Garmin/Edge series

Current models

For current models see Garmin website.

Discontinued models

Edge 205

Garmin Edge 205
Description	sport logger
GNSS	20 channels chipset: SiRFstar III augmentation: waas;egnos
Memory	Internal: no (12000 max logging). External: ? no.
Connectivity	usb
Features	addresses points of interest mass storage mode Waterproof
Cons	no altimeter/heartrate monitor

Same as the 305 below except that it doesn't come with the baromic altimeter and doesn't have the option of the heart rate monitor or cadence sensor.

Edge 305

Garmin Edge 305
Description	sport logger
GNSS	20 channels chipset: SiRFstar III augmentation: waas;egnos
Memory	Internal: no (12000 max logging). External: ? no.
Integrated equipment	altimeter,
Connectivity	usb
Batteries	internal (3hrs lifetime)
Features	addresses points of interest mass storage mode Waterproof
Website	http://www.garmin.com/products/edge305/
Cons	no direct GPX support

SiRFstar III based receiver with barometric altimeter. Does 3 hours logging at 1Hz, alternatively configure it to decide which points to save. Sealed unit with rechargeable battery, which can be replaced at cost by Garmin when battery finally fails. Maps cannot be transferred to this device but it can display your location relative to waypoints and your intended route.

The Edge 305 and the included software does not support GPX files directly. Its native format are .tcx files. GPSBabel can read and convert either .tcx or directly from a USB connection. JOSM has a plugin to directly read tcx files. Once updated to the latest software, this unit is fine for someone interested in reusing lots of downloaded tracks or uploading tracks. Further advice on this topic can be found at Frank Kinlan's website.

The Edge 305 is a unit designed specially for bicycles, it comes with a good - small and functional - bike mount. The 305 is also available in HR and/or Cadence versions. The HR version comes with a wireless belt to measure heart rate. The Cadence version comes with wireless sensors to measure wheel rotation and pedaling cadence. Be aware, however, that its not possible to fit the cadence sensor on many mountain bikes. The speed measurements from the wheel sensor are only displayed when no GPS lock can be established (e.g. in tunnels) - hence it does not help to avoid the frequently very imprecise speed information displayed in areas with bad GPS reception (e.g. dense forests). The wheel rotation sensor also has to be mounted very close to the spokes and seems to have been designed with racing bikes in mind - not mountain bikes.

Edge 500

Garmin Edge 500
Description	sport navigator (no)
GNSS	20 channels chipset: SiRFstar III augmentation: waas;egnos
Memory	Internal: yes. External: ? no.
Integrated equipment	altimeter,thermometer
Connectivity	usb,ANT+
Batteries	Internal (18 hours lifetime)
Features	addresses points of interest mass storage mode Waterproof
Cons	no direct GPX support

Bicycle GPS computer with barometric altimeter. It has a black and white display with a backlight. Includes ANT+Sport connectivity to support wireless heartrate monitor (optionally inludeded in package), cadence/speed sensor (optionally included in package), and power meters. It is waterproof (IPX7 standard). Principally differs from the 705 in that it has a smaller form factor and a black and white display, and does not support mapping.

The Edge 500 records tracks in a new FIT file format. There is not much software that supports this format, for use with OSM it will need to be converted to GPX. The latest version of GPSBabel (1.4.4) can convert from FIT to GPX. Or you can download into Garmin BaseCamp, Garmin Training Center or Garmin Connect, then export as GPX.

Edge 605

Garmin Edge 605
Description	sport navigator
GNSS	20 channels chipset: SiRFstar III augmentation: waas;egnos
Memory	Internal: 512MB (12000 max logging). External: ? sdmicro(2GB).
Connectivity	usb
Features	addresses points of interest mass storage mode Waterproof
Website	http://www.garmin.com/products/edge605/

Same as the 705 below except that it doesn't come with the barometric altimeter and doesn't have the option of the heart rate monitor or cadence sensor. Less expensive and its logging and navigation functions are the same as the 705.

Edge 705

Garmin Edge 705

Garmin Edge 705
Description	sport navigator
GNSS	20 channels chipset: SiRFstar III augmentation: waas;egnos
Memory	Internal: 512MB (12000 max logging). External: ? sdmicro(2GB).
Integrated equipment	altimeter,heartrate
Connectivity	usb
Features	addresses points of interest mass storage mode Waterproof
Website	http://www.garmin.com/products/edge705/
Pros	A lot of built-in memory Customizable screens Virtual partner Waterproof Good screen ANT+Sport support 2 USB mass storage drives (edge and SD-Card) so no need for any garmin driver/tool or kernel hack
Cons	A slightly higher than average price (starting at US$499 with heartrate sensor) Does not support realtime transmission of GPS data to computer No magnetic compass

Bicycle GPS navigator based on SiRFstar III with barometric altimeter. It has a color screen with map. Includes ANT+Sport connectivity to support wireless heartrate monitor (optionally inludeded in package), cadence/speed sensor (optionally included in package), power meters and other Edge 705s. Has 512MB of onboard memory and a microSD slot for a single microSD card with up to 2GB memory. It is waterproof (IPX7 standard).

