It seems like I’m constantly having problems with this thing. It takes forever to locate the GPS satellites. For some reason it has difficulty establishing my “pace” sometimes until after I’ve been running for 4-5 minutes which makes the run data skewed (in very open areas where getting reception shouldn’t be an issue). And every now and then it just won’t take an accurate heart rate reading. Yesterday I was doing a 5K test and it had all of these problems. I looked down at my most intense effort and it showed my heart rate at 89 bpm. Anything I can do to fix this piece of junk?
I would suggest contacting Garmin support. They are very helpful. How long have you had the unit?
Are you running the latest firmware?
As for pace, which of several pace-related data fields are you displaying? My experience has been that “Current Pace” is largely useless, as it’s too noisy. “Lap Pace”, where a lap is set to 1/4 mile, has given me better data.
I’ve not had your problem with it getting a heart rate, but the wrong one so I can’t help you there.
Chris
I would agree with contacting Garmin, they have about the best support I have ever encountered. Mine does take a little longer than I like to contact the satellites. I believe it is because it tracks more sattelites than the earlier version. Once mine locks on though, it does a great job. As for heart rate unless for some reason you have it set up as %HR as opposed to HR, then I would say it must be the contact it makes with your chest. Have you had this for long? Give them a call.
I know this may sound stupid but do you let the 305 acquire the satellites before you start working out or do you just turn it on, hit start, and go? I usually put mine outside a couple of minutes before I start my run/bike and it always works fine (It’ll usually pick up the satellites inside too). If it’s still not picking up the satellites you may have a bad one. Good luck.
Have you kept your software current? You can download patches from Garmin. HR strap sometimes have to be wetted before starting for it to pick up HR correctly, or it may be off until you start sweating. Also, mine cuts out when I ride along the Amtrak electric train power lines. As for current pace, I’ve never found that accurate, because gps data is not that accurate from one data point to the next. it can make the pace jump a round. You can smooth that, but I prefer the lap pace instead as a judge of pace. It resets every mile if you have that feature turned on.
Good tips. I have never had any problems with mine. I have my laps set on a mile, so I am getting my mile pace and it works very well.
Ok, I set it to lap pace but how do I get it to use 1/4 mile for that? I’m not sure that will help with getting the device to pick up the satellite quicker but hopefully it will help me with my pacing. I’ll update the firmware but I’ve only had the device since october.
I’ve had my FR305 for about 3 years or more, and its been wonderful. To locate sats, the best thing to do is turn it on and set it down so its not moving. Mine will lock on, inside my house, in just a couple minutes (at the most…I just gave it a test, and it took 90 seconds, sitting inside the first floor of my two-story house, on the dining room table). If you have it on your wrist and you’re moving around, it can take a lot longer. You might want to check your firmware, since it seemed like the latest download helped with locating the satellites. If you haven’t done so already, go here:
http://www8.garmin.com/...ter/howtoinstall.jsp
Download the web updater, and then follow the rest of the directions.
As for pacing, well, its never been that hot at real time pace for me, jumping around by as much as 30 seconds in either direction. Instead, I set mine to autolap in “run” mode every mile, and also to display average pace. This seems to give me a pretty good indication of pace without using real-time pace information. You also want to make sure that you have fully locked on before setting out, as this can also dork up your pace.
Never, ever had a heart rate problem, but then I use “Buh-Bump” cream to make sure I have good conduction between my skin and the strap. If its not damp under there, you will get all sorts of screwy readings, and that’s with any HRM strap, not just the Garmin.
Hope this helps…Spot
As others have mentioned, let it acquire the sats without moving it before you start the run. Mine can take 1-3 minutes sitting still on a clear day, but if I start running or biking before it acquires the sats, it may take a half hour, or never happen at all. I go outside and stretch the calves, by the time I am done, it is ready to go.
I find current pace to be quite accurate as long as I am going in a straight line. If I have just turned a corner, it takes a 100 meters or so to settle back into the correct pace.
If you want to use lap times, you need to go into the settings, Training, Training Options, Auto Lap. You can then set the lap distance or time for whatever you want.
Kevin
Good info on the autolap, hadn’t set that up. What I do is run then review the data afterwards. I was do 1 minute intervals yesterday and didn’t even look at it until afterwards. I’d set a lap each time I started so when I went through I could see the average. I honestly don’t worry about pace all that much right now, I’m just running ez. I need to get on that though 
agree with the earlier posters, make sure you are using the latest/greatest firmware and training center software.
on a side note, i see garmin connect still doesnt “officially” support the 305. anyone interested in details on how to get their 305 data uploaded into garmin connect? ive done it for a few bike rides and runs and it works without any issues, and its pretty simple.
when locating a sat I place it on the floor while and stretch, do not leave it on your wrist it catches signal much quicker when the watch is not moving
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does a nano or ipod cause probs…and do we always have to replace battery in chest strap when its used for a couple of months?
Ok, I set it to lap pace but how do I get it to use 1/4 mile for that? I’m not sure that will help with getting the device to pick up the satellite quicker but hopefully it will help me with my pacing. I’ll update the firmware but I’ve only had the device since october.
The unit firmware update suggestion was to improve the ability to acquire satellites while running, so that you don’t have to wait to acquire before starting; I think I recall reading that fix in one of their version change logs. The current version of the unit software is 2.8, as shown below. If you bought the unit new last October, odds are that you already have the latest unless the device sat around for a year before sale.
Additional Software Forerunner 205/305 GPS Chipset Ver. 3.00 as of Nov 12, 2007 Download Training Center For Mac Ver. 2.1.7 as of Feb 18, 2009 Download Training Center For Windows Ver. 3.4.3 as of Dec 05, 2008 Download USB Drivers Ver. 2.2.1 as of Mar 26, 2007 Download Unit Software Forerunner 305 Ver. 2.80 as of Nov 12, 2007 | Download To set the desired lap distance for Lap Pace, here’s the path:
Mode (Press the Mode button)
Training (select the ‘training’ option from the list)
Training Options
Auto-Lap
By Distance
Lap At: Custom , then enter any distance you like.
Chris
Where is Garmin Connect? I looked on the Garmin site and didn’t see it.
It is really annoying that MB and the Garmin Traning Software are both inadequite. They’ve been at this for a while. You’d think they’d spend some time on this.
Where is Garmin Connect? I looked on the Garmin site and didn’t see it.
It is really annoying that MB and the Garmin Traning Software are both inadequite. They’ve been at this for a while. You’d think they’d spend some time on this.
they are supposed to port over motionbased data to this platform, but its been perpetually delayed
What others have said. Note there’s two firmwares, one for the interface and one for the radio firmware. I found the GPS radio firmware helped with initial satellite acquisition immensely. I have a friend that swears if he moves even slightly during the acquisition phase his run pace will be off. I’ve not experienced that problem, but try it… at least at first boot up.
If it’s brand new, return it. Either get another one or the 405. You might have just gotten a bad example. Mine works basically flawlessly.
Love my 305. It seems to locate satellites much faster when the battery is fully charged. Either way, I turn it on and let it sit on top of my SUV while I’m unloading my bike. The only issues with the HR have been when starting out and no sweat or not enough spit on the receiver. Also, HR seems to work better with watch is touching skin. May be my imagination, but maybe the current is going through the body. Agree with other posters, Garmin wants you to be happy. I’d call them.
…I’ll update the firmware but I’ve only had the device since october.
You may have had it only since October but it could have been sitting a lot longer before you purchased it. It is always (most of the time) a good practice to get the latest firmware upgrade. And all GPS units requires some time to acquire satellites. It is just the nature of the beast.
And HR readings can be affected by power lines.