Edge 705 support

MegaCycle

Ok, I have contacted Garmin about a number of issues and I thought I'd share their responses, since a number of you have expressed similar frustrations.

1 can't delete the history from the unit. You have to delete it from your PC and then ALSO in the unit!

GARMIN - "I have replicated this bug and reported the issue to the software engineers. A software update is due to be released soon."

2 the barometric altimiter is wildy variable

GARMIN - " The barometric altimeter needs to be given time to calibrate for maximum accuracy. Please ensure that it is left switched on with a clear view of the sky for a few minutes before setting off on a ride to allow it to acclimatise to the current air pressure"

3 Calories burned reading is pure science fiction!

GARMIN - "Calorie calculation on the unit is purely a guide and many devices calculate the calories in different ways. On the Edge it is based on speed weight and time but also takes into account climb."



I'm not very impressed, frankly (apart from no.1 which is an adequate response)

pjh

Hmm ... maybe you're expecting a little too much.

I have a 705 and I also notice riding the same route that the elevation data can be a bit inconsisitent.

However the climb/descent total figures are always consistent, so I guess atmospheric pressure differences (varying weather conditions) can muck up the starting data.

For me it's the overall elevation gain that's important and not necessarily the maximum/minimum elevation on any particular ride.

I also do make sure I leave the unit switched on and in full sight of the sky for 3/4 minutes before starting off.

With regard to the history I always copy it to my PC and then wipe it from the unit from the PC ... just seems the logical thing to do if you have the unit connected to the PC anyway (I havent tried to remove history from the unit directly).

master_grunthos

you should check out the MotionBased forum, it has a section for the 605/705. There are many issues and I have been in repeated contact with Garmin

http://forums.motionbased.com/smf/index.php?board=86.0

method

MegaCycle wrote:

Ok, I have contacted Garmin about a number of issues and I thought I'd share their responses, since a number of you have expressed similar frustrations.

1 can't delete the history from the unit. You have to delete it from your PC and then ALSO in the unit!

GARMIN - "I have replicated this bug and reported the issue to the software engineers. A software update is due to be released soon."

2 the barometric altimiter is wildy variable

GARMIN - " The barometric altimeter needs to be given time to calibrate for maximum accuracy. Please ensure that it is left switched on with a clear view of the sky for a few minutes before setting off on a ride to allow it to acclimatise to the current air pressure"

3 Calories burned reading is pure science fiction!

GARMIN - "Calorie calculation on the unit is purely a guide and many devices calculate the calories in different ways. On the Edge it is based on speed weight and time but also takes into account climb."



I'm not very impressed, frankly (apart from no.1 which is an adequate response)

The history overwrites itself when the memory fills up doens't it? So why would you need to delete from the unit?

As for calories, I've never had anything that is accurate for calories, I agree the Garmins are bad though.

ddraver

GPS altimeters are widley inaccurate unless you have zero coverage

if you think its measuring from a satellite or two thousands of km away its to be expected,

if you really wnat to know you re exact height you need a barometric one - but then that has to be reset constantly as atmospheric pressure changes.....

method

They are barometric.

MegaCycle

ddraver wrote:

GPS altimeters are widley inaccurate unless you have zero coverage

if you think its measuring from a satellite or two thousands of km away its to be expected,

if you really wnat to know you re exact height you need a barometric one - but then that has to be reset constantly as atmospheric pressure changes.....

The Edge 705 IS barometric, so I expected a bit more. And if it needs to be set to my altitude, fine, but I am unable to do so (at least according to the dreadful manual that you get with the damn thing!)

ddraver

Oh sorry - well theres you re problem...

if the atmospheric pressure fluctuates during the day so will you re "height"

a_n_t

there seemed to be loads of problems with the 305 when it first came out that were put rightwith firmware updates so dont get rid of it just yet!

not had a single problem with mine tho I have to say :?

Winston Smith

When turning the unit on at my house it can say that the elevation is anywhere from -30 to +100m (it should be 23m). Obviously being barometric and having no way to reset it you will get different readings at different times although it should be within a few %.

To me (and probably most people) the important thing is relative elevation to see how much you have climbed, on long rides where the weather may change this might be out by a few metres but this would be true even if you could reset it at the start of the ride.

I've just turned mine on, it initially said -23m I left it in my porch for 3-4 minutes and it has settled at 21m, air pressure today is quite high due to the weather. So it's 3m from accurate, but I know if I go out it will be relatively correct.

Just make sure when you get dressed you turn it on, by the time you've got your shoes, gloves, helmet on, checked yout tyres and filled your water bottle it should be ready to go.

master_grunthos

as i understand it the 705 recalibrates it's altimeter with satelites continuously whilst it has 4 or more available. it needs 4 to get a 3D image of location. This helps account for the changes in air pressure that cause the local fluctuations. Effectively this means the barometric sensor only measures relative change and if the satellite signals are very good it'll do very little other than (hopefully) agree with the satellites.

I have a 605 and generally the altitude is very stable and seems realistic. However, i believe it averages over time to try to smooth out spikes. I think this because if you switch it off at height then on lower it takes a few minutes to settle at the real new height.

blorg

I have a 305 which I suspect works pretty similarly.

It is essential to leave it on with a good view of the sky before you set out if you want to be guaranteed good altitude data. This is presuming it is showing wrong, if it is right (which for me it is most of the time) you are good to go. I get the below sea level thing often enough starting from my house (my house is not under the sea.)

Note it will recalibrate the barometric altimeter from the satellites as you go, so the relative chart will _not_ be right if it is wrong at the start; it will have fixed itself to the right altitude by the end of your cycle.

Bringing it indoors during a cycle can really muck things up and it can register crazy climbs/descents at the time you brought it indoors.

Also note that it gets a fix and calibrates itself a _lot_ quicker when left stationary, rather than moving on the bike.

James_London

Upload the data to Motionbased or use the online database in WKO+ and your altitude will all be corrected anyway.

It's useful to know how far it is to the top of a climb on the bike. If you know the elevation gain for your climb, just add this to the reported altitude at the bottom and you minimise the problem of changing air pressure skewing your reported absolute altitude.

azzurribike

I have an Edge 705 and its fine apart from a few erratic HR figures 236bpm mmmm ;(

kinda don't care that the altimeter is skewed but when I connect to Garmin Connect/Training center you would think the software could self correct the readings based on start waypoint?

C'mon Garmin its just a little thing, but then its the little things that are really annoying!



PS would be nice to go from TC to Googlemaps instead of bloody useless Google Earth.

tonyscp

I've had real problems with my 705's altimeter in wet or cloudy conditions - has anyone else? For example, I did the Autumn Epic last weekend and, according to the edge, spent most of the climbs going DOWNHILL at about 1 or 2%. It was only towards the end when the sun started coming out that it started working propoerly. The total elevation gain recorded on my edge at the end was just over 1000ft - it's around 3000m according to the website!
Tonys

blorg

I have had altimeter problems in the wet before, yes- a 305 was permanently ruined by a shower but before it went completely on the blink was recording altitudes in the 68,000m range. 705 is OK so far. Definitely important to let either acclimatise before you start though.