Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Garmin Edge 605 & 705 Tips, Tricks & Bugs

When you did the hard reset did you delete the profile file first? If you don't the unit can potenetially carry over some of the bad offending data.

No I did not, how would I do that?

I am also thinking about going back to 2.6, would that be possible and do you think that I need to?

Hi

I have a 305 which I'm really happy with, but there are a couple of things that the 705 does that I like. I ride for about 2 hours in the dark every other day and it is annoying that I can't see the 305 display. I want to ride courses racing the virtual partner, so want to display the distance ahead, cadence and speed. I understand that the amount of backlight is adjustable, so with just enough backlight on continuously to see the display, how long will the batteries on a 705 last.

davida.

I'm not sure from your statement if you expect the backlight to stay lit on the 705. It will not. It only stays on for a preset period of time, then dims. You have to hit a button to make it light again, or some kind of alert has to occur to turn on the backlight.

Bob

Yes, within Display settings you can adjust the amount of time the backlight timeout. I have mine set to never (page 56 of manual).

Is this what you're asking?



I'm not sure from your statement if you expect the backlight to stay lit on the 705. It will not. It only stays on for a preset period of time, then dims. You have to hit a button to make it light again, or some kind of alert has to occur to turn on the backlight.

Bob

No I did not, how would I do that?

I am also thinking about going back to 2.6, would that be possible and do you think that I need to?

To delete your profile connect your Edge to your computer. I dont have mine here to verify this but I seem to recall that in one of the directories on your Edge (not the SD card) there is a file called profile.??? (??? = I don't rememeber extension). Delete this file then perform then perform the hard reset. Hard reset is accomplished by pressing both the power and mode buttons while the Edge is turned off. When prompted select yes to reset the device. Once this is done re-install the 2.7 update.

I dont think you should have to revert back to 2.6 but if we cannot get your Edge working correctly then that may be the best bet.

To go back to 2.6:

a) download this file: http://www8.garmin.com/software/Edge605_705_260.gcd

b) Hook the 705 to your USB cable.

c) Rename the file you just downloaded to "gupdate.gcd" and place it in the GARMIN folder (not the root folder) of your 705 when it is hooked up to the PC/MAC.

d) Unhook the 705 from the USB cable and power it on. The "Software Loading" screen will come up. DON'T disturb the 705 until this process is finished which can take a few minutes. During this process, the unit will shut itself off and turn itself back on. Don't touch it.

e) After the unit does its update and reboots itself, confirm everything appears to be normal and do another hard reset. This might be the most important step.

EDIT: The profile file is in the profile folder and is called UserProfile.TCX.

Yes, within Display settings you can adjust the amount of time the backlight timeout. I have mine set to never (page 56 of manual).

Is this what you're asking?

I stand corrected! I missed that setting. Thanks!

Bob

I have some first hand data on battery life now.

Since my last full charge I have 15+ hours of time with the Edge turned on and in use. My battery meter had turned red but I had NOT received any warnings. I use the Edge with 1 second recording and have PT, GSC10, and HR in use. No backlight use during this time period. About half of the time I use courses with the virtual partner turned on.

sounds good about the battery life, the last time I checked the full battery life was when it was only a week old, maybe it will improve since getting some use?. Most of my rides are 6+ hours, so I have been charging it every time worried about the battery running out, with two rides plus stops that would be in the 14-15 hour range.

Just verified that the mileage on the Garmin 705 (at least as I have it setup) does NOT accumulate unless you hit start. I am surprised by that. (referring to the mile counter in the settings>bike profile>mileage)

Is there a setting so that the mileage accumulates when the unit is powered-on but before you hit start?

Background:
With the nicer weather and additional sunlight, I am cycling to more group rides, but I prefer to keep those stats separate. (I am leery to use the "pause" as it has corrupted my rides when using it - using latest 2.7 firmware and still have had file corruption issues when manually tapping "pause" or "stop")

I would STILL like to have those to-fro miles accumulate to give me an accurate number of total mileage just NOT in the group ride stats if possible.
Thanx

No there is not a setting to override that feature.

