Foxis says:

Hi all,

I've been using Nike+ for more than a year, but have just about had it. I do intervals, slow/fast runs etc. to improve my 10k times, and the Nike+ thingy just isn't accurate enough.

I'm quite close to ordering a 405, but...before I do, a few questions:

One of the reasons why I would get a 405 is pace and HR monitoring. I would want to set up the 405 to alert me if my pace or heart rate is outside of a set zone (I realize it may just be one variable at a time though). However, I normally run with music.
- Will I hear the alarm over a music track? (Not too loud, I can hear my steps, traffic, other people, etc).
- Can it vibrate as it alerts?

Also, to get data over to the mac, has anyone tried virtualization apps like Parallels or VMWare?

Many thanks in advance,
Dan

 Monstergolf says:

I can't answer your mac question. The 405 will alert based upon parameters you set with pace or HR. No vibration. I think the alerts are loud enough for you if you are able to hear your steps.

I just got this and am really enjoying it. However, it did take some trying to get the software to work with the ANT agent. Once it does it is extremely impressive!

 SlowPoke says:

Hi Foxis,

Someone mentioned using Ascent software for the Mac, but I'm not 100% sure if it is 405-ready yet. I plan on giving it a try.

www.montebellosoftware.com/index.html


Slowpoke

 damo2576 says:

Hi Foxis,

The 405 is great, earlier posts answered question re HR alerts. Re Mac I havent tried it but have read in other forums people using parallels with sucess on Mac. I may give it a go but at the moment have been happy with it on pc - no issues at all.

Damo

 RunnerGirl77 says:

Foxis, I use the 305, but based on my experience with Garmin, I believe that you are ready for all the perks the 405 has to offer. For instance, you can set the AutoLap function to a particular distance, and it will beep each time that you run that distance, repeatedly, making interval work a breeze, whether you be on the track or on a bike trail.
As for hearing the beep over music, if you have the music low and are not in a high traffic area, yes, you should hear it. I run with a headset that uses one earbud, and that also might be an option for you; it's the best of both worlds.
Enjoy!

 CarpeViam says:

RunnerGirl77 says: "For instance, you can set the AutoLap function to a particular distance, and it will beep each time that you run that distance, repeatedly, making interval work a breeze, whether you be on the track or on a bike trail."

I just want to point out that this feature is also available in the 205/305 models. I've see people on a few forums speak about the options on the 405 but have yet to notice any that are not also available on these other two models. Another example is people who use 205/305 switching to the 405 because they want to be able to enter GPS coordinates for geocaching purposes, but again this option has always been part of the 205/305 units.

Aside from these points it seem the 405 users are a pretty happy bunch and it sounds like the 405 is a big hit.

 RunnerGirl77 says:

Sorry...I didn't mean to make it sound like the 205 and the 305 didn't have the Auto Lap feature (as well as some other nifty options). I was just pointing out that there is a function that's great for speed work.
I absolutely love my Forerunner 305 because of the map page; it's the right Forerunner for me!

Before buying, compare these at www.garmin.com. The 205, 305 and 405 are all great, with none of them being "better" than the other. You just need to pick the right one for you.

 WileBEERCoyote says:

Hi, the Ascent program is excellent but it cannot connect to the ANT stick on the mac. At least not yet.
I have said that Ascent could do it but I have misunderstood some comments on their web site. Sorry.
I am using the 405 and have the ANT stick installed on BeepBeep's PC. It downloads the data automatically; just need to put the 405 onto the table. After the a glass of water the data transfer is finished and I can get the "*.tcx" file via the network into my mac (import into Ascent). I like the 405; it is a magnificent gadget.

The Garmin software sucks a bit:
Be careful to install the Garmin software on one PC when you want to still keep the connection to your old 205. The new Garmin software just overwrites without warning any old Garmin Training Center installation.

I do not have much experience with Parallels; it should work.

 CarpeViam says:

Boy that auto upload on the 405 sounds like a tasty upgrade. Nice. So does this mean there's no doc with the 405?

 olafd says:

i use my 405 in pretty much the same way as WileECoyote. i have vmware fusion as pc virtualizer and it just works great. usb support is complete enough to allow the ANT hard and software to work just fine. when i arrive back from a run, i too have a drink downstairs first. and indeed, often enough, the 405 beeps then already to tell me that it's transferring data. by the time i get upstairs to sit in front or the mac, it has it all uploaded and imported into training center. all i do is export from there into a shared directory on the mac and import the .tcx file into ascen - voila.

it's easier as it may sound.

CarpeViam - no, there's no dock for the 405, just a charger with a clip.