This device is dedicated for sport activity, mostly for bicycles. It includes courses (based on one your tracks) and workouts to help you to train with virtual partner, showed on the map. It has auto-lap feature great for measuring your results.

It can also be used simply for logging (tracks are logged whenever the Timer is on) and for navigation. Navigation routes can be constructed and loaded without recourse Garmin software, see [1]. OSM maps can be loaded, see OSM Map On Garmin/Download

It also has 4 modes:

• Map. Can be combined with up to 4 data fields.
• Two bicycle screens with up to 8 data fields
• Altitude screen (can be switched off)

Data fields includes Accuracy, Ascent, Bearing, Candence (Current, Average, Lap Average), Calories, Descent, Distance, Elevation, Grade, Heading, Heart Rate, Lap count, Power, Speed, Sunset, Sunrise, Time and others, so you can set up it as you want. It also have auto day/night switch based on sunset/sunrise time.

You can use it with Garmin training center to download your tracks, upload workouts and courses. You can view graph of your heatrate/cadence/etc.

Getting Tracks and Waypoints from Edge 705 to OpenStreetMap

• In the Field
  • Hit the "start/stop" button to begin recording a GPS track
  • For each Point of Interest (POI), hit the "lap" button.
    • Note on-screen the lap number, like "LAP001"
    • Record lap number and any notes on your POI on a separate notepad
  • Hit "start/stop" button to stop recording GPS track when you are done.
• Convert Garmin proprietary data to GPX format
  • When connected to a computer with the USB cable, the Edge 705 will usually mount as a storage device.
  • The tracks and waypoints from your field work will be found in the /Garmin/History directory of the device. The file name will have the date, time and a .tcx extension.
    • An example file name on a Windows PC might be E:\Garmin\History\2009-10-24-16-24-59.tcx
  • Use GPSBabel to convert the TCX file to GPX
    • In GPSBabel GUI 1.3.7
      • The input file format is called "Garmin Training Center". In the file selection dialog box, the file type will need to set to "All Files (*.*)" to see the available TCX files.
      • The output file format is simply called "GPX XML". Note the output file name and location -- you'll need it for importing later.
• Import GPX file into OSM via web site
  • Open OSM.
  • Click on the "GPS Traces" tab near the top of the page.
  • Click the "See just your traces, or upload a trace" link. Login if necessary.
  • Follow on-screen instructions to upload the GPX file to the server.
  • The server may need up to a half an hour to process the GPX file before you can use it in Potlatch or another OSM editing tool.

Edge 800

Garmin Edge 800
Description	sport navigator
GNSS	20 channels chipset: SiRFstar III augmentation: waas;egnos
Memory	Internal: 75MB (see) (12000 max logging). External: ? sdmicro(2GB).
Integrated equipment	altimeter,heartrate
Connectivity	usb
Features	addresses points of interest mass storage mode Waterproof
Website	https://buy.garmin.com/into-sports/cycling/edge-800/prod69043.html
Pros	Customizable screens

help question and some tips about Garmin Edge 800 (old, 2012)

Edge 830

This device does not have an SD card slot, but it has 16GB of internal storage. In the North America version, there is about 2 GB available. To install additional maps, you might have to delete some of the existing ones.

Factory map file information

Incidentally, the factory maps are based on OpenStreetMap.

Maps on the Edge 830 are managed more like a Garmin handheld such as a GPSMap. You can use the USB cable to connect the Edge to a computer and then just copy *.img files to the Edge to install them. (Put them in the "Garmin" folder.) If you need more space you can delete files from Garmin, but you should make backups first!! The trick is knowing what files are associated with which maps, if you want to remove for example, Middle America and Canada and leave US. It's possible to open each image file as text and read the name in the first block.

Maps are associated with "Activity Profiles". On the device, bring up the Settings page, tap Activity Profiles, and pick an existing profile, for example "Tour". Go to "Navigation"->"Map"-> "Map Information/Select Map". Here you will see a list of available maps installed on the Edge. You can enable or disable each map. The defaults are:

• Worldwide DEM Basemap
• TopoActive NA US 2025.10 (on this US model)
• Garmin DEM Map North America 2023.10
• Garmin Geocode Map North America 2024.10
• Garmin TopoActive NA, Canada/Alaska 2025.10
• Garmin TopoActive NA, Middle America 2025.10