Why not press the lap button? It will still keep all of your data in one file but will parse the file into seperate sections that you can view individually in GTC or even on the Edge. This will also still allow the odometer to accumulate mileage like you want.

Why not press the lap button? I
I am not "looking" at the 705 right now, but isn't that "lap" button? also the "pause" button?

Pause is separate from Lap. A lap will create a mini ride within you total ride. It will keep the full ride data on the screen, but when you get home, you can see an overview of the entire ride as well as each lap, you can see just the group ride portion separate from the to and from mileage. I use the lap button when I ride to group rides.

New question, can losing accuracy from satellites lead to huge speed spikes? I had one spike up to 1300mph and another one into the 300s today. I checked when I saw the 300 one, and satellite accuracy was around 120 ft versus the normal 14-18ft. The spikes threw off my mileage by ~20 miles :(

New question, can losing accuracy from satellites lead to huge speed spikes? I had one spike up to 1300mph and another one into the 300s today. I checked when I saw the 300 one, and satellite accuracy was around 120 ft versus the normal 14-18ft. The spikes threw off my mileage by ~20 miles :(

Yes it can. Are you using the Speed/Cadence sensor? It prevents these kinds of spike normally.

can losing accuracy from satellites lead to huge speed spikes? I had one spike up to 1300mph and another one into the 300s today.

Absolutely NOT. All the past training has made you much stronger and faster than you realize. :-)


Yes it can. You totally destroyed whatever premise he held that he could go pro.


BTW using the lap button rather than the stop/start button has resulted in no further corrupted files.
Thanx again

And here I was ready to beat Cavendish in all the pro races :lol:

I am using the speed/cadence sensor. This is the first time it has happened, cadence was working normal when the speed when nuts on me.

Well for some reason speed is the first thing the GSC10 drops when the battery gets low, not sure why. Try replacing the battery. When installing the new one install it backwards initially to be sure that the GSC10 fully shuts down first. Then put it in correctly and have your Edge rescan for it. My guess is that this will fix the problem.

ok, I'll give that a shot.

Can you please help me , how to find a bike mount for etrex vista hcx like the one 605/705 has?

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/store/assets/images/products/010-10496-01/en/cf-md.jpg

This one can't be used with zeus cat handlebar, it's too small.

Did you try a search for "etrex bike mount"? There are other companies out there that make them.

Or you could try something like this:

http://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?page=8&description=Control+Center+for+31%2E8+Handlebar&vendorCode=FSA&major=3&minor=2

Correcting a corrupt TCX file with SportTracks. This is the method I have found to be the most accurate and fastest method to fix the files:
...
2. Download and install firstobject XML Editor http://www.firstobject.com/dn_editor.htm
...
4. Start firstobject XML Editor. Open the TCX file (you can read the file on your Edge just like a external hard drive) and select File, Save As, to save a copy of the corrupt file on your hard drive
...
...


I was able to fix two corrupted ride files using a similar method with just firstobject xml editor (http://www.firstobject.com/dn_editor.htm)

A typical tcx trackpoint looks like:

<Trackpoint>
<Time>2008-07-05T18:20:01Z</Time>
<Position>
<LatitudeDegrees>47.577279</LatitudeDegrees>
<LongitudeDegrees>-122.139872</LongitudeDegrees>
</Position>
<AltitudeMeters>97.711</AltitudeMeters>
<DistanceMeters>0.384</DistanceMeters>
<HeartRateBpm>
<Value>144</Value>
</HeartRateBpm>
</Trackpoint>

You are looking for <tags> that don't match up to </tags>. When you open the file in firstobject it will give an error at the bottom of the window that lists the offending tag and where it is in the file. It helps if you use the Tools>Align menu option to list the tags in sequential order with line breaks between them. Find the bad spot and delete until all of the <Trackpoint>...</Trackpoint> sets are complete. Then the file will load into Training Center.

