Navigate with the Garmin Forerunner 305

A couple of weeks ago, one of my riding buddies invited me to join him on a training ride to prepare for the Jerusalem Marathon. The idea was to ride one lap around the 30 KM course to get to know it before the actual race. Since neither of us ever rode that course before, he asked me if I could add it to my Forerunner 305 GPS and use it to show us the way.

I love my Garmin FR305. I use it all the time for training. It provides me with lots of information about my runs/rides both during and after workouts. But it has never occurred to me that I could use it for navigation. So I did some research online (there's not much information on the official Garmin site) and found a few tutorials that explain the process. Since I couldn't find anything detailed enough, I thought I'd write my own take of it and share it with my readers. So here goes...

To get started you'll need to get a hold of a course file. There are many tools and sites that let you create a course file by drawing a route on a digital map and saving it locally, where the most common is Google Maps. In Israel, you can use Amud Anan to draw the course on a topographic terrain map (Google Maps does not provide topographic information for Israel yet) and save it to your computer. You can also download an existing course file from a plethora of sites that store and categorize routs for hiking, running, biking etc. and let users upload and share their own routs. There's btrail, USATF, MapMyRun, MotionBased Trail Network just to name a few.



The important thing is to store the file in the correct format for the Forerunner 305 which is a .crs file (remember, this is a course file, not a workout file). There are a ton of different file formats for the different GPS devices and tools, but luckily it's easy to convert from one format to another using this conversion tool. Just point to your source file, select the format you're interested in (Garmin Course CRS) and hit Convert. If you choose Options, you can also name the course, and add/fix elevation data to your course.



Once you have the CRS file stored, open Garmin Training Center, and choose File -> Import -> Courses. Select the course file, and voila, your file is right there under the Courses tab. Now connect your FR305 and click on the "Send to Device" button to transfer the new course to your Garmin Forerunner.



Once the course is on the device, click Mode, then choose Training, Courses and select the course you want to follow. Click Do Course to start. The timer does not actually start until you press the normal Start button.



In navigation mode, the FR305 provides screens that are unavailable in standard training mode: navigation data fields, map view, elevation graph, compass, etc. You switch between the "special" screens using the Mode button, and the standard screen using the regular up/down arrow keys.

The most useful screen in my opinion is the map screen. It shows the planned course in a thick line, and the actual traveled track in a thin dotted line, and the current location is shown using a small triangle. This screen makes it very easy to follow the planned route.



One complaint I have about navigating with the FR305 is that it displays a "Off Course" message too often, even when I'm on course or off by a tiny bit. the problem is that the Off Course message stays there until you hit the Enter button which could be difficult in the middle of a hard climb or a fast descent. And while the message is on screen it is hard to see the data behind it.

Other than that, it's a great way to explore new trails without getting lost.

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