Super! usefull

The only thing truly interesting about the 405 (compared with the 305) is the automatic use of the footpod (if worn) when the satellite signal is lost (in tunnels for instance). The very small absolute difference in weight, and the difference in looks is a non-issue for a runner. Instead it might be that the screen is too small now. And why is GARMIN taking up "half" the screen??? Also, the bezel will obviously be a nightmare for people when they accidently touch it 23 km into their marathon. Or for people in colder regions who wear gloves. I'll take the proven and rugged buttons of the 305 any day in the week. I'm looking forward to Garmin bettering the 305 style instead of selling their souls to the fashion pack.

In reply to Threeoffive above:

Does the bezel have a "lock" feature similar to what's found on an iPod today that prevents accidental button presses?

@EDFROST, the 405 does have a lock feature — just press enter and quit simultaneously and use the same combo to unlock.

You can see a video showing how the touch bezel works here: http://tinyurl.com/5u89fd

I'll second the desire for a 'locking' feature. I've ruined the data for many long runs by hitting the lap button accidentally - usually when fumbling with the bottles strapping on my back.

Does this actually track your position and generate the map/route for you after you upload your data? Or is that something you need to build yourself? That would make all the difference for me as sometimes I have no idea where I actually ran/biked too.

1) Quality GPS? Check
2) Water resistant? Check
3) Smaller profile? Check
4) Lock feature? Check
5) Wireless data transfer? Check

Already pre-ordered this on Amazon.

@NICK, you can upload your runs to Garmin Connect (see screenshot above or visit http://connect.garmin.com — you can see your runs on a standard map or in Google Earth.

Nick - yes, it is a GPS tracking device. It stores coordinates as well as elevation, heart rate, foot pod, and cadence (for bicycle) in memory until you sync it up with your computer.

I have had the 305 for some time now, and I don't run without it. My wife is looking forward to the 405 for the improved looks ans smaller size. I think I will stick with my 305 because they have not given a compelling reason to upgrade for me.

Any idea when this unit will be released through the retail channels?

I know its out via the Boston Marathon, and I have read of a few being available via the the Garmin Store (not sure if true), but there does not seem to be an confirmed date for the rest of us. Anyone?

I've been anxiously awaiting mine. I ordered it the day they became available on Amazon after CES.

Garmin was advertising availability for the Boston Marathon, but all the reports I've seen have had that date slipping frequently. My Amazon order has been bumped back twice, and currently has an expected ship date of Aug 8. Garmin customer support hasn't replied to my requests for a ship date.

I still can't wait. I really want mine. Preferably sooner than seven months after my order was placed.

Charlie White, I'm not much into outdoor exercise but I sure do like your writing style, subject selections and pictures.(do you take these digitals?)Must have a real good camera..ha!
I have a son who would really like one of the beautiful and useful instruments.

@Andy, GARMINBLOG

I did not realize that people had been waiting that long since doing a pre-order.

I don't understand why Garmin is being so tight lipped about the retail channel release date.

If GARMINGBLOG is affiliated with Garmin, could you tell us when we can expect retail shipments. Thank you.

Thanks, bluegoose! I used a Nikon D300 to take those shots, with a Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IF ED lens. Appreciate the kind words.

This watch is known to desynchronize after performance testing and it is not recommended for people who require accurate timing to the nanosecond.

I received my 405 today from REI. They have them in stock.

It can be found on rei.com. The site indicates: "Inventory available for purchase!"

Can anyone tell me why they cant or dont invent the ability to take pulse from the wrist instead of a heart chest strap as the device would be so much better if it had this feature.

I notice on the Garmin website there is a US mode, Europe model and Pacific model. What is the difference b/w these different models? I live in Germany now but travel to USA and would like to use the watch in all regions.

I got mine at Boston on the Friday before the marathon. I figured out enough by Monday to use it for the race,at a base level-time,distance,and heartrate monitor. Though, the heartrate recorded probably indicated several heart attacks!(205-245). I felt bad but not that bad-probably too much interference. It was pretty nifty to see the whole course laid out from Hopkington to Boston,When I got home and uploaded it. I'm still struggling a little bit with the whole upload procedure. A big upgrade from my original Timex GPS.

Fibble

I enquired about the different models and its just for the AC Adaptor it comes with apparently. I have ordered a US model to us in NZ.

Hey anyone who has bought this and is using the altitude feature. Can you get a reading of increased altitude as you are climbing, like when out running up hills etc. I'm training for an Ultra and I would like to know altitude ascent descent while I'm running.

The honeymoon is over! A little over a week, and the watch went blank in the middle of walk with the wife and dog. It was fully charged that morning, and died a hour into the walk. It won't even respond to the charger-just a blank screen.

SAMROOT, I am sorry to hear that. Please inform the comment thread if you get it working or if Garmin is responsive in getting this resolved. My 405 is arriving Tuesday. Looking forward to testing it out with a nice 15 mile run next weekend.

Greg,

I hope you got yours today. Yesterday, when I got to work, I plugged it in one more time, before I was going to call support, and it started charging. I ran 6 miles at lunch time, but in data transfer it dropped the data, when I transferred it to garmin connect. I've changed the setting to not deleting history, and I'll see if that helps in keeping the data somewhere.

Does anyone know whether the 405 supports maps in regions other than where it was bought? In the past I was able to get maps in Training Center for my US-bought 305, when I had used it in e.g. Europe, but no longer. This is annoying for people who travel frequently; I wonder if it's a way to reduce grey import?

What kind of heart rate displays can be utilized on the watch? Can the display be customized, for example to show duration, pace and heart rate? Is it possible to move from one display to another while running? Thank you.

I read the manual and still could figure if some kind of track/waypoints can be uploaded to the 405. Can I draw a route in some goolge earth interface and the simply uploaded it to the 405 before going to run? Can I upload some GPS coordinates in order to use the 405 to geocache? The garmin connect website is poorly advertided. I don't know garmin products so I can't figure if garmin is trying to hide some missing features or it's just the marketing department lack os competence.

I read the manual and still could figure if some kind of track/waypoints can be uploaded to the 405. Can I draw a route in some goolge earth interface (in garmin connect)and then simply uploaded it to the 405 before going to run? Can I upload some GPS coordinates in order to use the 405 to geocache? The garmin connect website is poorly advertised. I don't know garmin products so I can't figure if garmin is trying to hide some missing features or it's just plain lack of competence from the marketing department.

What is the difference between USA/Europe/Pacific models? I'm living in Europe but planing to buy one from webshop in united states.

So, I just got my 405 last night at REI (had pre-ordered it). Won't really have a chance to try this out much until Monday, but did pair up with computer and HR monitor easily. Garmin Connect website seems really slow, so I'm downloading the stand alone application to try out as I type this.

Watch feels really nice, and is about size I expected. Menu system is confusing, but I haven't had any device like this before, so will just take some time (I'm replacing pre usb etrex vista.)

One nice surprise, was that the watch does have a ridingmode vs. just running sports mode. This tag gets carried over when you download, and also changes some of the data fields.

I received my 405 today and I must say that I'm really impressed. I'm a new marathon-runner and I almost bought the Forerunner 305 in the winter, but waited because I saw Garmin was launching the 405. I'm really happy, that I waited. The watch is in stock here in Denmark (northern Europe) and I'm really satisfied with it (so far). It was really easy to set up, and I took it for a testrun within 15 minutes. when I returned it connected to the software without any problems and despite some missing features on the webportals (ability to put in real notes about the training etc.) everything was great.
When running I had no real problems. 305 users might think the screen is too little on the 405 - well I can't compare since I never used one. But for me it worked fine. I just changed settings on the watch to flip between information while jogging. It showed heart-rate, speed, time etc. in large characters. I used the medium speed to flip between information but this could be changed as well.
Coming back I just started working on my laptop, and the watch connected immediately to the USB-stick wirelessly and transferred the information by it self - really nice. Some small things, that irritate a bit is that the watch-strap seems to be a little to short, and might come of if you practise some heavy sports. I'm sad I didn't have it at the Hamburg Marathon in Germany (a really great event) but now I'm looking foreward to take it to Berlin Marathon and try it for real.

Got mine in time for my half-marathon this past weekend and it worked great. It went blank on me during this mornings run but reset ok by keeping the enter and reset buttons pushed in for 7 seconds. Came back to life and recorded the rest of the run. I'm cautiously optimistic that this was a one-time glitch. I had the same issue in my last Garmin and it ultimately would never power back up. Otherwise the watch is great!

So, still happy with the watch. One thing I haven't figured out is how to create separate activities between data transfers. Stop/Start seems to act like lap, but with a pause, and holding lap to do re-set had undesired consequences. Seemed to keep the totals for data but dropped gps track. I assume I'm missing some obvious setting. Maybe I'll look through the manual.

Signal strength has been great. Works in car and bus, and even get 20/30 foot signal in my office when away from any windows (although we are on top floor, but still nice that it goes through roof ok, also kept signal in coffee shop that wasn't first floor but was near edge of building.