If the problem is missing information in the file header or footer you can copy that part from a good file and edit it to have the correct start date, distance, duration, etc. to maks a valid tcx file. That method can also be used to convert an orphan .dat file in the History>Laps directory into a valid .tcx file.

does anyone know what this img file is it is showing up on my 705 internal memory gmapbmapOFF.img is this the basemap that comes with the unit ? if so can I delete it since I am using the Garmin city navigator on the micro sd card? Thanks

I am pretty sure that is the rudimentary base map that comes with the device.

Why would you want to delete (I hope you mean to back up in a safe place) it? The Edge has plenty of onboard storage.

Yeah I guess it's worth keeping it then it's not that big of a file- Thanks

I searched and couldn't find an answer. Every time I go to download the 705 data (from when I got a year ago) to Garmin TC, it says, "There was a problem receiving user profile data from your device. Would you like to continue trying to complete this transfer with your GPS device."

It didn't happen on my 305. Reinstalled Garmin TC (after reformatting) and it still did it. No problems, other than this message popping up. Everything saves just fine, it's just another button I have to click.

Thanks

This is a bug that many of us have encountered but found no solution for. As you mention all the history data stills seems to download just fine.

This is a bug that many of us have encountered but found no solution for. As you mention all the history data stills seems to download just fine.

To be clear, this bug your talking about is with the 305 correct? I just bought the 705 and after I update the firmware I'm assuming most if not all of any bugs or problems it had would be addressed.
Would that also be correct?

No, that bug relates to the 705. To be more specific it is more of an anoyance than a bug. The "bug" consists of a pop-up screen that you must click through but everything else works fine during the sync process.

As for being bug free, that depends on who you ask!

I dont have many problems with mine. I use it with a Power Tap and regulary use courses. Many people are having problems with corrupt history files after the most recent firmware update to version 2.7 (legit bug). Many people don't like the way the unit autoroutes.

If you spend some time browsing the Motion Based page for the 605/705 you will get a good does of what the current actual and percieved issues are.

No, that bug relates to the 705. To be more specific it is more of an anoyance than a bug. The "bug" consists of a pop-up screen that you must click through but everything else works fine during the sync process.

As for being bug free, that depends on who you ask!

I dont have many problems with mine. I use it with a Power Tap and regulary use courses. Many people are having problems with corrupt history files after the most recent firmware update to version 2.7 (legit bug). Many people don't like the way the unit autoroutes.

If you spend some time browsing the Motion Based page for the 605/705 you will get a good does of what the current actual and percieved issues are.

As long as I can download a route from the internet and/or create one and download it to my 705 and it works.....then I don't care about other bugs.

Then again, the garmin edge series are the only gps devices with full maps and turn by turn that is dedicated as a cycling computer correct? I couldn't find any others when I did research online. I was going to go with tomtom or garmin car devices....the small ones with voice turn by turn, until they shop guy told me they only have about 3 hours battery life when not plugged into a car.
So I went with the 705.

The 705 is supposed to have close to 15 hours in battery time....at least thats the ideal scenario.

You should have no troubles downloading a route to your Edge.

The Edge is currently the only GPS based bike computer out there that I know of at the moment.

And yes 15 hours is not a stretch. I can get that with my unit set to 1 second recording, using a Power Tap, Speed/Cadence sensor, HR and running a course. If it is not enough there are external battery packs you can add to it and extend it.

I just got a 705 and took it out on its maiden voyage this morning. I planned my route with Mapmyride and got it loaded into the Garmin. Mapmyride said the route was 31 miles. The route was a loop and I followed it exactly. On my way out, the 705 showed that I went 15.2 miles. The way back should have been the exact same distance, but for some reason the total ride was only 28.9 miles. That means that the way back was 13.7 miles. Now I would expect that there would be a little bit of difference between the distance of each half of a there and back route, but 10% is ridiculous. Does any body have any ideas what is going on here? Is the device really that inaccurate?

I also noted that the elevation on the ride back was higher by around 20 feet the entire way, and the speed fluctuated quite a bit. I would be going at a steady pace and the speed would jump from 15 to 19 and back in less than 3 seconds.



I apologize if these issues have been addressed in this thread. It is so big I haven't had a chance to read it all.


Thanks,
Brad

The Edge is generally very accurate but there are a few things that can impact it.

