Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver with Heart Rate Monitor Review

 

Serious runners and other sports enthusiasts will benefit from a running watch like the Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver with heart rate monitor. The Forerunner 305 allows you to monitor, store, analyze and share your workout data. It has a built-in GPS to keep track of your route and tell you how far and how fast you went. It also includes a wireless heart rate monitor to help you optimize your performance. It monitors your heart rate, distance, speed, and calories burned so you can train smarter and more effectively.

Product Features

Exceptional signal reception with high-sensitivity, watch-like GPS receiver

Can store up to 100 waypoints and 50 routes

Waterproof, but not recommended for swimming

Comes with wireless heart rate monitor

Features auto-pause, auto-lap and auto-scroll (cycles through data screens)

Measures 2.1″ x 2.7″ x 0.7″

Weighs 2.72 oz.

Garmin is well known for its GPS units and it is one of the few GPS makers that cater to the needs of runners and cyclists. The Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS receiver is equipped with a heart rate monitor. It is designed for the elite athlete who wants to track his time, speed and distance while running, walking or biking. The heart rate monitor provides additional data to assess your performance level. Data in the Forerunner 305 can be uploaded and shared with a coach or personal trainer.

Depending on your needs or preference, the display can be set to show one large data display or up to four data. You can also scroll through data screens to see the information that you need at the moment.

Heart Rate Monitor

Like previous Forerunner models, the Forerunner 305 shows pace, speed and distance traveled. However, the Forerunner 305 now comes with a built-in heart rate monitor in addition to the GPS receiver. Athletes and training enthusiasts know the importance of monitoring your heart rate. The data from the heart rate monitor let the runner or cyclist know how intensely he is training. Highly accurate and sensitive sensors in the Garmin Forerunner 305 provide ECG-level heart rate data.

Customizable Screen Display

The display screen can be customized to show relevant data to suit your needs. You may want to look at your time, laps or total training time. If you need more data you can display your pace, heart rate, lap time, distance traveled, etc.

All data gathered by the Forerunner 305 are stored in its internal memory. You can review the data and even look at past performances to track your progress.

Data Dock

 

The Garmin Forerunner 305 running watch comes with a data dock that you can plug into your computer’s USB port. This will allow you to upload your training data to your computer. The included Garmin Training Center software can help you see how effective your training is. You can also use the MotionBased web site to store and analyze your workout data, using its graphing and sharing tools.

GPS Receiver with Heart Rate Monitor

With its intermediate to advanced running features, the affordable Garmin Forerunner 305 is designed for serious runners who want GPS functionality, heart rate monitoring, and computer integration from their running watches.

The device comes with a user manual, wireless heart rate monitor strap, computer docking and charging station, separate wall charger unit and Garmin Training Center software in CD.

The software is easy to setup and install, but you will need to read the manual and become familiar with the button functions on the running watch.

The unit’s built-in GPS capability is highly sensitive, allowing the receiver to work well even under tree cover or areas with tall buildings. Its wireless capabilities eliminate the need for wires that could clutter a bike. Computer connectivity is easy, and you can upload your training data to a computer or online-based training and route-sharing tools.

Pros

Offers a complete solution for monitoring and analyzing workout data

Customizable display

Connectivity to PC training software and online tools

Accurate heart rate sampling

Fast satellite acquisition time

Simple to set up and use

Accurate distance measuring

Automated training log update

Cons

Takes time and practice to master the features

Big/bulky size

No auto-off feature when not in use

What Customers Say

Judging by the positive reviews on the Amazon website alone, which numbers close to 2000, the Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver with Heart Rate Monitor is a huge success. Customers find the GPS functionality impressive, and the heart rate monitoring is a very helpful feature for serious athletes. Now selling for less than $130, this running watch is an excellent and affordable training tool for runners and cyclists.

Customers like being able to map their workouts on Google Earth, noting that the GPS data are very accurate. The included software is also excellent.

The main gripe that customers have is the lack of an ‘auto-off” feature on the running watch. It’s easy to leave the device on, so that the battery runs down.

One reviewer reported having the GPS signal dropped on occasion. There were no other similar incidents reported and it may have been due to a defective unit.

In general, customers are totally sold on the Garmin Forerunner 305. It has all the features they want in a running watch, including computer connectivity.

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