I was going to see how much I walk at work today, but am afraid I may get to much false data from little GPS drifts while I'm sitting still. Auto Pause kept going on and off on its own, so I didn't find right setting for that and turned it off.

So one little annoying thing with the watch is that when in watch mode it defaults back to time only, vs. Time, date, and day of week. Has anyone found way around this. I emalied Garmin but have no heard back.

One last note, viewing in GoogleEarth. The default way to do this displays as tons of data points, vs. a gps track. Now the good side of this is each data point shows heart rate and other data. If you just want a nice track in GoogleEarth a GPX file makes nicer looking path that can also be played back in GoogleEarth. I had to go through TopoFusion to do this. Would be nice if direct option in Garmin's software to export as GPX file.

Also meant to point out that works fine on Mac using VMware and Windows Vista; although still look forward to native mac version.

Transfer started even if VMware was not the active application.

I've only had mine a week or two, but my last couple of runs the display changes during the run and of course I panic, think that is stopped, so I stop and push training, then start, then menu, I tap, etc etc, finally somehow I get the display I want back......... what is up with that... would the scroll (i mean) bizel lock (and i do not have that auto scroll on)take care of this problem. I.e I want to see my time, pace and distance at all times......

Hey!

Just ordered this from Moosejaw (expected to be sent 08/05/20). I live in Sweden, and would greatly appreciate it if somebody could confirm that the US-model will work properly with the European maps etc.

Cheers
TH

I just got mine, rather cool. Review on my website.

Can the 405 be used in the open water in training for a triathlon?

It doesn't look like it. the box states that it is not made for running. Heck, mine just got splashed while I was washing my face and the back light went a little crazy. My ANT stick keeps acting up too. ERRRRRRRRR

oh my gosh, I meant SWIMMING, it is not meant for swimming......... hope that wasn't an omen...

Have my 405 about 2 weeks now, no issues, just ran a 5 mile race, the 405 clocked it at 5.00 miles, spot on deadly accurate!! great piece of kit, have yet to find fault with it. I'm in Ireland and it takes about 2 seconds to find satellites, hit start, lock bezel and go....

Anyone experiencing glitches? On two runs in Minneapolis, my watch has stopped recording data for .4 to .6 miles. It essentially just exits training mode. The second time, I re-started the watch, but the first 3 miles of data was not stored. For some reason, the totals are correct. But no maps & no stats for the first 3.

The watch has been awesome for me (first week of using it). It does have a bezel lock, and it's incredibly easy to use. Wish it had better MAC support (pending) though, and wish it could spit out an 8 or 10 digit MGRS grid for navigation work.

I have the 205 and was wondering if my runs can be transfered to the actual 405 unit when I get it?

Would be awesome to have while I'm buzzing around town on my motorcycle and even off-road riding on my dirt bike.

How's the altitude function? The 305 was terrible enough I didn't buy one. I've put off upgrading from my ancient Timex Ironman Bodylink setup to a Forerunner since living in Colorado the altitude function working right matters:-)

Why can't Garmin make these water resistant enough for swimming? 3M, 5M depths would do.

Two questions:
1. Does anyone know if the Heart rate signal is transmitted digitally or by analogue in the 405? I'd love to know as I don't want to go back to wearing those evil plastic straps that chafe and slip. I currently use the NuMetrex system which is analogue and if I can partner the 405 with the analogue transmitter its a no brainer for me.
2. Does the GPS info display while you're training (speed and distance) or do you have to download it first and see what you did, rather than what you're doing?

Got the 405 for fathers day after owning the 305. I like the fact that it is smaller than the 305 and can double as everyday watch. I have to agree with earlier post that I have not be able to have time with date and day display, seems odd. The bezel and menu take some practice navigating. I do have a major complaint which is the inability to download workouts to the watch, especailly calendar workouts. I sent an email to Garmin and their response was simply cannot download calendar workouts. If you have stored any custom workouts no way to get them to the watch. I certianly hope they come out with some software upgrades soon.

Is the rechargeable battery for the watch replaceable? We have to go back to Garmin to replace the battery once it's out, rite? I know the we can purchase the battery for the HRM from the store.

Can someone tell me what it means that 405 does not have the capability (which the 305 DOES) to "track routes"?? Isn't that one of the major functions of a machine like this?? I am going to buy either the 305 or 405 as a gift for a runner, but I don't know which of all of these benefits are the most important. Is this lack of route tracking a huge deal?? Thanks!

GARMINBLOG, just got my 405 from universal cycles, can you pls tell me if I want to know the distance of a new running route, can I retrieve it from the watch after the run or do I need to upload data to Garmin Connect? Also do you know if the Polar F6 heart rate belt ca be used for the 405?

