Problems with Polar FT4

pineygirl

I just got a Polar FT4 off Amazon and used it two times and it worked really well. I was careful to wash it well with dish soap and air dry it in between uses, and I used it with electrode gel under the strap.

Today I tried to use it and it just wouldn't show my heart rate. From when I got it I noticed that the strap isn't exactly tight. I have a very small rib cage and I have it tightened as tightly as it goes and it stays up, but I feel like it could be tighter. I wear a freakishly small bra band size...so it could be possible that the strap is too big.

I don't see why it worked well the past two times prior and not this time if it wasn't tight enough though.

Should I bother getting a replacement or should I get a different HRM? I thought I'd get a bit more use out of it before it broke.

MissKriss3

Try putting a new battery in, mine didn't work right out of the box and it turned out to be a simple fix

kiku76

Try putting a new battery in, mine didn't work right out of the box and it turned out to be a simple fix

I may have to try this on mine. It's been working fine for a couple months and it still works fine most days, but some times it will suddenly stop reading my heart rate. It really sucks cause it's usually in the middle of a workout. Today it stopped when I was running. I took the chest strap off and put it back on and it started working again.
DOes that sound like it's the battery in the transmitter?

pineygirl

Since I ordered it on Amazon, I'm sending this one back and getting a replacement. I also ordered a smaller strap, in XXS-S.

I noticed that the strap is M-XXL and the smallest chest it is meant to fit is 27" around. My rib cage only measures 25" around, so I think the lose strap might have something to do with it.

Athena53

A smaller strap should help. I've had lots of problems with the cloth chest strap (with the snap-on transmitter) but have had better results with the strap that has the transmitter imbedded into a plastic section in the middle. The only time I had problems with that one, I set it tighter the next day and it's working again.

I've found through a lot of research that HRMs can be a real pain; I need mine because my company wellness program rewards workouts only if they're tracked by a HRM or some brands of pedometers such as Fitbit. Here's a really good link on troubleshooting your HRM.

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/04/troubleshooting-your-heart-rate.html