What's new

Garmin Edge 705

Gus Duncan

Gus Duncan

Warming-Up
Dec 8, 2007
12
0
I’m ready to shell out for a GPS
So far the Garmin Edge 705 is it.
I’ve read the post on English maps and hope they will work with the 705..
Is the US price so different to what you would pay in Tokyo…and would there be any duty or other taxes to pay?
I guess Amazon is as good as any place to purchase if Tokyo is out of the question...
Any advice or experience would be appreciated.
 
Gus Duncan said:
I’m ready to shell out for a GPS
So far the Garmin Edge 705 is it.
I’ve read the post on English maps and hope they will work with the 705..
Is the US price so different to what you would pay in Tokyo…and would there be any
duty or other taxes to pay?
I guess Amazon is as good as any place to purchase if Tokyo is out of the question...
Any advice or experience would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Haven't compared Japan/U.S. prices for the 705 specifically, but in general the
difference for Garmin's stuff is significant -- if memory serves, you'll pay a 50-100%
premium in Japan. BTW, Amazon won't ship a Garmin unit overseas, and neither will
any authorized dealer. Ebay might be a place to look for a used or gray market one.

David
 
Confirmed...

bought my 305 whilst back in the UK on vacation and the US will definitely be cheaper still. I was a bit concerned at first as I thought it might not operate in Japan a la DVD's but argued myself into submission when thinking this through from first principles ! Still I was relieved when I fired it up for the first time here and all worked well !!

As for maps then I don't have any experience with that as the 305 does not use them. If Alan W is still lurking then he may be able to advise on this topic.

Charles
 
Garmin Edge 205 GPS

I just purchased the Garmin Edge 205 at Tigerdirect.com and it cost me only $119.00 USD. But you know I am in the military and the base has a US Postal System, so it's no problem for me. The Edge 205 is a good budget bike computer and I am now laying all my routes on Google Earth maps...LOL
 
Map Compatibility

You should be able to use the English language map of Japan on the Garmin 705 if that GPS is using Mapsource as its map management software.
According to the website of the map vendor, the map will work with US versions of the Garmin units, as per my eTrex legend. I have not tried the map with an European-purchased Garmin unit. It would probably work since it does not ask for an unlock code during installation. Your best bet for compatibility would be to get a Garmin off a US website and have it send to a friend in USA and forwarded to you. You might get stung with 7% import duty but it's still cheaper than buying one in Japan.

Full details here:
http://www.uud.info/en/

Happy navigating!
AW
 
Thanks for the Info

Thanks for the information on GPS. When I decided to get a GPS to help me get around Tokyo, I thought that it would be as simple as getting on a train heading for Akihabara.
So much for the ‘instant gratification’ of a smooth shopping experience...
Sounds like I’ll have to get it online from the States.
 
I'm going to get a 705 when it comes out in Jan too. Looks really good even if it is pricey. Looking at ebay, without maps it's going for abot $550 which makes it a better bet than getting it from the UK.

Please let me know if you see it cheaper from a safe source.
 
Has anyone found a US store that will ship a 705 to Japan? Methinks I would like one too.
 
I found one called Visionchest on Ebay. However, they just told me it's delayed until mid-Feb.
 
idrowley said:
I found one called Visionchest on Ebay. However, they just told me it's delayed until mid-Feb.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. I am also toying with the idea of using a USA mail-forwarding service. A friend of mine already has an account with one - so I should be able to get a 605 from a 'normal' USA store.
 
any news?

Does anyone have any info on when the 705 and 605 will hit the streets (so to speak)?
 
Good news

REI has the 605 and 705 in stock (at least the chap on the live help chat system said they were in stock).
:)

Even better news: there seems to be no restriction on shipping them to Japan. I ordered a 605, and will report back when/if it arrives.
:D

Slightly bad news: REI has a 20% off one item campaign until 30 March - but the Garmin units don't 'qualify' for the discount.
:mad:
 
No idea why - but when I got to checkout it said that the item didn't qualify. I was just happy to be able to order it without having to jump through hoops to get it sent to Japan (touch wood ...).
 
Garmin 605 = very nice indeed

Very happy with it. The map I bought from
http://www.uud.info/
works perfectly. It even got me home safely on foot coming home from the pub blind drunk!

The free map from
http://www011.upp.so-net.ne.jp/mametaro/index-e.html
also works a treat.

gpx files downloaded from bikely.com upload fine - but only after stripping out all the <ele> elevation tags, as bikely qpx files have them in the wrong place.

Now I am a happy camper, and will be confident enough to take whatever detour I like - confident that I can find my way back to the right path at any time.
 
snoogly said:
gpx files downloaded from bikely.com upload fine - but only after stripping out all the <ele> elevation tags, as bikely qpx files have them in the wrong place.
Click to expand...


There is a useful piece of software called GPSU (GPS Utility) which can do this for you automatically. For smaller routes the free version can handle the conversion, for longer routes with more points you need to register it for USD 60 / GBP 30. It can also handle scanned maps and do various manipulations of the route and waypoint files, and can deal with just about any GPS file format

AW.
 
Was just checking these out on ebay. Found a few that ship worldwide; one going for $467 + $34.50 shipping to Japan. Not bad. May wait a bit more.

My worries are getting 'free' good maps of Japan in either English or Japanese that are compatible..... and learning where to get all the available route data from...

Is there a difficult learning curve in figuring out how to use these?
Is the software user friendly?
Anybody regret buying theirs?

Most of my rides are on well known courses...would I venture out more if I had one of these? Possibly. I'd like one for when I go to Nagano but even in Hakuba where I ride there I'm learning all the routes off by heart and it's hard to get lost. I even enjoy getting lost... At night when you can't see any landmarks in the distance I'd definitely see the benefits and even in Kanto where it's all flat and you often can't tell which way is North South East etc in Tokyo between all the large buildings...

I have bought a lot of electrical toys in the past that turned out to be a waste of money... an MD recorder that could upload and download to my PC for example..as soon as I got it MP3 players (ipods) became the way of the future...
 
Edogawakikkoman said:
My worries are getting 'free' good maps of Japan in either English or Japanese that are compatible..... and learning where to get all the available route data from...

Is there a difficult learning curve in figuring out how to use these?
Is the software user friendly?
Anybody regret buying theirs?
Click to expand...

I bought myself a 605 here in Japan (with memory card and maps in one package) and do not regret it a single bit.

I use it only for orientation and exploration on bigger-than-usual rides. 605 does not have analog speedometer, cadence meter, HRM, altimeter - but with its working time of 15hours I'd rather use a good cycling computer for altitude, speed and cadence and a wrist-attached HRM, than all-in-one 705. Orientation - is its only benefit, IMHO, and it's implemented really well, so having a good map is a must.

It also has lots of nice functions such as interval trainings, laps and triggers, virtual partner, etc.etc - but that just depends on how you train, i think... i'm not training non-stop or on circuits and I don't need a virtual partner, who does not stop on traffic lights either :) Intervals might be good for indoor training, since its hard to find a long enough road to follow the intervals strictly.

www.mapmyride.com - is the best place among those that I tried until now for making routes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom