Mini-Review: Garmin Forerunner Foot Pod (Read 3615 times)

I received the Garmin Foot Pod for Christmas. It's an accessory for the Garmin 205/305 when you're indoors and can't get satellite coverage. They're currently real cheap at Amazon -- $29.99. I think the reason they're so cheap is that the new smaller foot pod used with the Garmin Forerunner 50 (a non-GPS foot pod only device) is replacing it. It's an accelerometer which in addition to counting your steps, can calculate the distance and velocity of said steps. So you can measure speed and distance with high accuracy (97% uncalibrated, 99% calibrated). Setup was easy. Turn on the pod, navigate to the accessory menu on the Garmin, and the two devices are paired up. You only have to do this once, unless you need to reset for troubleshooting. I mentioned calibration. There's an auto-calibration function on the Garmin. From the cal menu, You hit start and run either 800m or 1/2-mile (880 yards) on a track, then hit stop. A calibration factor is determined and stored. I haven't had a chance to do this, yet. Using it is easy. When you turn it on, your Garmin notices and asks "Footpod detected, Use Indoors?" Say yes, and you're off to the races. Garmin claims 97% accuracy uncalibrated, which I interpret to mean ±3% error. I tested it outdoors on a 5k course that I run regularly. A loop that normally measures 3.10~3.11 miles with the GPS measured 3.17mi. This is an error of 1.9~2.3% so within the expected tolerance. Even though this is small, I will calibrate it when I get a chance. Unfortunately, you can't calibrate it automatically with the GPS unit itself -- only the 800m/880y distance, but there is a way to manually enter the cal factor, so I could manually calibrate it based on the above run. The only major drawback is the way it attaches to your shoe. It's one piece, and you have to run your laces through it, preferably at both ends. You can lace it just at the end of the device nearest your ankle, but it tended to press against the shin-ankle area. To really attach it per the instructions, you'd pretty much have to unlace your shoe. This kind of sucks if you have a 2 to 3 pair shoe rotation going on. Overall, it's easy to use and does what it's supposed to do. I'll report back after I've calibrated. Pros: ►Easy setup ►easy to use ►good accuracy, especially calibrated (comparable to GPS) ►Will give you your cadence (in RPMs) which you can multiply x2 to get steps per minute. Cons: ►Can't auto calibrate with GPS, only with fixed distance ►attachment to shoe isn't ideal -- a robust clip would be better as opposed to lacing

$29.99? It shows up as $73.49! I've been contemplating getting one for all the treadmill running that I've been doing due to weather and Low HR training. Let me know if you have issues.... Go Green, Go White!!!

Thanks for the update on the Garmin foot pod! I'm thinking of getting the new Garmin Forerunner 50, but I was concerned about the accuracy of the foot pod. That review makes me feel better about it. I can deal with the laces attachment. I was tired of not being able to rely on my GPS all the time.