In your post you said you did a loop but also said you went out and back. These tend to contradict each other.

Do you use a GSC10 (aka Speed/Cadence sensor) mounted? If yes do you have it turned on properly in the Edge settings menu for accessories AND the bike? Do you have the proper circumference set? Do you have the magner properly positioned?

If you don't have the GSC10 was your ride in an area where there may not be very good satelite reception (heavy trees, canyons, tall buldings, etc)?

The Edge is generally very accurate but there are a few things that can impact it.

In your post you said you did a loop but also said you went out and back. These tend to contradict each other.

Do you use a GSC10 (aka Speed/Cadence sensor) mounted? If yes do you have it turned on properly in the Edge settings menu for accessories AND the bike? Do you have the proper circumference set? Do you have the magner properly positioned?

If you don't have the GSC10 was your ride in an area where there may not be very good satelite reception (heavy trees, canyons, tall buldings, etc)?



Sorry for the confusion, I went out and back. The exact same route both ways.

I have the speed/cadence sensor mounted. The speed shows up when I spin the back wheel (while lifted off the ground), so I assume the speed is coming from the sensor. I am not sure what you are asking about with "do you have it turned on properly in the Edge settings menu for accessories AND the bike?" What specifically am I looking for here? As for the wheel circumference, it is set to auto (I am running 700c wheels on a road bike). Either way, since speed/distance information changed on the way back, I am assuming that the wheel size is not the issue. The magnet seems correct, with the silver side facing out and the black side facing in.


My ride was through farmland, so the reception should have been very good (though it was cloudy).


The only thing I have figured out so far is that my "record data points" was set to smart recording. I have changed this to seconds. However, I don't think that would affect the distance recorded.


Thanks,
Brad

During today's ride my 705 stopped displaying the grade% and adding to Ascent. Elevation and the graph showing the hills I had already done were working fine as well as everything else on the garmin. It worked most of the ride and then just stopped, any ideas on what might have happened or how to fix it? I'm running 2.7, did a hard reset after installing also. AND the ride is stuck in the laps folder too, I plug it in, it says saving history but its still stuck in the laps folder as a .dat file.

You should have no troubles downloading a route to your Edge.

The Edge is currently the only GPS based bike computer out there that I know of at the moment.

And yes 15 hours is not a stretch. I can get that with my unit set to 1 second recording, using a Power Tap, Speed/Cadence sensor, HR and running a course. If it is not enough there are external battery packs you can add to it and extend it.

No ride today. Its rainy (weatherman said it was supposed to be sunny in ny) now I'm not in the mood. So instead I'm going to concentrate on getting the 705 installed.
Speaking of speed/cadence sensors, I noticed that the 705 has a what do they call it....the GSC 10 combo cadence and speed sensor.
I was wondering.....I already have a blackburn neuro 5.0 which I'm about to swap out here. Can I leave the speed and cadence sensors I already have on the bike and have them work with the 705? That would be awesome if they could work together. It would save me the hassle of swapping them out for the GSC 10 sensor.
I know its a longshot but can I get the other sensors to work with the 705?

No ride today. Its rainy (weatherman said it was supposed to be sunny in ny) now I'm not in the mood. So instead I'm going to concentrate on getting the 705 installed.
Speaking of speed/cadence sensors, I noticed that the 705 has a what do they call it....the GSC 10 combo cadence and speed sensor.
I was wondering.....I already have a blackburn neuro 5.0 which I'm about to swap out here. Can I leave the speed and cadence sensors I already have on the bike and have them work with the 705? That would be awesome if they could work together. It would save me the hassle of swapping them out for the GSC 10 sensor.
I know its a longshot but can I get the other sensors to work with the 705?

As I turned on the 705 near my bike (with the blackburn neuro cpu removed) it said that it has recognized a cadence sensor.
I don't currently have the bike installed on my stationary trainer so I lifted the back end of the bike and manually turned the crank with my hand. The 705 started to display the speed and cadence readings as if it was coming from the GSC 10 (note: I adjusted the display so it would show the speed and cadence). The speed reading seems to be accurate and I think the cadence is good as well.
Unless you guys say otherwise I think using the cadence and speed sensors from my blackburn neuro with the 705 seems to work fine. :D

Garmin 705 uses "ANT+Sport" wireless.

