Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $299.99

Amazon Price: $234.99

The Garmin Forerunner 305 is a big step up from getting data through basic stop watches – such as GPS training capabilities to monitor your distance, pace and elevation!

Here’s what you would get out of the box:

• Forerunner 305
• Heart rate monitor
• Garmin Training Center® software
• Docking cradle
• Expander strap
• AC charger
• USB cable
• Owner’s manual
• Quick start guide

Like the previous Forerunner models, the Garmin Forerunner 305 would show your pace, speed, and distance travelled as you go along your track. The biggest addition to it is that it that the Forerunner 305 comes built in with its own heart rate monitor functionality.

Unlike lower or entry level models that needed optional accessories for heart rate functions, the Forerunner 305 comes with this functionality built into the device. Training enthusiasts know that knowing and understanding your heart rate as you train is important. Through the heart rate data, a runner would be able to know how intense he is going at his training. That’s why it is great that the Forerunner 305 has highly accurate sensors to provide you with ECG-level heart rate data.

Other notable features of the Garmin Forerunner 305 include the Virtual Partner. In the Virtual partner, a runner’s spirit of competition is ignited as he is provided with a virtual competitor on screen. In virtual partner mode, the Forerunner 305 displays how far ahead or behind you are compared to a competitor.

The Forerunner 305 also has easily customizable display screens that the Garmin Forerunner 305 has. This features means that the Forerunner 305’s  four quadrants that display training information can be customized to suit your needs. Beginning runners can just look at time, laps, or total training time, while those who want more data can opt for pace, heart rate (HR), distance and lap time or other data.

Runners don’t have to stress though if they are not able to immediately see the data they want. All the data tracked by the Garmin Forerunner 305 are stored in its internal memory. This would allow runners to easily review and look back at their past performances and see their improvements.

Another way to look at past data would be to download it to your computer. The great thing about the Garmin Forerunner 305 is that its bundled computer software is a joy to use. The included Garmin Training Center software is very easy to configure and would truly help runners calculate just how effective their training is.

Packing intermediate to advance running features, and a highly affordable price, the Garmin Forerunner 305 is custom made for moderate to advanced runners who are searching for great GPS functionality and easy computer integration from their running watches.

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The Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor helps you improve your training by using the most modern technological innovations.

The Forerunner 405CX is considered as the evolution of GPS-enabled training. It allows you to easily record your training data such as distance, pace, calories burned and heart rate. It could even use this data to help you by creating a Forerunner Virtual Partner that will help in challenging you to improve your running times.

Of course this training data would not be useful if you would not be able to analyze them. That’s why aside from the internal memory where the Forerunner 405CX stores your training data, you can use the included USB ANT stick that uses the innovative ANT+ wireless technology automatically to transfers information to your computer.

This allows you to use running software to study your training patterns or even share your workouts and results online.

If these features do not seem to suit all your needs, just remember that there a variety of optional wireless accessories, such as foot pod or bike sensors to make the Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor match any kind of training that you do.

What’s in the Box
Forerunner 405CX, USB ANT stick, Heart rate monitor, Two additional wrist straps, AC charger, Charging clip, Owner’s manual on disk, Quick reference guide

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User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Awesome
First and foremost, do not expect to be able to just put it on and it will work properly. Like anything that costs a bit more, you have to read the instructions. So if you cannot follow directions then you will have a heck of a time trying to use it. I took it on a test run just so I could get a feel for it.

The only problem I had with it was that it wasn’t connecting to the satelites in order for the GPS to work. I had to go back in and re-read the instructions.

*Note- If you want to use the GPS, make sure the power save mode is off because that mode interferes with the satelites.*

Once I figured out the satelites, it took several minutes for the watch to locate them, which kind of sucks if its cold outside. You have to stand still until it picks up on the satelites.

Also, make sure the GPS is turned off while you are inside because it will try to connect to the satelites and use up your battery life.

There are so many neat features on this watch but what I thought was so cool was auto-pause setting. This feature will pause your watch if you get below a certain speed. This is good for when you are at stoplights.

I also liked how the watch is set up to transmit your watch data wirelessly. Once transmitted, you can go on garmin connect and view your results.

This is a complicated device, but once you have it all set up and figured out, it’s very easy to use. I really recommend this watch to anyone who wants something that will help them with their training and to track their progress.

4 Stars Good workout partner
I am very happy with this GPS but it does have some quirks.

I have an Edge 305 on my bicycle so maybe the learning curve was easier for me, but I found the 405CX pretty easy to use. It does take some getting used to but by the 3rd use I had no issues with it. I had my screens set up and was using the simple workouts with ease.

The screen is a bit small, but once you get used to the set up it becomes easier to read on the run. If you don’t use auto scroll you can quickly look at your watch and get the info you want. At the start of the run I pick the screen that is best for what I am doing and just leave it there mostly unless I get bored and start to cycle through my screens.

