend is limited to 8 MB of downloaded
map memory which isn't enough to effectively use the current
CityNavigator-Europe product. And some of the features that make this
product more expensive, especially auto-routing capability, are wasted
on that Legend model. MetroGuide-Europe has the same level of detail
but without the auto-routing data and in map segment sizes that are far
more compatible with the regular Legend. I'm not sure about the
segment sizes of Topo-GB, but it may have similar issues with the
regular Legend - I note that it's not listed as compatible by Garmin.
d...@topowest.com
> > 2. I dunno if it's SiRF or not. But that's a chipset, right? What is
> > the effect of SiRF on functionality? Not saying there isn't any, just
> > that I don't know what it is.
>
> holds a signal better under most conditions. People experienced with GPS
> seem to rave about it. Personally I don't have any experience with GPS and
> don't know.
Interesting!! Google searches show that the Foretrex 201 is SiRF, but
all I have found so far regarding the Forerunner 201 is that "the 205
uses the powerful new SiRF chipset". So dunno if the 201 does or not
but the 201 is old anyway.
I see that I used my Foretrex in my rowing race depicted at
http://www.topolabs.com/dkl/blog/11-07-2004/. And note some
interesting things even with the SiRF chipset: check out the two dots
immediately above the words "Fort McDowell" on the east side of Angel
Island. One is directly west of the other. But of course a 24 foot
rowing shell does not move sideways -- or even turn 90 degrees in less
than several boatlengths. I discussed it with a BLM employee who
seemed to know what he was talking about and he explained to me that
this is probably because I entered or emerged from a shadow in which
one satellite was not visible. Now this makes a lot of sense to me
because there are indeed cliffs rising suddenly from the beach starting
right there. You can see the same thing (I guess) underneath the south
tip of Belvedere Island.
What I haven't figured out yet is why the dots are far apart at the
beginning of the race, going eastward under the southern shore of Angel
Island, and then close together towards the end of the race, going
southwest thru Raccon Strait. The tide was going out, and the trip
thru raccoon straight was like being on a moving sidewalk. And I
didn't adjust the settings during the race. I wouldhave expected the
opposite. Perhaps I had the breadcrumb interval set to 'auto', hatever
that implies. Lately I just leave it on one second and it stores a
couple hours of datapoints at that setting before filling up.
-dkl
d...@topowest.com
> I have had my edge for a month now. Other than issues speed spikes coming in
> and out of tunnels it has worked well. It is more of a training aide than a
> navigation device-- though you can navigate using preloaded courses. You can
> lso display up to 16 data fields between the two "virtual" computer displays
> while riding. Using workouts and courses you can race a virtual partner. The
> firmware is upgradeable and Garmin seems to be actively supporting consumer
> input. In the month I have had mine Garmin has issued two firmware updates.
> I would recommend getting the cadence and speed sensor because gps for speed
> is a bit jumpy for my liking.
Cool! Can I get you to write up an article "How to train with your
Garmin Edge" for my new site? If you put this line in the /etc/hosts
file of your Linux box, you can see what I'm up to:
66.220.3.186 www.rowplot.com row
Still have to hook it up to the back end obviously, and add
decorations, and HRM support, so it will be several more weekends
before it's usable.
Anyone have a Timex Bodylink?
dkl
Skippy
Bridleways? Contours?
KargoK9
Forgive my lack of N/G protocol, but thought that I'd jump from the
balcony as a kibitzer and into the fray by adding my .02$ worth about
the Edge 305. I gave my wife one last month and she has had the
occasion to use it frequently. As was previously mentioned, the
little gizmo is just great for collecting and displaying information,
but shouldn't be considered as a navigation device. As one poster
noted, Lat/Long is continously available but not many riders are going
to bring along the 1/50,000 topo map to find their location. Sextants
fall into the same catagory. The thing that the Edge does extremely
well is collect accurate data. The unit itself is very small, light
weight and does not require a wired connection to the sending unit,
located on the rear non drive chainstay for cadence. The display can
be customized for up to 8 data fields with some interesting choices.
Bersides the obvious HR, speed and distance, it also shows %grade.
