HRM Problems

pigote
pigote Posts: 615 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Help! During my walk today my HRM decided my heart was no longer beating. The watch part still counted my time and occasionally an actual heart rate would display for a second, and then disappear again. Might it be the battery in the chest strap or a broken wire? Anyone ever experience this? It's a Polar FT7 less than a year old. Thanks for any opinions and/or suggestions.

Replies

  • dinos
    dinos Posts: 1,390 Member
    Okay I couldn't post a link from my cell phone yesterday, so here are the articles I was talking about. Hope this helps.

    http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2012/12/annual-public-service-announcement-how-to-fix-heart-rate-strap-dropoutsspikes.html
  • goldstargeek
    goldstargeek Posts: 26 Member
    could be that you didnt have a good contact. it requires a bit of moisture to work best...walking might not have generated enough sweat. its gross but i typically lick mine before i put it on. :) if thats too much for you, you could take a damp rag and run it over the contact area of the strap before putting it on.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    could be that you didnt have a good contact. it requires a bit of moisture to work best...walking might not have generated enough sweat. its gross but i typically lick mine before i put it on. :) if thats too much for you, you could take a damp rag and run it over the contact area of the strap before putting it on.

    my thoughts exactly.
  • Yooperm35
    Yooperm35 Posts: 787 Member
    That happens to me if the strap slips a bit. It's so frustrating to finish up a workout and see it hadn't been tracked
  • laurarpa
    laurarpa Posts: 244 Member
    Or it could be the battery. I wet my strap under the tap before using. But if it keeps doing it, it could be the battery in the transmitter. Do you leave it attached between workouts? That can shorten battery life. Do you wash the strap in the washing machine every week or so? That's supposed to be a good thing too.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
    Yes i have had the same thing happen to my FT7 mine is 2 years old though. Firstly change the batteries in transmitter if that doesnt work it may be the actual chest strap. I sent mine back and they replaced it So OP dont read the threads and dont worry yourself about what others are eating. Then there would be no need to rant.with a new chest strap under warrenty. It was a different kind though. They did say they had had problems with that particular sort.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    I'm having the same problem after about 6 months. - very frustrating!

    I replaced both batteries, and I've started rinsing out the strap after every use. I also throw the strap in the washing machine after swimming - I just stick in a pouch and throw it in with my suit.

    It helps to make sure the strap is wet so the transmitter makes good contact with your skin. I've started doing that recently too, although I'm not sure why it's helping since I sweat a LOT when I work out.

    If it keep us I'm going to scrap it, bite the bullet, and go with a Garmin or some other brand. VERY frustrating since they're not cheap!


    Here are some suggestions:

    - change the batteries in both the transmitter and receiver.
    - make sure the chest strap is tight enough
    - wet the chest strap before you put it on - it helps the contacts.
    - rinse it out after once a week. I throw mine in a pouch and wash it with my swim suit so it's now getting washed 3-4 times a week
    - remove the transmitter from the chest strap when not in use - th einstructions say it will save battery life

    I've been doing all these things for the past few weeks and it seems to have resolved the problems (so far!).
  • pigote
    pigote Posts: 615 Member
    Thanks all for the suggestions. Yes, I wet the strap . . . yes I rinse it after every use . . . yes I wash it every week. I've been using it successfully since last May and this just happened yesterday.

    I tried popping out the old battery on the transmitter yesterday but couldn't budge it. I also fussed with the contact point on my chest and it would occasionally work so I'm thinking maybe a wonky wire.

    Guess it will be going in for repair :-(
  • pigote
    pigote Posts: 615 Member
    Okay I couldn't post a link from my cell phone yesterday, so here are the articles I was talking about. Hope this helps.

    http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2012/12/annual-public-service-announcement-how-to-fix-heart-rate-strap-dropoutsspikes.html

    Thanks Dinos. I'm going to try the batteries but I have a feeling my strap will need replacing.

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