The average pace on garmin connect is about a minute faster than what my 405 shows and what I know I did. What is the probem?

In response to some of the unanswered questions:

Yes current speed, total distance, Heart rate etc are all displayed on the watch while you run. You dont have to wait until the data has been uploaded. During a run the watch can cycle automatically or manually between 3 data screens which are all configurable in terms of how much info is displayed on each screen.

And yes it does 'track routes', i.e. it logs data points every couple of seconds with your position and Heart rate etc, which can be viewed on the PC

You can upload courses to the 405, but there is not a map display which allows you to follow the track like you might find in a car GPS. Instead you can display a compass arrow which shows you which way to go. There are a couple of related functions such as Store and Go To locations, which again just point the direction, and also go back to start of run.

Elevation performance is not great, but its never going to be with these kind of devices. Thats the nature of a stand alone GPS device. However products such as Sporttracks (which is free, but accepts donations) have plugins which use external data sources to correct the elevation data on import. But I think you can see the elevation while you run (I havn't actually checked), just configure the fields on one of the three data screens.

I've ha several cases of the watch appearing to just hang, both mid run and in data transfer. Sometimes the screen goes blank, and sometimes the display remains but is stuck. Sometimes it still appears to be accepting input as it beeps when I hit buttons and sometimes it doesn't. In all cases I had to wait for the battery to run down to regain control.

In response to:
Does anyone know whether the 405 supports maps in regions other than where it was bought? In the past I was able to get maps in Training Center for my US-bought 305, when I had used it in e.g. Europe, but no longer. This is annoying for people who travel frequently; I wonder if it's a way to reduce grey import?"

The 405 itself doesn't have any mapping feature/display on the watch itself so this is a non issue. The data is logged in WGS84 Lat/Lon which is a world wide positioning datum. Conversion to grid co-ordinates for display of these points on a map is the responsibility of the PC software being used, but I don't think there would be a problem anywhere in the world - at the very least Google Earth would work.

General comments: Its comfortable to wear, using it to connect to the PC is easy (once you work out what you need to download from garmin since the software was not supplied with the device). Accuracy seems to be pretty good.

Does the watch work with Mac? Thanks.

I have the same question as Dave (at 12:04 AM ON 04/27/08) is there any way to display the elevation on the Forerunner 405 when hiking? I've been through the manual but can not find the menu options to display the elevation, can anyone help?

Yes you can display the elevation numerically when hiking. Under the Menu>Settings>Data Fields you can choose from a large range of values to be displayed while 'training'.

4 configurable displays (one dedicated to Heart beat) allow you to display between 1 and 3 fields each. The watch can cycle between the 4 displays automatically or manually.

I should mention that the elevation accuracy is not to great.

I'm thinking of buying a 405 but I do a lot of international travel. I see from your comments that there may be problems with a sat signal. If you can't use the GPS, or you're having problems getting a signal, can you switch to the foot pod as a backup?

Mike. In general there should be no problem anywhere in the world with the GPS signal. It is designed as a Global Positioning System after all. There can be some variation depending on where you are and at what time but periods of poor signal should just be temporary (and measured in minutes).

Its your local environment rather than location which will have the biggest affect. for instance in cities tall buildings will obscure satellites and reflect the signal. And random effects in the ionoshpere and troposhpere.

But yes a you can use a footpad as a backup, though i've not tried one myself.

Anyone having problems with the heart rate signal? Mine seems to drop off about 20 min into the run and consistently under estimates. (Sometimes it stays at a hr of 50 when it should be 150-165 Garmin reps suggested rotating the strap 1/4 around to the left. That does improve it some, but still drops out after 20-30 min. I also tried to improve the signal with heart rate gel. Alas, no improvement either.

FWIW -- the GPS and other functionality is great. The GPS and pace are spot on.

My 2 cents: I disagree on the accuracy of the 405. My 305 was a much better training tool. The 405 is generally .15-.35 miles short on runs under 6 miles. Can be p to 30 seconds a mile. Now, to be fair (I guess) I typically run on wooded roads and paths, but I never had these accuracy problems with the 305.

I had the 305 since the day it came out...now out of warranty and the battery not holding its life really well, I thought I would go ahead and upgrade. I used 90% of the 305's functions and thought I would enjoy the automatic uplink, faster satellite connection, bezel functions, and slightly smaller size. I haven't fully decided yet, but I think I am going to send it back and get another 305. Here is why
1. Workouts have been severely dumbed down. You can no longer create an advanced workout directly on the 405, you have to do it from the Garmin Training Center. The 405 does not support scheduled workouts. You must develop them on the computer and then upload them. And where on the 305 you could chose to do a workout and then hang out then start the workout, if you wait to long, (i.e. it goes back to power save mode) to actually start the workout the 405 will 'forget' that you chose to do a work out and you will have to scroll through 5+ screens to chose the workout again. It took me almost two minutes to go through everything again after I realized I was no longer doing the workout. Last workout grief: only 25 workouts can be stored on the device. I had almost 40 workouts in the bike and in my 35 for the run in the 305. Worst yet, it doesn't allow which workouts you want to add it goes for the first 25. So, I had to DELETE my old workouts so that the work out I wanted showed up on the workouts list on the 405.
2) Heart rate alarm function: the 305 allowed you to set a regular alarm function for Heart Rate Zones. The 405 only offers this as a workout function. Which means that every time you workout, you have start it as a workout which requires you to set a goal for the workout such as time, distance etc. I went for a 90 minute run yesterday and went over by 2 minutes, but the workout was done, so it stopped recording the data.
3) Touch Bezel. I was looking forward to this change and knew it would take some getting used to but I've done quite a few runs now and know I don't like it. a) When using it, it is too easy to tap vs. scroll and I am constantly hitting the go back button because the device thinks I tapped when I was scrolling or that it tapped too long on a menu option and leave the menu completely. The bezel has made the device much more time consuming to use. b) It sensitivity is not consistent; sometimes you have to tap and hold sometimes the quickest of taps work... Great idea poor execution.

I thought I could find work a around or get used to these issues... but sorry the 305 was a far more superior product and I think I am going to go back to it.

Note to garmin, if you want to make a the 305 better, a) make it smaller, b) give it the ANT+ download, c) give it power data capability d) make it water proof. Do these things and you will have the happiest customer in the world.

If the 405 is useful for hiking I will probably get one (I also run). I notice that it can display the elevation on the screen. Does anyone know if it will display coordinates on the screen during the hike to help with navigation?

Thanks.

Super and useful comments section. A big kudos to all for participating. Pardon the silliness of it, but my question is this: is there a way that I'd be able to use a Forerunner 405 accurately for bicycling??? Sure, I know that swimming is not an option with it, but would I at least be able to use it during the biking and running part in a triathlon??? Any ideas or suggestions???

Thank you.

Having now had the opportunity to use my 405 for a bit longer now I thought I'd add a few more comments.

Firstly, in response to the comments by wyldhair, I would agree that there is a loss of some functionality in going from the 305 to the 405, and if you are someone has used, or feel that they would use, that extra functionality then go for the 305 instead.
From my own point of view I'm more than happy with the functionality that the 405 has, and I think the smaller size more than makes up for the lack of features, but this really depends on what you are after. I'm looking for a fairly simple training aid that gives me the basics: how far, how fast, how log etc, and don't really have a need for the additional navigation features e.g. map displays.
I have to agree with wyldhair regarding the touch sensitive bezzel. At best its a gimmick, at worst its a pain. Don't even think about trying to access more than the simplest stuff while on the move, and you can give up altogether if it gets wet. A set of buttons would have been much more practical, and i'm sure a total of 4 buttons would have offered enough ease of use. Fortunately this problem doesn't bother me too much since I don't have any real need to use the bezzel during a run, I'm happy to configure everything before hand and then just use the start/stop/lap buttons. I can configure the displays to cycle through what I need to see without having to touch it. This links back to the first point about the amount of functionality you require, and whether you are likely to want to delve into the menus in the middle of a work out.
I like the wireless transfer functionality, it does make life simple. You come back from a run, dump your watch in the same room as your PC, and when you get back from taking a shower the data has been uploaded for you. On the other hand its certainly not a must-have feature and there is the small and probably easily lost usb wireless adapter to consider.

With regard to workouts. These are not something I've experimented with but may in the future, so I'll withhold comment on how well these work, except to say that i think I would be more inclined to configure them on the PC and upload them, so again the lack of ability to do this on the Watch would not be an issue for me.

I wanted to finally comment on the accuracy of the watch having had more time to use it now. Generally i think the accuracy is pretty good, its not perfect and you can get periods where its obviously going for a wander, but on the whole I'd say it was better than I expected when i bought it. My job involves working a lot with various GPS sytems and for a standalone GPS receiver with an antenna wrapped round your wrist while being waved around I'm fairly impressed. I'd be suprised to find out it was any worse than the alternatives.