According to this page, the Neuro uses it as well, so that is why it is compatible:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/2007/shows/interbike07/?id=results/interbike078

During today's ride my 705 stopped displaying the grade% and adding to Ascent. Elevation and the graph showing the hills I had already done were working fine as well as everything else on the garmin. It worked most of the ride and then just stopped, any ideas on what might have happened or how to fix it? I'm running 2.7, did a hard reset after installing also. AND the ride is stuck in the laps folder too, I plug it in, it says saving history but its still stuck in the laps folder as a .dat file.

got mad at my 705 and just decided to do a hard reset, lost the ride but at least testing it, its now correctly creating the history file and grade seems to be working. I'm really starting to this Garmin has designed the 705 to screw up when doing rides over 100 miles.

Garmin 705 uses "ANT+Sport" wireless.

According to this page, the Neuro uses it as well, so that is why it is compatible:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/2007/shows/interbike07/?id=results/interbike078

Excellent! :D

Too bad it doesn't seem compatible with my polar wind heart rate monitor strap. The polar strap's sensor is totally woven into the strap itself unlike others where the strap is connected to a rubber sensor casing. The polar is more comfortable imo.

got mad at my 705 and just decided to do a hard reset, lost the ride but at least testing it, its now correctly creating the history file and grade seems to be working. I'm really starting to this Garmin has designed the 705 to screw up when doing rides over 100 miles.

More bugs to work out in another firmware update? I would email the details of whats been happening to garmin so they can work on a update.

I just got a 705 and took it out on its maiden voyage this morning. I planned my route with Mapmyride and got it loaded into the Garmin. Mapmyride said the route was 31 miles. The route was a there and back route, and I followed it exactly. On my way out, the 705 showed that I went 15.2 miles. The way back should have been the exact same distance, but for some reason the total ride was only 28.9 miles. That means that the way back was 13.7 miles. Now I would expect that there would be a little bit of difference between the distance of each half of a there and back route, but 10% is ridiculous. Does any body have any ideas what is going on here? Is the device really that inaccurate?

I also noted that the elevation on the ride back was higher by around 20 feet the entire way, and the speed fluctuated quite a bit. I would be going at a steady pace and the speed would jump from 15 to 19 and back in less than 3 seconds.



I apologize if these issues have been addressed in this thread. It is so big I haven't had a chance to read it all.


Thanks,
Brad


Since I am using the Cadence/speed sensor, should I just assume that my unit is defective? Does it need to be sent into Garmin? Am I really the only one having these problems?

Thanks,
Brad

Since I am using the Cadence/speed sensor, should I just assume that my unit is defective? Does it need to be sent into Garmin? Am I really the only one having these problems?

Thanks,
Brad

luv2climb seems to be the garmin edge expert here. Hopefully he will respond.

Sorry for the confusion, I went out and back. The exact same route both ways.

I have the speed/cadence sensor mounted. The speed shows up when I spin the back wheel (while lifted off the ground), so I assume the speed is coming from the sensor. I am not sure what you are asking about with "do you have it turned on properly in the Edge settings menu for accessories AND the bike?" What specifically am I looking for here? As for the wheel circumference, it is set to auto (I am running 700c wheels on a road bike). Either way, since speed/distance information changed on the way back, I am assuming that the wheel size is not the issue. The magnet seems correct, with the silver side facing out and the black side facing in.


My ride was through farmland, so the reception should have been very good (though it was cloudy).


The only thing I have figured out so far is that my "record data points" was set to smart recording. I have changed this to seconds. However, I don't think that would affect the distance recorded.


