No Excuses for being slow, Birthday and Christmas present was a new Garmin Catalyst!!

[Bill Pemberton]

Since it seems everyone I run against has a Garmin and I often got beat by a second or less, I figured I better get one of these easy to use units. I had the AIM system on my BossS and frankly it was a pain to adjust , view, etc. and being able to glance at the small computer pad to see runs quickly is definitely going to be more advantageous. Of course , the smack talk will have to change and my list of excuses will be more limited, since I have seen these systems are real game changers. The guys I run against in Time Trials would always tell me after great run of theirs how the Catalyst was shining " Green " visually telling them they were on a " Hot Run ." I only surmised I was on a " Hot Run " when my old bladder told me I need to really move it, as one more run and a pee break was not necessary , but mandatory! On a run, if it flashes " Red " you know that this will not be the killer time and you can regroup and set up for the following lap. I saw the benefit in having this ability as often I would blow by competitors only to find I was in second place by 5 tenths or a second. Viewing the runs after the session, checking for errors or strengths, means you have a coach right there to help you get in an even better run. Now, of course, I do still have one advantage, because , if for some reason, I still get beat I have a litany of excuses I can bring back up, for example;
1. Uh, I had 6 Senior moments or I would have been faster.
2. My bad right knee locked up while I was braking and I could barely get back to the accelerator pedal.
3. My bone spur on my left foot meant I could not left foot brake --- not telling anyone I don't do that except when autocrossing.
4. My bad back hurt so bad I had trouble with all the G forces and I was in pain every lap.
5. I ate too much for lunch and I was going so fast I was afraid I might Schatz myself!
6. Where am I ?
7. My tires have old air in them.
8. The Damn Blue Oval Saddleback fuel tank hiccuped and I went into limp mode ( now that is a real excuse ).
9. I forgot to take my Viagra so I went into limp mode.
10. I am 71, and I beat you using the AARP Age Factor for competition.

 

[JAJ]

I got a Catalyst at the start of last year's track season but I had problems getting to the track so I only actually drove with it twice. It's good, but what's a true pain in the butt is the Bluetooth. Every time the unit switches off or goes to sleep, it forgets to reconnect when you start it up again. I paired it with my car but it only worked once. I had to un-pair then re-pair it when I wanted to use it again. I paired it with a set of earbuds. It worked exactly once on the first session and then, just like the car, it had to be re-paired if I wanted to use them again. I just got a high end helmet speaker set, and while it too drops pairing every time the Garmin goes to sleep, it has a single-button re-connect function that seems to get the Catalyst connected again fairly reliably. Hopefully I'll be able to hear it in more than just the first session of the day this year when the season starts up again.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Interesting , as I have heard of no problems with the guys I run with, but then we are pretty lucky as JD Krull ( TMO member also ) is one of the guys with Garmin who tests the Catalyst and he has helped most of the drivers the Central Region of NASA. Out of curiosity, what phone system are you hooked up with?

Appreciate the heads up and I will chat with JD at our first event ( www.drivenasa.com ....Central Region ) as I believe it is at Ozark International Raceway and there will be a herd of TMO members attending.

 

[JAJ]

Interesting , as I have heard of no problems with the guys I run with, but then we are pretty lucky as JD Krull ( TMO member also ) is one of the guys with Garmin who tests the Catalyst and he has helped most of the drivers the Central Region of NASA. Out of curiosity, what phone system are you hooked up with?

Appreciate the heads up and I will chat with JD at our first event ( www.drivenasa.com ....Central Region ) as I believe it is at Ozark International Raceway and there will be a herd of TMO members attending.

When I paired it in the car, it was with Sync3 in my GT350. The earbuds I'm not sure what they are, and the helmet speakers are SENA SMH10R's. What I learned through the exercise is that every Bluetooth device has a "profile" and not all profiles will exchange data with each other. Problem is, Garmin doesn't say which version of Bluetooth they use nor do they specify the profile. It's a bit of a guessing game - I think they set it up as a "phone" profile (speaker system thinks it's a phone), but there's something about it that's keeping it from communicating. It'll show up as paired, but no sound until you unpair it and pair it again.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Interesting , maybe JD will be reading this in the near future and he can give his input. He has a GT 350 so I am sure he can list what works well with the system.