Oh, and Turnip, if you are looking for a navigation aid rather than a training aid look elsewhere. There is no way to display your current co-ordinates. It is possible to store a location and then navigate back to that point using a simple compass display, but I've not tried that to see how well it works. But there is no map/track display or anything like that.

http://www.runcolo.com/Product-Reviews/Garmin-405-Review.html

I wish the elevation tracking was smoother, my only complaint. The GPS can generally track within 10-20 feet, but the elevation data seems to have a lot of anamolies.

Does anyone know if you can buy the heart rate monitor separately? I think I ordered the 405 without the HRM ...

GARMIN 405 Customer Support is NONEXISTANT
On phone for 1 hr and no response either by phone. 405 data does not upload correctly and they don't seem to care at all. No FAQ; no website to send Qs to.

Is software compatible with Macs?

do any1 know for the heartrate signal is comply with Polar? I hate to wear the plastic band !

I wanted to know whether the chest strap I got with the 305 will work with the 405? Thanks!

I've had the 205 for a couple of years now, never has really had a long battery life. Usually have to pull it right off of the charger before I use it. Can anyone give me an estimate of what the useful battery time is on the 405 before I have to get it back on the charger?

can someone describe the accuracy of the heart rate measurements more...I currently have a suunto t3, and am less than pleased with it. I like to track my resting HR and the suunto won't even get a read from the strap if i'm at least walking briskly. Thanks

This is a really annoying product - I simply do not like it! It is impossible to use with a mac and the menus are simple confusing

Do not buy the 405, it is a nightmare to use, impossible to use when on a fast run as the touch bezel has a mind of its own unless you lock it. Downloading to PC is quite ofter a problem as it does not always recognise the unit. Garmin never reply to my emails. I have the 305 Edge it is brilliant but too big for running, will try the 305 next though.

I have now bought the 305 Forerunner, i am really happy with it, unlike the 405 it does not lose the satellite signal and downloads every time to my PC with the cable rather than wirelessly and haphazardly, i now have buttons that work and are not constantly inadvertently changing themselves when the bezel is unlocked. Garmin you silly people you should have used buttons on the 405 and a cable to avoid the obvious problems most people will encounter without them.

I am interested in purchasing this product. I'm going to run the Detroit Free Press Marathon in October, which travels through the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel.

Q1. Will the 405 automatically switch to the footpod to maintain my pace/distance?

Q2. Is this footpod included? If not, where is it available??

Thanks,

JRG

I do a lot of interval running in high (loud) traffic areas and often cannot hear the timer signal. And, no, I do not run with headphones. Can someone give me an idea of the loudness of the timer signal on the 305/405? Is the volume adjustable?

I have the forerunner405 now 2 weeks and it is a real disaster. A the Dutch manual is not (and that is an understatement) userfriendly. I have spent hours the last 2 weeks to get the ANT Agent downloaded to the computer and connected with the watch. Till now without any success. What a mess this watch. The bezel looks good but you have to push really hard if you want to scroll with is. Not at all comparable to the ipod. Last weekend a new drama. During the run several times the watch got into the save mode which means that the GPS is not connected anymore and you cannot see the actual training page. A drama again. After 1,5 hours running the watch had registered 2.5 km.

A real great watch, Don't think so. BETTER DON'T BUY THIS WATCH IF YOU WANT TO AVOID DRAMA'S.

planning on buying the 405 for xmas. how does the 405 function in cities. I live in nyc lots of buildings. wondering if it will lose signal constantly. please advise.

For some reason I can not get the time and date to change. I have charged the watch up and I have a signal. But the time and date has not changed.

I have the Forerunner 405 and want to know if I could send to Mexico along with shipping.

I got the 405 forerunner as a xmas present. Whilst this looks good,it's a little confusing. First I had to charge it all night. I went for my first run and the batterie went after 35 mins. I then charged it again now reading 100%, but ran down realy quickly even when not in use. I held the two bottons similtaniously to put into powersave mode. but the time is still displayed and the batterie still runs down. Is there a powersave botton if so where???
Also, when i start training I just want to press start and go. while on the run I want to see how far & fast i'm running. Also my hr.
1.Do i press for satelite or gps?
2.Then do i press start botton.
When i do this, it just shows EITHER hr OR timer not full display???

I got my forerunner for Christmas. I love gadgets, so of course it couldn't come with enough stuff, but it actually has.
Once you have time to sit and play with, it's many options can be tailored to any activity.

Heart rate monitor is great, easy to connect and comfotable, even on my long runs.

Hopefully my times will drop this spring with the added training info.

Definitely recommend.

Great bit of kit but GPS not working, just did a 10k run on jogging machine in Gym and it did not record the distance. Maybe no Sat lock due to being indoors. Heart monitor worked ok.