Thanks,
Brad

Well lets make sure your Edge is set to read and store the GSC10 data. Just becuase it is displaying it does not mean that it is turned on correctly. Check the following:

1. Goto Menu/Settings/Ant+Sport/Accessories. Check that "Cadence Sensor Present" is set to yes.
2. Go to Menu/Settings/Profile & Zones/Bike Profile. Check that which ever bike profile you are using the Edge on has the box checked next to "Cadence". While here set your "Wheel Size" to custom and use 2,075mm for 700c wheels.
3. Make sure that your wheel magnet is sufficiently close to the sensor bar and passing it along the marked line.
4. Prior to your next ride check that you are using the correct bike profile by pressing and holding "mode" prior to hitting the "start/stop" button. Be sure to select the correct profile in the pop-up that appears.

Now you should be good for your next test ride. Let us know how it goes.

Excellent! :D

Too bad it doesn't seem compatible with my polar wind heart rate monitor strap. The polar strap's sensor is totally woven into the strap itself unlike others where the strap is connected to a rubber sensor casing. The polar is more comfortable imo.

Garmin does have a new HRM strap coming out that appears to be very similar to the Polar:

http://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?page=8&description=Premium+Heart+Rate+Monitor+Soft+Strap&vendorCode=GARMIN&major=3&minor=2

ETA shows 7/15/09.

More bugs to work out in another firmware update? I would email the details of whats been happening to garmin so they can work on a update.

from a post on motionbased forums, there should be an update out within a couple of weeks, hopefully it fixes all the new problems that I've had after switching to 2.7

Garmin does have a new HRM strap coming out that appears to be very similar to the Polar:

http://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?page=8&description=Premium+Heart+Rate+Monitor+Soft+Strap&vendorCode=GARMIN&major=3&minor=2

ETA shows 7/15/09.

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!! New problem....probably you know the answer to this luv2climb.

Why must I learn about these things AFTER I MAKE THE EXPENSIVE PURCHASE!! I'm referring to the difference between the dvd version and the sd card version of city navigator. I thought purchasing the package deal including the 705, sensors/heart strap and city navigator on an sd card would be the way to go. Little did I know that you would not be able to view the sd card data on your pc. And that you would need the dvd version which contains the files plus mapsource which lets you view the file plus edit routes for uploading to your 705.

Please tell me there is a workaround for this? What the hell is the purpose for the sd card version then?
I'm so annoyed right now! :mad:

You are not SOL. There are websites that will allow you to plan both Routes (Mapsource) and Courses (Mapsource will not do). Two of the more popular ones are BikeRouteToaster.com and MapMyRide.com.

Garmin Training Center will also allow you to create a course based on a previous ride that you have done. This add the benfit of letting you use the virtual partner feature to race against yourself.

You are not SOL. There are websites that will allow you to plan both Routes (Mapsource) and Courses (Mapsource will not do). Two of the more popular ones are BikeRouteToaster.com and MapMyRide.com.

Garmin Training Center will also allow you to create a course based on a previous ride that you have done. This add the benfit of letting you use the virtual partner feature to race against yourself.

Ok. But even so, did I limit myself by getting the sd card version? I mean, how do the mapmyride and other sites compare to mapsource in terms of route making abilities?

Yes becuase you now have to rely on an internet connection to plan your rides. What, somewhere in the world there is no internet!!!

No, becuause these websites are just as good as Mapsource in many regards.

Yes becuase you now have to rely on an internet connection to plan your rides. What, somewhere in the world there is no internet!!!

No, becuause these websites are just as good as Mapsource in many regards.

So I'm only screwed if my internet goes out is that what your saying? Anyways, I just loaded and ran the basic mapsource app on my pc and I'm not impressed with it. I suppose it is limited because its not working with a city navigator street level maps that would have come with the dvd but even still I'm not impressed.

Say, I don't suppose I can use google earth to plan routes for my edge 705 could I? That would be awesome. Because I'm here now on mapmyride and I'm noticing that the bike routes that should be near the highways where I'm at aren't showing up on the mapmyride map view.
Google earth on the other hand would show exactly where my usual paths are including the little bike paths near the highway.

Oh, and thanks for all the help luv2climb. Your a credit to the biking community. :thumb:

I have seen some discussion about using Google but that was a while ago. From what I recall Google used to support either courses or routes but not longer do. You may have to explore it some to see what you can find. I also recall the person talking about having to subsribe (pay a fee) to get some of these features.

Good Luck!