I bought the foot pod so I could use my 405CX on an indoor track and have been pleased with the results.
Calibration was easy. On the Garmin 010-00658-30 Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor (Blue) you can calibrate it using the GPS or a 400m track. I chose to use the GPS and it had me run .66 of a mile. Was easy and seems to be pretty accurate. The only issue is that you need to calibrate it at the pace you usually run at. For instance I usually run at a 10 minute/mile pace but since I was only running .66 miles while calibrating it I ran at a much faster pace throwing it off a bit.
Running on a .10 mile indoor track after 3.5 miles it was off by about 50' more by the end of the run. Not perfect by any means but I could probably calibrate it more (or you can adjust it manually) to key it in.
I don't use it running while outside, but if you don't like the pace setting of the GPS you can have the watch display pace according to the foot pod instead.
Installation and removal is easy. The instructions say it will fit in an insole pocket if your shoe has one, but mine does not. To attach it to the laces you slide the mounting bracket under two X's where your shoe laces cross then snap the pod over the top. To remove you have to press a tab that unhooks it. It's very secure and takes a lot of pressure to remove it. I have no fear that it will come off while running.
I am very happy with the pod, it works very well, and is easy to use. If you want to use your GPS watch on a treadmill or indoor track during the winter months, it's a must have. Garmin Foot Pod
I purchased this unit with the intention of using it on my elliptical trainer during those times when it was too late or too wet/windy to walk/jog outside. My Forerunner 305 already accurately records distance and speed without the Foot Pod as long as I'm outside (my preferred method of exercise), and the cadence tracking capability was not all that important to me (I'm an old man, not an athlete in training). It took several iterations to make this gizmo work with the elliptical trainer (Schwinn 430), but I did finally get it to work. I was able to get it to match the cadence, distance, speed and calories expended, to within just a few percent. Unfortunately, the cam mechanism I designed to make the foot pod think I was wearing it on my shoe while running, made enough noise to make my spouse agitated, and therefore rendered my solution impractical. I have replaced my "elliptical trainer solution" with a Garmin bicycle cadence sensor (non contact and therefore totally silent). So now that I already own it, I clip on the Foot pod for my outdoor activities (which is what it is designed for), and it does add one more set of data points for me to use, which I now admit is helpful (cadence). I have used it on a tread mill (Cardiac rehabilitation after the second heart attack), and it works quite well. If I was a hard core runner, this would be a "must have item". In my opinion this little gadget (at more than $80 after shipping) isn't worth the expense unless you are using it indoors to assist in recording data on a tread mill. It is well built and easy to clip on your shoe laces. The instruction manual that come with it is next to useless, but it is a simple enough to use without much instruction if you are not too picky about getting very precise data output (us engineer types are never satisfied with the data we are given!). I would recommend this product to an athlete in training, or to someone who spends a lot of time on a tread mill.
I bought this foot pod to use with my Forerunner 50. The 010-11092-00 is the latest model sometimes listed as SDM4 (ANT+) and is quite small; barely bigger than the CR2032 3V Lithium battery that powers it. It easily "paired" with my Forerunner. What was most impressive was the distance recorded on my first use (w/o calibration) was exactly the distance I had recorded previously with a GPS device. From what I have read the pod accelerometers sense and compensate for stride and speed differences...pretty amazing.
More info on Garmin Foot Pods here:
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I bought this to go with my Garmin 405 purchased earlier this year. I love the watch w HR monitor... it has completely changed the way I plan my runs, that is I do not have to plan them out by driving a route in my car with the trip meter going, and then forget the route halfway through my run. Plus its a lot of fun to be able to come home and look at all of the data that was downloaded including the map of my run. When the temperature started to get super hot and humid this summer, I unfortunately had to switch to mainly treadmill running. After getting my 405, it seemed like more of a pain keeping track of my training manually (I know I know, I never had an issue with it before but I guess I am spoiled now). Anyways, on to the foot pod. It did not take me long after returning to treadmill running to determine that I really wanted the foot pod.
I read a ton of Amazon reviews before purchasing, and all I have to say is I love it. Its extremely accurate. I did not calibrate it before my 1st attempt because I wanted to see how it started out. After the 1st 4 miles it was off from what the treadmill readout behind 0.02. Next attempt, ahead by about 0.01 after 4 miles. Also seems accurate from the indoor track I use sometimes. Keep in mind that the treadmill might also be off this amount and the foot pod more accurate. Needless to say I will just leave it with factory setting.
I had read a couple of reviews that mentioned it coming out of laces while running. To this I say... USER ERROR. It may 1st seem that the foot pod is all one piece, but if you look at it from bottom or side you can tell that there is a clip on the bottom. The first time I tried to remove the clip, I was a little nervous I would break it, but did not. Very easy to put on laces.
Some other users also mentioned battery problems. I have been using mine for about a month now with no issues.
The first time you use it make sure you check your settings on your Garmin watch so that it doesn't search for satellite and knows to get data from the food pod. Also when you get into training mode, the watch detects your HR monitor first then about 5-10 seconds later the foot pod.
Overall great product that I would recommend to anyone who runs on a regular basis. - Distance - Cadence - Running - Garmin'
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