I am also disappointed with the Forerunner 405 watch and the Garmin training center, very poorly done. The watch records time and distance well but the elevation and heart rate are very erratic and are almost worthless. I run a hilly loop, the Garmin tells me the beginning and end are 70ft different elevation, and the incline is wrong. I run the same loop everyday and the elevation profile totally different each day.
The training center software is very unsophisticated, it won’t export data except in its own format and has very limited features. Hopefully Garmin will spend a little time improving these products. Close but no cigar!

I am VERY disappointed with the Garmin Forerunner 405. I will be returning it to REI. The ONLY reason to have a GPS watch is to get an accurate read-out on your PACE. But the watch cannot give you your current pace within +or- 1 min/mile consistently. Its useless. So I have resorted to looking only at my LAP PACE and setting my auto lap feature to 1/4 mile. This way I can at least get a reasonable pace over the current 1/4 mile lap.
I also have had great issue with the HR monitor. After 2 weeks of messing with this watch its going bace to the store.

great watch. I had it for three weeks just perfect. thinking of getting the foot pod for indoor.

Hey! Could anyone tell me if the Forerunner 405, or any others in the forerunner series, will display 6 figure grid references in navigation mode? I am a runner/ hiker so am looking for a device that can both track my workouts and also be used as a navigation tool when caught in mist on the fells, such as the handheld garmin gps devices. If anyone could help I would be grateful. cheers

My wife and I both have the 405 and went on a run today. Her 405 was showing our pace about a minute slower per mile than my 405 showed for our entire 8 mile run, however, the activity summary gave us the exact info on avg. mile pace, distance, etc. What could cause this discrepancy in pace while running?

Just got my 405.
I can't clear training run data, I have used the 405 commands and there is no history recorded. I have set the USB key to delete data after transfer but the data is still being transfered in subsequet connects.
Any ideas?

You have the force send option enabled.. set it to no on the watch

DIFFERENT country versions- The reason there are different COUNTRY versions is mainly the country specific MAPS that come with the unit for use with the Training Center software. US versions come with, naturally, US & CA maps. When I lived in France, I bought a Garmin European City Navigator mapset to use w/ my Training Center software.

Those who aren't familiar w/ the Training Ctr software - it's Garmin's training software that maps out where you have run and has summaries by lap, sport, and shows graphs of pace, speed (for cycling), heart rate etc. That said, the supplied maps don't have great street detail, only main streets are shown. I bought the Garmin North American City Select maps which show ALL streets in the US & Canada and some trails.

The Training Center auto-magically recognizes the new maps and provides a drop down selection in the map to choose the original or the new set of added maps.

However, if you download your runs to Motion Based (a Garmin subsidiary) , I believe that Motion Based will display your routes on maps for other countries.

SOOoo, if you live in, say, Australia, you should NOT buy a US one as you will not get Australian maps.

ALTIMETER - the altimeter is not accurate - think about it - satellites thousands of feet above you are trying to determine if you are a few feet close to them. Horizontally, i.e. pace & distance, they can triangulate easily, but to determine if you are closer VERTICALLY, is a different story. In fact, the cycling specific one, the Garmin EDGE 605/705, has a barometric altimeter that is accurate.

Just short of year or so, from buying my garmin 405 and I'm still reasonably happy with it.

One tip I would say is that you should definatley upgrade the firmware on the unit as this seems to have solved the accasional annoying habit of the watch locking up mid run.

I still don't like the touch sensitive bezel as its not practical when running - but I can live with it by virtue of just locking it during the run.

I use the freely available SportsTracks software in place of Garmin training Centre, which is far to basic.

I did have trouble installing the software due to the poor quality instructions and the fact that I had to download additional software as well as what was onthe CD. However was setup and running I've had no problems, and the wireless transfer is convenient

