Garmin

7 lurkers | 223 watchers

Drell Jul 2011 8:50am, 25 Jul 2011 956 posts	Drell How long do 305s last? I've had mine for just over 2.5 years, and it's getting rapidly more temperamental. It randomly switches itself off when you press a button (any button), and the data uploading is getting worse and worse. It's always been a bit dodgy uploading to Fetch (just freezes part way through), but now it's absolutely impossible. So I upload to SportTracks, export a gpx and then upload that. But now it's becoming increasingly dodgy uploading to SportTracks. And really quite frequently the PC tries and fails to install new drivers when I plug it in.
Badger Jul 2011 9:54am, 25 Jul 2011 2,860 posts	Badger Have you tried doing a complete hard reset on it?
Drell Jul 2011 10:09am, 25 Jul 2011 957 posts	Drell Good idea. I'll give it a go.
IanRunner Jul 2011 11:33pm, 27 Jul 2011 544 posts	IanRunner I had mine just less than three years then it went. I'm just about to order another one. Can't find anything as good for the price. £113.30 on Amazon at the moment. I don't think there is a better watch on the market for value and functions. My hrm went to start with, then the watch itself stopped charging up.
Drell Jul 2011 10:23am, 29 Jul 2011 959 posts	Drell The hard reset hasn't had any noticeable effect, except that I had to reset all my settings. I was out yesterday, pressed the up button to change screens, and the damn thing turned off. It turned on again OK, but it's a pain. And sometimes I don't even notice, as it happens just when I jolt it or something. What are people's views on the 310?
sallykate Jul 2011 10:28am, 29 Jul 2011 1,698 posts	sallykate I've had my 305 for 3.5 years now. It's taking longer and longer to lock on to a satellite, which anecdotal evidence suggests means it's on its way out. When it finally goes I might try sending it back to Garmin first.
Badger Jul 2011 12:02pm, 29 Jul 2011 2,863 posts	Badger Drell, sounds like a battery connection is going, or a spring contact or something. Cheapest option is a refurb swop from Garmin, which is about 80 quid or something - it'll be in this thread somewhere. 310: well, it's a great watch, but I don't 100% trust it. To be fair, none of them ever let me down during training or racing. My current one has worked perfectly from day one, but it's my fourth. First two wouldn't keep time switched off, which really slows down the satellite lock; third one came loose from the strap once, and the display developed an intermittent fault after 6 months (replaced under warranty). Current firmware release has some horrible bugs with ascent & if you use courses regularly, and if you buy one I'd advise not updating the firmware till they are sorted (which should be soon). You have to be careful not to bang the screen as they are quite fragile. On the plus side, it's a really good watch, better screen than the 305, such good battery life you almost forget it actually needs charging, great waterproofing, vibration alerts are a plus, and if anything does go wrong Garmin support in the UK are pretty good. I've stuck a velcro strap on mine & some oversize pins so had no problem with the strap coming loose on this one (and I have 18 more pins where that came from & can give you a couple if you want).
Badger Jul 2011 12:04pm, 29 Jul 2011 2,864 posts	Badger @sallykate - do you know how to reset the satellite cache? Worth a shot; it'll lock very, very slowly the first time after that but should be back to normal speed afterwards. Turn it on with the down arrow button held down, keep it held down till the splash screen goes.
sallykate Jul 2011 12:24pm, 29 Jul 2011 1,700 posts	sallykate Thanks Badger, I'll give that a shot tonight!
MissingPhoenix Jul 2011 12:29pm, 29 Jul 2011 353 posts	MissingPhoenix I've just sent off my 305 to be fixed with garmin, lasted 4 years btw. Details were, "We offer a fixed price replacement service for out of warranty devices, there would be a fee of £51.48 if you would like to get your device replaced. To get your device booked in please contact our customer support team on 0808 238 0000 and they will take details from you to generate a reference number and provide you with the return address."