Garmin Edge 305

[Cowboy]

I'm considering another GPS for my life...I get lost easy...

I'm thinkin' about an Edge 305, but I've never seen one in use, and reading the reviews online haven't really answered any of my questions/ideas about it...
so:

Who has one?

Do you like it?

Is there any mapping built in?

Are they useful for planning rides, as far as settin up a route on the computer, and following the waypoints like you would a cue sheet?

Better for road vs mtb?

Is it worth it/Would you buy it again?

[riderx]

I have the 205 version which is the same unit minus the heart rate monitor and cadence.

I use it to record my routes and then dump it to my computer to make maps and see distance and elevation profiles. It works well for this. I haven't used it for plotting routes.

Signal strength has been really good, one of the main reasons I got it. Previously with a Garmin eTrex Legend I'd miss recording about half of my route at places like the Shed.

There are no built in maps like my Legend, but I haven't really needed them. It would be nice to have them though. The one thing I don't like is there is not a pan feature, so when you are recording your route you can't sweep back to see areas you have traveled if it isn't currently on the screen. I've been able to live without it but when I've been in unfamiliar places like Michaux it would have been nice.

It is definitely geared towards training with all of the features it has but I don't use that stuff. I use it for MTB but the training features seem more useful for the road - setting targets for when you drop below a certain speed, etc.

Garmin has a forum for that unit that may be able to give you more info and a couple of guys on The Bike Site have used the 205 and 305 and discussed it here (http://thebikesite.org/index.php?topic=586.0)

Overall I've been happy with it.

[bacalhau]

I have the 305, and is a good GPS - but no the greatest. as RiderX mentions,it's more geared towards training.
Do a search on this website - there has been previous discussions about GPS, and there is a lot os usefull information posted.
You might have to shell a litle more money to have a GPS with better navigational tools - like loading maps. wa(Y)points etc.



I'm considering another GPS for my life...I get lost easy...

I'm thinkin' about an Edge 305, but I've never seen one in use, and reading the reviews online haven't really answered any of my questions/ideas about it...
so:

Who has one?

Do you like it?

Is there any mapping built in?

Are they useful for planning rides, as far as settin up a route on the computer, and following the waypoints like you would a cue sheet?

Better for road vs mtb?

Is it worth it/Would you buy it again?

[riderx]

You might have to shell a litle more money to have a GPS with better navigational tools - like loading maps. wavepoints etc.You can load waypoints and routes, just not maps.

[macgyver]

I also have the 305 and use it much like riderx does - as basically a 'data logging' unit, but I have uploaded a road route that I created on the gmaps-pedometer site and rode it. It worked pretty well, but since there is no map capability on the edge itself it's just a line that you follow on the screen, with some directional pointers/compass-like displays to let you know if you're on or off course. There are definitely situations where a map would help out, just for landmarks as you ride along the course line.

I'd say the course-plotting is more useful for road riding, since the screen is kind of small and, at least for me, I'm more comfortable looking down at the display to interpret the course line while moving on a relatively straight and smooth road rather than a twising section of trail.

The 'Virtural Partner' is good for trail use though. I like it a lot. Basically it can store a previous ride you or someone else did, and then you race that best time. It will let you know how far ahead or behind you are as the ride progresses.

I'd probably buy it again (although I got mine as a gift) because I don't do a lot of navigation-style riding. I'm more interested in the ride data. The Edge doesn't do maps, but if push comes to shove you could use the Edge to backtrack out of someplace you're lost in, or get coordinates if you have a paper map with you.

[ridethewomble]

...or get coordinates if you have a paper map with you.

If you know how to get a coordinate out of an Edge 305, please let us know. As far as I have been able to tell, there's no coordinate datum stored in the unit, and all the translation from raw GPS time data to lat/long coordinates is done by the software on your PC back at home.

[macgyver]

If you know how to get a coordinate out of an Edge 305, please let us know. As far as I have been able to tell, there's no coordinate datum stored in the unit, and all the translation from raw GPS time data to lat/long coordinates is done by the software on your PC back at home.


I just meant that if I was really, really lost in the woods I could go to the "Navigation" menu and select "Mark Location" and get a readout of coordinates which I could use to locate myself on a paper map I had with me if I was exploring someplace...

[ridethewomble]

Yep - "Mark Location" displays a lat/long. Thanks!

[macgyver]

Yep - "Mark Location" displays a lat/long. Thanks!

Cool, I wasn't sure if you wanted to do something more complex. I think early versions of the firmware on the 305 did not have a real-time readout of lat/long, but they added it with later firmware that is shipped on newer units and can be upgraded on older ones.

[Cowboy]

Thanks guys.

So if you can't pan around, can you atleast zoom in and out to get an idea where you've been/how to get back from where you are?

Does the e-trex series keep a track log that can be downloaded to the computer, so maps can be made?

I currently have an 8 year old Garmin II Plus, that has no mapping, but does keep a "bread crumb" trail of where you've been. It does a good job in the Jeep for getting me back out of where I've been, like being lost in DC, lost 4-wheeling or whatever...but I really wouldn't want to mount it on the bike, as the antenna is detachable, so I'm sure it would find a way to fall off in the woods and "if" it didn't get lost would probly get crushed by a tire before it could be recovered... I'm not sure if I could download the track log to the computer or not, it does have a data out connection, but I don't have the cable or mapping software for the computer anyway...

Maybe a shop would let me play with one, so I could figure out if it's something that would be a good tool for me...?

[riderx]

So if you can't pan around, can you atleast zoom in and out to get an idea where you've been/how to get back from where you are?

Does the e-trex series keep a track log that can be downloaded to the computer, so maps can be made?
Yes to both of those questions. And if you want to see where you are in relation to the start, you can recenter to the starting waypoint (recorded automatically) to shift the map. Not perfect but it's better than nothing.

If you are interested in the eTrex Legend let me know, mine is barely used and I'm looking to get rid of it. It's this one here (http://www1.shopping.com/xPO-Garmin-Etrex-Legend).