This is often of interest when recalling data and judging percieved
exertion and climbing speed. The data can be downloaded via USB cable
to your PC and displayed in normal graphic style that many with
Polar's are familiar with. What is absolutely wonderful about the
Garmin is that the information can be dumped into a third party (free)
site called MotionBased. The MotionBased info can be saved on their
server and be manipulated, edited and then overlayed onto Google
Earth. This where the oooohs and ahhhhh's come out. The device was
put to the acid test on a recent (wonderful) ride in Chattanooga
Tennessee, the 3 States 3 mountains ride. When the data was dumped
into MotionBased and overlayed on Google Earth the entire 100 mile
route was perfectly displayed and by tilting the image, the relief of
the map gave a great idea of the vertical challenges of the ride. Of
interest to all was the %grade of the infamous Burkhalter Gap at the
84 mile mark of the ride. The plot showed a brief spike to 22% before
reaching the summit. (whew!) All in all it is a wonderful display of
the route. On previous out and back rides, it even shows going out on
one side of the street and coming back on the other. Very cool. That
said, it is not without issue. As many have noted in the reviews on
Amazon, battery life is not terriffic. We were very concerned that
the battery would die prior to completing the 3S3M ride and to further
test the unit, she allowed the unit to run to exhaustion in the
parkiing lot at the finish. Total life was more than 8 hours. Quite
satisfactory for her. For others interested in longer rides, there is
a blurb going around that has detailed information on how to construct
a 4 AA unit from Radio Shack parts. I don't recall all of it, but
there is a disclaimer/warning not to use standard AA batts, rather use
rechargable ones to preclude an overvoltage problem. The other MAJOR
problem is with computer compatibility. One of our partners on the
ride is a very disgruntled Garmin 305 owner because he cannot get the
unit to work on a MAC. While the website states any pc, it does not
specifically include the non-pc machines. All in all, it's a great
little gadget. I hope this helps.
Booker C. Bense
In article <ajkv529k3p518n2sa...@4ax.com>,
KargoK9 <remove x's> wrote:
>The other MAJOR
>problem is with computer compatibility. One of our partners on the
>ride is a very disgruntled Garmin 305 owner because he cannot get the
>unit to work on a MAC. While the website states any pc, it does not
>specifically include the non-pc machines. All in all, it's a great
>little gadget. I hope this helps.
Umm, it can be used with mac OSX. Unfortunately Garmin's software is
windows only, but if you download the software from motion based,
you can use some of their stuff w/the 305. Garmin has stated that
they will provide mac OSX versions of their software real soon
mow.
There are various pieces of software than can download the GPS
tracks in a standard format for use with other mapping programs.
However, I think you lose the non-standard data such as heart
rate and cadence.
If you're curious, there is a lot of useful information at the
Motion Based web site in their forums on the Mac.
_ Booker C. Bense
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carl...@comcast.net
<bbense+rec.bicycl...@telemark.slac.stanford.edu>
wrote:
>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>
>In article <ajkv529k3p518n2sa...@4ax.com>,
>KargoK9 <remove x's> wrote:
>
>>The other MAJOR
>>problem is with computer compatibility. One of our partners on the
>>ride is a very disgruntled Garmin 305 owner because he cannot get the
>>unit to work on a MAC. While the website states any pc, it does not
>>specifically include the non-pc machines. All in all, it's a great
>>little gadget. I hope this helps.
>
>Umm, it can be used with mac OSX. Unfortunately Garmin's software is
>windows only, but if you download the software from motion based,
>you can use some of their stuff w/the 305. Garmin has stated that
>they will provide mac OSX versions of their software real soon
>mow.
>
>There are various pieces of software than can download the GPS
>tracks in a standard format for use with other mapping programs.
>However, I think you lose the non-standard data such as heart
>rate and cadence.
>
>If you're curious, there is a lot of useful information at the
>Motion Based web site in their forums on the Mac.
>
>_ Booker C. Bense
Dear Booker,
Garmin is Windows, but there's some Linux stuff for Garmin:
Cheers,
Carl Fogel