Is a GPS that much more accurate than a Foot Pod - Page 2 - Gear

Plod

27/10/2008 at 16:01

I'm a track runner so I consider a sleeping policeman to be hilly!

Lisa Fox 4

27/10/2008 at 23:16

Dodge - It sounds to me like you aren't waiting for a good satellite lock before heading off on your run. I wait until I have a GPS accuracy of less than 30 feet. Also make sure you are running all the latest software updates. Check on the Garmin.com website for information.

Dodge

28/10/2008 at 00:42

Thanks Lisa, I checked the software and Garmin says it's up to date. I haven't read up on how to check the GPS accuracy but I'm only going to hang about so long for the sattelite finder thing to do its business, I want to run not stand about in the cold while it it goes back and forwards. I don't think I've had a complete run logged by the 305 since the first time I used it which is a bit frustating.

Lisa Fox 4

28/10/2008 at 08:30

Wait for good GPS accuracy = accurate distance

Don't wait for good GPS accuracy = inaccurate distance

The choice is yours!

By the way, I place the 305 outside whilst I do my warm up and stretches. By the time I have finished it has got a good satellite lock.

Lorry Dodger

28/10/2008 at 10:16

Also if you want good accuracy with a garmin switch off smart recording so it samples every second rather than when you change direction etc.

I think if you view the route in google earth thru' training centre it shows the stored GPS points on the map and if the route is twisty you can see how it has cut corners.

The data storage is greatly reduced by switching off smart recording and you will need to download the data after every run, otherwise it may start to overwrite it.

Dodge

28/10/2008 at 10:33

Lisa Fox 4 wrote (see)

Wait for good GPS accuracy = accurate distance
Don't wait for good GPS accuracy = inaccurate distance
The choice is yours!
By the way, I place the 305 outside whilst I do my warm up and stretches. By the time I have finished it has got a good satellite lock.

Or it should sort its signal out sooner. The first time I used it it got a signal quickly but hasn't done since.

way2slow

28/10/2008 at 11:24

Dodge- how fast it picks up the signal depends on lots of things - on a clear day my garmin'll pick up the satellites within 30sec but if it's pretty cloudy or i'm in a built up area it can take 5 mins. also find if you move any distance (even just 10 miles) from the last place you used it it can take a while to pick up the signal again (have no idea why this is). when i lived in Newcastle and ran from the university it wouldn't pick up the signal at all until i was at least a mile from the buildings but in the countryside i 'd usually get a signal within a few mins. think most small GPS units take a while. the sensitivity on the 405 is better apparantly but i've heard that it's not as easy to use as the 305.

Dodge

28/10/2008 at 12:07

See, 5 minutes is way too long to be hanging about.

way2slow

28/10/2008 at 13:27

but you can switch it on, bung it on your window sill and then get your kit on - by the time you're dressed and ready to go it'll have found the signal - simple.

should just re-iterate - 5 mins is the longest my garmins ever taken to find a signal when it's left stationary - it's usually more like 1. if yours is taking much longer than that if it's not being moved around then it might be worth getting it checked if it's still under guarantee.

Edited: 28/10/2008 at 13:30

Lisa Fox 4

28/10/2008 at 16:55

Also another point to make is that every second recording is not necessarily more accurate. It is only more accurate for very fast switchback cycling events. For every day cycling and running activities then smart recording is the best option. Smart recording does not just record data when you change direction. It records every time there is a pace/heart rate/distance/cadence change. If that is every second then that is how frequent it records points. If there is no change for five seconds then it will record a data point at that point.

Lorry Dodger

28/10/2008 at 20:36

Lisa I did not say it only recorded on change of direction I said change of direction etc.

Just for example I have just had a training session with the club and ran 5 1500m loops in town the first 2 with smart recording on and the last 3 with it off.

The first 2 were within 3 m of each other at 1498m and 1501m (error could be down to exactly when I pressed the lap button) and the next laps with smart recording on were 1489, 1491 and 1490.

Though not a scientific test I must admit, but try it yourself and see how you get on

mrs. hog - mousey

29/10/2008 at 21:12

I use a Garmin 405. For it's great. However, I use it for my cycle to work, despite taking the same route day in day out my Garmin comes up with different distances / altitudes etc. It is only so acurate. On all my maps there is a massive hill or dip just before I get to work. I have studied the road very carefully but have not yet found this abyss. (Which strangely falls on the Greenwich Meridian line)...

Oh typos - why do I let my cat sit on the keyboard.

Edited: 29/10/2008 at 21:16

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