I love the speed of Garmin refreshing its product in just within a year, unlike Suunto GPS watches. I am frustrated with the current features in Suunto X10 GPS Watch, they are always the same. Can Suunto please open up and start listening to the public and build a feature-packed adventure watch for the world now? The people wants a normal-sized watch with new and improved features, which are as follows:
1. Wireless pc-watch/ watch-watch connectivity/ANT(like garmin Forerunner 405)
2. Weather station(missing humidity hygrometer)
3. Walkie talkie(eg. WRL-00560 module or VHF module, extensible antenna/antenna around the strap)
4. Solar
5. UV sensor(measure UV index, appears in numerous watches now)
7. Thermometer(facing outward, does not interfere with the wearer’s body temperature)
8. Touch bezel(like Garmin Forerunner 405, to omit spaces for buttons/no bulkiness)
9. Simple LED Torch(very useful during camp)
10. High frequency mosquito repeller(to target tropical adventurer)
12. Laser ignition system(e.g.15mW laser, to start fire autonomously)
13. Thick Sapphire glass with rubber damper side(rubber to absorb shock)
14. Titanium casing, nylon strap(durable)
15. UV germicidal LED(Cure water for drinking)
16. Vibration alert/ alarm(silent operation, e.g. hunting, fishing)
17. Flash memory
18. Voice recording for fast book-logging(useful when resting after hike, especially when bringing paper is inconvenient and you are tired)
19. Simple voice operation for fast menu-switching(e.g. "up", "down", "enter", "back")

I hope everyone loves these and vote for me => better watch.

You forgot:

20. Tells the time

How about:

21. Outdoor toaster

22. Color screen + receiver for cable tv

23. Fold-in electric tooth brush

Just got the Garmin 405 today. Went for my first run, what can I say, I was delighted with the results. I have been using a Polar RS200SD for almost four years, it was a great device but it lacked mac support, and I was not a huge fan of the Foot pod, plus I could not display my average pace while I was on my run. So away we go with the Garmin, set up my screen to show average pace at the top, normal pace at bottom and distance, with my first use it locked onto satellites in under 20 seconds. The accuracy of my pace and distance was spot on. I have heard alot of complaints about the bezel not being able to function with sweat on it, so I thought I would wipe a bit of my sweat on it to see for myself. Surely enough the bezel worked just fine and I continued to enjoy my Garmin. Garmin Connect is a cool website and I like the fact that I can upload my data wirelessly from my watch and see my route on google maps afterwards. So far no negatives with the Garmin 405, look forward to taking it for a run tomorrow. Happy running.

Same problem as Mikep
I can't clear training run data, I have used the 405 commands and there is no history recorded. I have set the USB key to delete data after transfer but the data is still being transfered in subsequet connects.
The force send option is disabled
Any ideas?

Same problem as Mikep
I can't clear training run data, I have used the 405 commands and there is no history recorded. I have set the USB key to delete data after transfer but the data is still being transfered in subsequet connects.
The force send option is disabled
Any ideas?

Can someone tell me if this device can be set for training zones (heart rate) so I can train at a perticular heart rate like the 305, aslo can it beep when you go out of the zones?

Thanks newguy! Your reset instructions were the solution to my problem (probably in the manual...I hadn't checked yet).

If your device freezes on a screen (mine was date and time)...a reset may be necessary before you can charge the device.

To reset hold the start/stop & lap/reset button for at least 7 seconds, then charge the watch.

I have loved this watch so far. Wonderful device.

Just wanted to add some feedback on the 405. definate upgrade from the 305 on satellite connectivity. The major negetive here though is the watch strap. Less then a year old, from constant wear, the plastic clasps that connect from the watch base are broken from what appears to me to be a design flaw (one side of watch face is longer then the other putting force on the actual attachment joint). I purchased a new strap , at my cost, which as expected does not solve the issue. Garmin won't replace it or service it, unless I send it to them at my cost. Additionally, I'm looking at 4-6 weeks turnaround, right in the middle of training and race season. Brutal after sales service, certainly within teh time frame and price paid for teh unit. The 310 appears to have solved this issue though, as the band has a totally revamped design. I just can't bring myself to funding this company based on this experience.

Hi Chris- I have the same prob, in that my wrist strap has disintegrated- could you tell me where I can order a replacement wrist strap for the 405?
Thanks,
Scoobs

Hi!

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I've read your site and found it very professional and appealing. I would be grateful if you'd give me the permission to translate some reviews from your site into Hebrew and put it in the site with a credit link to your site, according to your choice.

Will be happy to talk to you. My site is well rated and I think this should be of a mutual benefit any way.

Here is the link for my site.
So Thanks ahead!

http://שעוןדופק.com/

Just got a 405, After charging the battery overnight, it only reads 67%. Is this normal?

These watch is very cool watch. I prefer more in garmin watches because these are trusted by serious athletes. Also it has a lot of helpful features to offer. I also love it's HRM feature and it's user friendly interface.

When I attempt to upload from my forerunner405 (using Ant Agent) to the web I'm prompted to entery my proxy server details. When i enter the credentials this is not acceptted. I normally access the web via a proxy server

My forerunner 405 is only holding a charge for about 8 hours at a time. How do I change the battery? I have been running in cold weather 20* and below, I'm not sure it that has effected the battery life?