Powertap ant and Garmin 705 summary

[pdr]

Hi,
New to forum.
I've been using a Garmin 705 for some time now. Just bought a PT pro +. The wheel is being built. I have been searching all forums on the two combined. some of the info seems old. Is there any summary of setting up the two together so I can avoid mistakes made in the past? Also, any one use the trek duotrap sensor with the PT and Garmin?
Thanks,
Paul

 

[lanierb]

My only suggestion is to make sure the 705 has the latest firmware. There were some dud firmwares over the first half of last year, but those problems seem to have largely been solved. Other than that it's pretty straightforward.

 

[smaryka]

See my post here for some tips.

Also make sure not to have auto-pause enabled. WKO and pauses don't get along very well for various reasons, so if you start pausing the Garmin for every traffic light, etc. you will throw off your data.

My rule of thumb is to leave it running except for stops that I know will be a long time (e.g., cafe stop, major mechanical problem, etc.) If I get home and see that I've been stopped for longer than ~5 min but left the Garmin running, I'll remove it from the WKO file manually. Anything less than that I leave in.

 

[lanierb]

See my post here for some tips.

Also make sure not to have auto-pause enabled. WKO and pauses don't get along very well for various reasons, so if you start pausing the Garmin for every traffic light, etc. you will throw off your data.

I just leave auto-pause on and haven't noticed any problems. However, this reminds me that one thing you do want to turn off is "Smart Recording" (which most people refer to as "dumb recording"). That really will mess with your data files. Just set it to 1 sec recording instead.

 

[pdr]

Thanks for the input. I emailed Trek today about the sensor and got a response within hours. Here is what they wrote regarding PT and their Duotrap:


"The DuoTrap speed/cadence sensor will work with the Garmin Edge 705 but
will not function with the PowerTap computer head. Even though the
Garmin and PowerTap computers both use the Ant+ standard, the PowerTap
computer isn't capable of receiving a signal from an integrated
speed/cadence sensor like the DuoTrap."

Paul

 

[smaryka]

Thanks for the input. I emailed Trek today about the sensor and got a response within hours. Here is what they wrote regarding PT and their Duotrap:


"The DuoTrap speed/cadence sensor will work with the Garmin Edge 705 but
will not function with the PowerTap computer head. Even though the
Garmin and PowerTap computers both use the Ant+ standard, the PowerTap
computer isn't capable of receiving a signal from an integrated
speed/cadence sensor like the DuoTrap."

Paul

The Garmin gets cadence and speed from the hub (smoothed data) so you won't need the DuoTrap. If you really want exact cadence, buy a cadence meter from Garmin. And if you want instant accurate speed, just pop a cheap speedo on there.

 

[SolarEnergy]

See my post here for some tips.

I noticed in your blog that you seem to be using SportTrack as your logging software.

Can it import data from any Garmin device in your opinion? Like the CX310 for instance?

 

[smaryka]

I noticed in your blog that you seem to be using SportTrack as your logging software.

Can it import data from any Garmin device in your opinion? Like the CX310 for instance?

Not sure about the 310CX, but the short answer is I believe so. Under the Import menu in SportTracks, you can select your Garmin device and upload straight from there. I don't ever use it though.

What I do with my Garmin 705 (which acts like a drive when you plug it into your computer) is immediately transfer the files from the Garmin's History folder to a folder on my hard drive. Then I import to SportTracks from that folder. This is to prevent corruption of the file during transfer (unlikely, but I like to have a backup of my original history files anyway).

With the Garmin 305 and 405 (running and swimming), I use Garmin Training Center to get the file from the Garmin device, then I export the .tcx file to a folder on my hard drive and import as above. It's literally a 30-second extra step, takes no time at all. I would assume the 310CX is the same?

 

[SolarEnergy]

With the Garmin 305 and 405 (running and swimming),

Now that's interesting here... so you train as a tri isn't it? Do we know each other from TriTalk maybe?

Anyway, would that be a big thread hijack if I was asking you to tell me about the different garmin tools of choice for a triathlete? So far, the best fit I could come up with was this 310CX since it can be carried on whilst running, and clipped whilst cycling.

What does this 405 does that makes it a good choice for swimming?

I would assume the 310CX is the same?

I would guess so. Maybe I could give these guys at garmin a call to ask for a sample file...

 

[smaryka]

Anyway, would that be a big thread hijack if I was asking you to tell me about the different garmin tools of choice for a triathlete? So far, the best fit I could come up with was this 310CX since it can be carried on whilst running, and clipped whilst cycling.

What does this 405 does that makes it a good choice for swimming?

Indeed a thread hijack!

Check out this guy's blog, he's very thoroughly reviewed all the various Garmins for cycling/running/multisport use.

I would not use the 310XT (not CX, not sure where that came from) as a powertap head unit as it's got lots of problems as a head unit and also won't work properly with WKO for some reason, see this forum or google for more info. Also Ant+ does not work in water, so you won't get HR while swimming.

Fwiw, in my Ironmans last year I had a 305 unclipped from its strap under my swim cap (to measure time/distance/speed), a 705 on my bike for the powertap, and a 405 on my wrist for the run. Yes I'm a data geek.

 

[smaryka]

Slight thread hijack, yes.

Check out this guy's blog, he's done extensive reviews on all the Garmin devices for cycling/running/swimming.

Regarding the 310XT, I believe it still has some issues both with dropping data from the PT (see here) and being compatible with releases of WKO (see here). Personally I wouldn't buy one, it's a jack of all trades, master of nothing solution imo. And you won't get a signal underwater anyway from any Ant+ device.

For my Ironman races last year, I used a 305 without strap under my swim cap (to get distance/speed), a 705 on the bike, and a 405 on the run. Yes, I'm a bit of a data geek.