The touch bezel works ok. Using it to set up a workout is easy once you get used to it. During a run a touch scrolls the screen and a touch and drag increases or decreases the speed of the virtual partner. Sometimes it takes a second or two to register and sometimes a slight touch registers. It’s usually not an issue, but sometimes my jacket will make it scroll when I don’t want it to. When I do want to scroll it during a run I sometimes have to press a second time to get it to scroll. It’s not really an issue for me and you learn the ins and outs of it.

GPS reception has been very good for me, even under clothing. It takes about 10-20 seconds to find the satellites each time I run, so I stretch while it’s searching. I have noticed that even after it has found the satellites it still needs time to stabilize. For instance on one track run I started running right after it found the satellites in a place with a lot of trees. After the run I looked at my route and the first part of the lap under the tress it showed me about 50′ off the track, but on each subsequent lap it showed me right on the track even while under the trees. It just needed time to stabilize. Now I turn on the watch and give it a few minutes while I stretch/warm up, then when I am ready to run it’s right on the money.

Like the 305 Edge the elevation feature is practically worthless. The barometric pressure just fluctuates too much so the watch is always all over the place. Again it does seem to stabilize the longer it is on, but it’s never exact enough to rely on. If you look at the elevation chart in the software after a run you can see where the hills are, but if you are doing laps a hill’s elevation can change by as my as 75′ each time you come across it each time. I don’t use the watch itself to tell me the elevation when running since it is so off.

Looking at the pace chart in the software after a run is interesting. Like elevation, it’s all over the place, spikes everywhere. Even though it looks a mess it is useable, where you had to stop for traffic or where your interval sprints will be clear in the chart. While running the pace on the watch does seem very accurate. You can quickly see how fast you are going and if you accelerate it shows instantly on the watch. It is probably one of the most useful display items.

The heart rate monitor has been perfect, no issues at all. I do use Buh-Bump, Heart Rate Monitor Electrode Cream with it which may help.

I have to charge the battery once a week (I run 3 days a week). A 30-40 minute run uses about 10% of the battery. Sitting in powersave mode for a day or two is a greater drain on it.

I do love this GPS besides the quirks. It’s great to quickly and easily set up an interval workout and not have to be on a track or constantly looking at my watch (it makes a very loud beep at the start of each interval which I can hear even on a windy day). It’s a great training aid that makes a run more interesting and fun.

The software does leave a lot to be desired (Windows Vista 64). The watch links fine, I have never had any issues there, plug in the ANT antenna and it does everything itself. But the Garmin Connect website while nice doesn’t break down everything enough and can be a bit slow. The Garmin Training Center software displays more information but is clunky and not very polished.

I highly recommend this GPS watch. It has helped me tremendously on my workouts and makes my runs more fun. While it could be better, and cheaper, I don’t regret buying it. I do wish Garmin would improve the software though. For this price they really could do better. I wouldn’t let that stop me and there is other software you can buy that works with the watch.

4 Stars Small Package, Big Features
Buy this monitor now. Easy to use and small enough so you dont feel like you have a laptop on your wrist. The bezel touch menu navigation can be sensitive to bumps but the lock feature solves most of your problems. Great product.

5 Stars This is the best of the best Gadgets
The Garmin 405cx is amazing. It locks Satellites and keeps tracking me almost everywhere. I run through town, and then through some woods, and my other device, would pick up here, and there, and never hardly track in the woods. I can even see my movements as I get ready, in the house. The Upload is quite easy, and the web app is really cool.

5 Stars Excellent product
I have used this watch for 2 weeks now, and I am almost 100 percent satisfied with it.

First of all, it is very easy to use. After 15 minutes I knew how to access most of its features.

The touch bezel works great. Even when it was raining I was able to use it with no trouble at all.

The battery life is not great, but it’s ok. It takes about 3 one-hour workouts (5 days) to wear out the battery.

The GPS is not 100 percent accurate, but it is good too. Sometimes the map shows my route as if I had been taking shortcuts through the bushes. I would rate its accuracy as been 8/10. It’s my first GPS device though, I don’t know if they are all like that.

The heart rate monitor is excellent, much better then my Polar. It’s more accurate (doesn’t show absurd values like the Polar does sometimes) and it allows you to change the battery instead of having to buy a new one when the battery dies.

Another great thing about this watch is that it allows you to select the data fields that you want to view during your workout. So, you can configure up to 3 sets of data with 3 fields on each one to view during the exercise. You can either change the data sets by touching the bezel or configure the watch to rotate through them.

The data transmission to the computer is very nice, too. You only have to stick the usb receiving device into your computer and it detects the watch and retrieves the data.

So, after all that, I can say that it was a great purchase, and I recommend it for anyone who likes running and gadgets.

Buy/More Info

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