Polar FT4 Watch...

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MoparMom4
MoparMom4 Posts: 21
in Fitness and Exercise
Got the Polar FT4 watch yesterday. Tried it out today on my 2mile walk ... and in 45mins its stopped 5 times to tell me to check the monitor. Does anybody else have a problem with the watch or is it just me? I mean walking is a basic course, Im not jumping around or moving my body in all sorts of directions like you would with exercising....
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  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    You got the electrodes on the strap really wet before you put it on? The strap is on nice and tight so it's always in contact with your skin? Usually it's an issue with the chest strap that causes it to lose connection.
  • MoparMom4
    MoparMom4 Posts: 21
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    Yes I got it wet .. and I do believe its tight enough. The water sort of bounces off of the band should I get it wet on both sides? Or just the side that goes to my body?
  • sandradev1
    sandradev1 Posts: 786 Member
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    I just run wet fingers along behind the electrodes a couple of times after I have put in around my chest. Then I dry my hands and attach the monitor thing.

    Do you tuck it up under your bra, as if it is riding up over it, that is why it might be missing the signal. This happens to me sometimes, but usually when I am stretching after exercise and I am leaning right over etc
  • MoparMom4
    MoparMom4 Posts: 21
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    Okay, I did have it tucked under bra
  • NotRailMeat
    NotRailMeat Posts: 509 Member
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    Yes I got it wet .. and I do believe its tight enough. The water sort of bounces off of the band should I get it wet on both sides? Or just the side that goes to my body?
    Just the side that touches your body needs to be wet.

    Make sure that it is not too tight. It should be snug enough to not move but not overly tight. I would assume this to be about the same tightness as your bra strap, but I don't really have experience wearing one of those... LOL.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Mine gets touchy now and then. While running water over the back of the strap, I actually rub the electrode areas (those meshy spots) to make sure they get fully wet. And I have to make sure the strap is quite snug, like as tight as your bra is around your chest, if not a bit tighter.

    Good luck!

    P.S. That's funny that the guy above said not to have it too tight. I just find if it's not tight enough that it will slip around more once I get sweaty. Maybe it's different for guys though?
  • KelliA0628
    KelliA0628 Posts: 44 Member
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    I noticed mine doing this during Zumba the other night and thought perhaps the battery was dying but it hasn't done it any sense that one evening. I have been making sure I get it wet enough thinking that may have been the problem.

    Another FT4 question....are they supposed to beep alot?? I'm guessing it does this when my HR is not "in zone"?? I can't find my book :(
  • bi0nicw0man
    bi0nicw0man Posts: 56 Member
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    Yup, what everyone else said. I don't get mine very wet, but do make sure it's snug under my boobs...and the transmitter itself is centered between my boobs. I put it on before I put on my sports bra or workout top, just to make sure no fabric gets between me and it.
  • katbean12
    katbean12 Posts: 45 Member
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    hi, what do you do to conserve battery power? does disconnecting the transmitter from the band matter in terms of saving battery power while not being used?
  • fullofhope76
    fullofhope76 Posts: 92
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    I haven't had any trouble so far. I get mine pretty wet before hand and yes, it beeps alot when I am not in the zone so I turn off the sounds when I am doing certain exercises as it gets annoying. I tuck it under my bra because I think it would be too low if I kept it underneath it.
  • fullofhope76
    fullofhope76 Posts: 92
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    hi, what do you do to conserve battery power? does disconnecting the transmitter from the band matter in terms of saving battery power while not being used?
    Yes. The instructions said to disconnect it from the band when you are done and to not even store them close to one another.
  • NotRailMeat
    NotRailMeat Posts: 509 Member
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    I noticed mine doing this during Zumba the other night and thought perhaps the battery was dying but it hasn't done it any sense that one evening. I have been making sure I get it wet enough thinking that may have been the problem.

    Another FT4 question....are they supposed to beep alot?? I'm guessing it does this when my HR is not "in zone"?? I can't find my book :(
    The beeping is from going in and out of "Zone". You can disable the beeping if you want. Do a web search for instructions to find out how to do this.
  • bi0nicw0man
    bi0nicw0man Posts: 56 Member
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    Another FT4 question....are they supposed to beep alot?? I'm guessing it does this when my HR is not "in zone"?? I can't find my book :(

    Yes, the beeping is because you are not in zone. Mine starts beeping as I get to my cooldown and stretching.

    Here's a link to the manual: http://www.polar.fi/e_manuals/FT4/Polar_FT4_user_manual_English/manual.pdf
  • bi0nicw0man
    bi0nicw0man Posts: 56 Member
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    hi, what do you do to conserve battery power? does disconnecting the transmitter from the band matter in terms of saving battery power while not being used?
    Yes. The instructions said to disconnect it from the band when you are done and to not even store them close to one another.

    Good point. I haven't been doing that and hadn't thought about the battery.
  • seena511
    seena511 Posts: 685 Member
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    Another FT4 question....are they supposed to beep alot?? I'm guessing it does this when my HR is not "in zone"?? I can't find my book :(

    you can turn that off in the "settings"
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
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    Another FT4 question....are they supposed to beep alot?? I'm guessing it does this when my HR is not "in zone"?? I can't find my book :(

    You can change it so it doesn't. I don't remember how but you can find the info on their website I believe
  • PlainOldElizaJane
    PlainOldElizaJane Posts: 37
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    I've had mine for over a year, and the only time it told me to check the monitor was when the monitor thing itself hadn't been clipped into the band well. Other than that, it's given me no problem. I also do what someone above said and I rub the electrodes under the water flow to make sure they get wet. If it keeps giving you problems, contact the company and send it back for a trade in.
  • rachaelgifford
    rachaelgifford Posts: 320 Member
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    I haven't had any problems with mine, and I use it for all forms of exercise - including swimming, both in the pool and in the sea!
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
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    I haven't had any problem with mine, I make sure I wet it pretty good as the manual suggested you do.

    Mine does beep a lot, once I get into the routine I don't even notice it.

    I love mine, it was an eye opener to see I wasn't burning as much calories as the elliptical was saying I was burning, I mean seriously it was a 1000+ calorie difference

    Yes, disconnect the battery from the strap, to save life....plus to rinse it out after each use, you would need to remove the battery. The manual suggested rinsing it after each use and washing it after every 5 use

    Try giving it a good soaking and make sure it is snug under your breast and try to keep it centered and see if that helps, that's what I do and no problem
  • myfitnessisavirtue
    myfitnessisavirtue Posts: 673 Member
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    I have had issues like this lately. I have found that the strap itself has to be right side up. Look for the very faint words on the strap and make sure they are right side up. So the hook should go down into the loop when fastening.

    It could also be the battery in the transmitter, I changed mine before I figured out the above info. The battery is a common one, I got one at the grocery store. Use a nickel to open the compartment.

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