 

[302BOB]

Bill, I was going to suggest renaming this thread to "One Less Excuse............."...But I see you already came up with 10 others LOL......change the air in those tires ASAP!!!!! (#7)and get a map(#6).........and you may be okay................

 

[concretevol]

My birthday is coming up in a few days and was really considering buying this "gift" for myself too! Very Nice

 

[12coBoss]

I bought this for my own Christmas present, now hopefully I can get to the track more than 2 times this year.

 

[TMSBOSS]

Bill

i bought a Bluetooth adapter which plugs into the comms Jack on my helmet. I also have a cable which runs from the garmin to my helmet. The sound through the cable is much clearer.

 

[Stan Whitney]

I’ve used mine for 2 seasons now, and it’s ease of use, and speed of useful analysis is hard to beat. I never setup the Bluetooth, or really used the voice coach. Could not hear it in the gt350 at all. But the 3 opportunities it suggests after the session are always useful.

My favorite features:
- data is ready to review as soon as you get unbuckled, either in car, or take the unit with you
- uses your own performance data to project optimum times - useful after mods to see if the overall performance potential has improved
- stitches together video of the optimum lap time
- the mobile app can be used if you want to see graphical data and real G values.

 

[302BOB]

Bill, With all this modern technology, you may be able to race your car while watching TV in your living room..........just don't lose that remote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[zajac]

Bill, With all this modern technology, you may be able to race your car while watching TV in your living room..........just don't lose that remote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bill: I hope your Garmin helps you as much as it has helped me this last season with my 2103 track Mustang in NASA! I very luckily finished 2nd in season points in NASA Utah T2 . So, the Garmin helped this 81 year racer big time!

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Wow does your Mustang look fantastic! Makes me think fondly of my 13 Boss 302S that now resides in Tennessee and was a solid T2 beast for me. Great job and good to hear you had great luck with your Catalyst. I am hoping it is a catalyst to get me back into more First Places, since 2nds and 3rds seem to be the rule in 2022. I remember reading about your "John Player Special " Mustang in your " Build Thread " but do put another in for the " Mean Green Machine!" That is a perfect color for on the track, you are sure that your competitors see you coming!!

 

[Fabman]

I love mine, after each run I sit in the car and watch the video and check the stats. Super helpful.
I don't use the blue tooth, I use the earbuds from my radios and an extension cable and plug right into the headphone jack on the side. Down side is I have to choose between using the radios or listening to the Catalyst. So, for Practice-Catalyst. For Race-Radios.

 

[JAJ]

I love mine, after each run I sit in the car and watch the video and check the stats. Super helpful.
I don't use the blue tooth, I use the earbuds from my radios and an extension cable and plug right into the headphone jack on the side. Down side is I have to choose between using the radios or listening to the Catalyst. So, for Practice-Catalyst. For Race-Radios.

What wired earbuds do you use? I looked for a set a couple of times and it was never clear which ones would stay in place while I put my helmet on. I've got the bluetooth now, but I'd like to have a wired backup in case of pairing issues or dead battery or something else.

 

[Fabman]

What wired earbuds do you use? I looked for a set a couple of times and it was never clear which ones would stay in place while I put my helmet on. I've got the bluetooth now, but I'd like to have a wired backup in case of pairing issues or dead battery or something else.

I have a set of custom molded earbuds from rugged radios. Everything else just falls out of my ears. I have also used a pair of Shure slc5 earbuds that are for personal monitors with my band. Those work but they are stereo so you have to have a mono/stereo adapter to use them but it works perfectly. The custom molded ones are the way to go but regular stereo earbuds work too.

 

[TMSBOSS]

I have ear muffs which came with my helmet. Cable between the garmin and helmet. They also block out outside noise very well. Almost too well.