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Will the Garmin 305 GPS work in London??

Hi All

I'm fairly new to Tri (first sprint in June and Olympic in Sept) but have run for a while. I have never used a GPS etc before for training and when I trained for the marathon a few years ago went on the 'plod' theory of simply putting in distances to 'get around' the 26 miles.

Since starting my Tri training I have decided to focus on a more structured training plan with intervals, hills etc on the runs which I have found immensely helpful.

My issue is now that I can only do these in the gym as I have no way of marking out the distances when out doors (don't really want to have to sit pre planning it) so was looking at getting a GPS watch to help with intervals. Have read a lot on which is best and roughly narrowed down to a 305 (as don't have a fortune to spend in the newest versions) however have just read a couple of articles that state that the GPS is not good in central London. My local route's are around Hampstead Heath and Finsbury park which are pretty central so worried that i'm actually going to spend money on something that doesn't work where I run!

Any thoughts, advice and help greatly appreciated! Thanks

Jeanette x

Comments

  • bathtubbathtub Posts: 280
    As I don't live in London I cant answer Your GPS question but an option is to buy a Garmin footpod which attaches to your trainer laces and is compatible with the Garmin 305.

    You should be able to find some good prices on the 305 due to a lot of folks upgrading to 310XT and 910XT.

    Good Luck and happy Training
  • NettyNetty Posts: 9
    Thanks, thats great - never realised I could get a foot pod. I think i'll try and pick up a bargain 305 on ebay and see if the GPS works first, if not I will get the foot pod - was worried I was going to get the garmin and find that it was useless for my training - at least theres a definite back up option that will mean that it still helps

    Thanks again
  • HarryDHarryD Posts: 425
    Jeanette

    The problem is that in the city or anywhere else there are large buildings or other things that block out the satelite signals (canyons, caves tunels and even dense forest) then the GPS wil either not get a signal or will only get a weak one making it less accurate.

    Having not run round Finsbury Park (former Tuesday run from work) nor Hampstead Heath (former Wednesday run back to work) since before GPS' were available I cannot comment but expect they will work as there is nothing there to stop the signals.

    If ordering your GPS online check out the returns policy. You may be able to give it a go & if not suitable send it back for a refund.

    HarryD
  • armiearmie Posts: 10
    Hi Harry,

    I used my 405 in the London marathon last year and had no problems with the buildings in the city especially around docklands blocking out the signal. The only time I did lose signal was when running through some of the underpasses, but you'll get that anywhere in the country.

    Ian
  • willieverfinishwillieverfinish Posts: 1,381
    I use my 910xt in the city and it's fine
  • KidStardustKidStardust Posts: 88
    show off
  • LegacyUserLegacyUser Posts: 0
    Hi Jeanette,

    I have a friend who uses the 205 in the city and he has had no issues using it. I have also used the 405 and the 910 with no issues. It may take a little longer to lock on when near tall buildings but they still work well. I hope that helps.

    Steve
  • willieverfinishwillieverfinish Posts: 1,381
    Alan

    How's the BRAND NEW full carbon uber bling TT bike. .
  • MattFittMattFitt Posts: 4
    Do not have a first hand experience with this but considering how much people are using it, I would likely consider that would be just possible. I do not see any reason why that should not work and in any case, you just have to load the proper modules to ensure that you are going to get what is needed.

    It is with the hardware and what is inside anyway.
  • nivaghnivagh Posts: 595
    I've got a Garmin GPS and it's nearly always very reliable. The only two comments I have on the occasions where the tracking falls short are:
    1. When you start the timer when you're already moving - seems to cause GPS drift. (But GPS drift can occur even without this.)
    2. In close proximity to tall buildings - see the trace below. This is the Doncaster town centre 5k. Now, whilst Doncaster may not be have the same issues of skyscrapers as London, this race has quite a lot of tight turns and I was right up next to the buildings to get the best line. Also, smart recording was on, so that might increase errors if the signal has an error. Finally, the firmware has been upgraded at least twice since then. Even with all of the above, the total distance came out at 5.25km instead of 5km so it's a 5% error which isn't quite the end of the world.
    Finnsbury Park and Hamstead Heath being, broadly speaking open areas, you should be fine!
    [attachment=0:3jx34h5e]DAC.JPG[/attachment:3jx34h5e]
  • willieverfinishwillieverfinish Posts: 1,381
    You ran 5.25km in 16 mins ? ?

    Really ?

    Or is that your bike session ?
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