Polar FT7 not picking Heart reading

jc1961AA
jc1961AA Posts: 283 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
This morning went to the gym for my session, and my 1 week old Polar FT7 would not pick up my heart beat. I tried everything I knew, wetting the strap, trying later on when I was sweating a lot. I thought that it could be interference with the equipment, but I just tried at home, where it has been working perfectly so far.
Do you think that the battery is already knackered? or there is something wrong with the HRM?
I don't want to contact Amazon just yet, as it may be something silly that I am doing wrong
Any ideas?
THanks
JC

Replies

  • notworthstalking
    notworthstalking Posts: 531 Member
    I find I have to have my strap done up very tight for my garmin. Annoying in that I seem to need to adjust it almost every time lol
  • jc1961AA
    jc1961AA Posts: 283 Member
    I find I have to have my strap done up very tight for my garmin. Annoying in that I seem to need to adjust it almost every time lol
    Mine is pretty tight, until now picked up my heart reading very quickly. I think it could be the battery, which is a disappointment as the HRM is 1 week old
    JC
  • porcelain_doll
    porcelain_doll Posts: 1,005 Member
    I also use the FT7. Make sure the strap is tight enough on you. I have found that when I start losing, I have to tighten the strap to continue getting readings. That being said, your battery inside the WearLink (the little box that snaps onto the strap) could very well be going bad. Mine went bad in under a year and I had to ask Polar to replace it. The battery in my wristwatch also had to be replaced.

    FYI, Amazon will not be able to do much for you - you will have to contact Polar customer support directly, especially if you want it serviced under your warranty.

    Good luck!
  • ontheskinnyroad
    ontheskinnyroad Posts: 205 Member
    Mine is doing the same thing.. I will take the advise of the notworthstalk and tighten the strap.. I notice when I loosened it; it would lose connection.
  • JPod279
    JPod279 Posts: 722 Member
    My Polar recently started doing that but it is over 2 years old. I have replaced the batteries in both the watch and on the strap attachment. Still no luck. Figure since mine is 2+ yrs old I am screwed.
  • FJMilner
    FJMilner Posts: 407
    Make sure you wash the strap regularly too, I found mine stopped picking up as much until I washed it
  • MariaLivingFit
    MariaLivingFit Posts: 224 Member
    I have similar issues with the same HRM that is under a year old. I sent it in for servicing (free 2-year warranty) and there was nothing wrong with the watch or transmitter, so they just replaced the strap for me. I still have this issue every once in a while. Make sure the electrode area is very wet, strap is tight, transmitter is right side up. It's most likely not the batteries. If it's still doing it, I would send it in to Polar for servicing. You can fill out the form on their website. I know how frustrating it is - good luck!
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Mine does the same thing... but only if I'm lying down flat or bending over. o.O
  • jc1961AA
    jc1961AA Posts: 283 Member
    Thanks guys, like I have said the strap is pretty tight, any tighter and I will cut my air supply :laugh: I will contact Polar and see what they say, it is just over a week old, that's pretty rubbish if it goes wrong already
    JC
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
    Mine was doing that, and it was the battery. It wasn't very old. Replaced, and it worked fine.
  • 1Fizzle
    1Fizzle Posts: 241 Member
    One thing I have seen other people do with there HRMs is that they do not remove the heart reader from the strap immediately after use. Failure to do this keeps the battery "on" and makes it run low faster.
  • AJL_Daddy
    AJL_Daddy Posts: 525 Member
    Similar issues with my FT4. Called Polar. Was told to remove battery for 5 minutes. I did, and have had no further issues.
  • NutellaAddict
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
    Did you wet the strap?

    Edit: Just saw that you posted.
  • jaygreen55
    jaygreen55 Posts: 315 Member
    You should try washing the strap with soap and water and rinse it well then let it dry. Accumulation of skin oils and sweat can often screw up the sensor.

    Otherwise it might be the battery in the transmitter
  • jfcarlson713
    jfcarlson713 Posts: 108 Member
    Every time I've had this problem I've washed the strap. Salt from your sweat will keep the electrode area from making a tight fit. Also - make sure you have the electrode WET (not damp) when you put it on to ensure a close connection.
  • timeasterday
    timeasterday Posts: 1,368 Member
    I had a similar issue last year right after getting a FT7. Started putting the strap in the washing machine once a week and never had an issue. I think their meshy contact areas for the sensors get gummed up pretty quick. Now I switched to Garmin which has plastic sensor areas and those are easier to clean.
  • thatjulesgirl
    thatjulesgirl Posts: 200 Member
    Wash it, wash it, wash it. Particularly if you wear it swimming or you sweat a lot - I wash mine after every second workout or the readings are off / not picked up. I think it's something about the salt build up interfering with it.

    If you wash it (according to the instructions) and it still doesn't work you may have a dodgy one so check your warranty.
  • Kath712
    Kath712 Posts: 1,263 Member
    I have similar issues with the same HRM that is under a year old. I sent it in for servicing (free 2-year warranty) and there was nothing wrong with the watch or transmitter, so they just replaced the strap for me. I still have this issue every once in a while. Make sure the electrode area is very wet, strap is tight, transmitter is right side up. It's most likely not the batteries. If it's still doing it, I would send it in to Polar for servicing. You can fill out the form on their website. I know how frustrating it is - good luck!

    Similar issues for me. One thing I was not doing, like ever, was cleaning the wear link transmitter. Polar was helpful in telling me how to clean the contacts with dish soap and water. That fixed my issue for a while. Mine is over two years old, so I didn't have high expectations. But cleaning the transmitter, as well as REALLY wetting the strap has fixed it for now. Run it under water for a whole minute. I highly recommend contacting Polar directly - their customer service is pretty good. They should be able to help you troubleshoot, particularly since yours is brand new. Good luck!
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
    I have a RS100, stopped working less than a month after getting it. Polar sent me a new sensor (the thing that snaps on to the strap) and so far its been working fine.
  • jc1961AA
    jc1961AA Posts: 283 Member
    I am trying right now the "remove battery" thingy. I only used the HRM 3 times, already dirty? I will wash it tomorrow and see if it makes a difference. I have spoken to Polar Customer Services, and the guy asked me to change the battery, if this does not work, he said to get a refund or a replacement from Amazon. I ordered a few batteries just in case. I remove the transmitter from the strap as suggested by the manual by the way.

    JC

    EDIT: Removing the battery and waiting 5 mins did not make any difference, waiting for new batteries to arrive now, quite disappointed by the product really, I mean it's not a £10 gadget, at £65 you expect it to last longer than 9 days!
  • jc1961AA
    jc1961AA Posts: 283 Member
    Update: I replaced the battery this morning but still the same, going back to Amazon and getting a replacement. Really annoyed but hey **** happens
    JC
  • ang16840
    ang16840 Posts: 8
    Mine was doing the same thing, i scrubbed the sensors under water with a toothbrush and now when i wet it before use, i push the water into the sensors instead of just running it over them and havnt had the problem since, my HRM was a yr old and it still fixed the problem.
  • barbaratrollman
    barbaratrollman Posts: 317 Member
    Bump
  • Mavrick_RN
    Mavrick_RN Posts: 439 Member
    My BRAND NEW FT7 would not work. Kept saying "check transmitter" I put in a new battery, wet and tightened the strap, no better. Spoke to HRM the company I bought from on line, they sent me an e-mail 3 days later to send it back to Polar. Too long to wait, I want it NOW! Went to Best Buy and bought another one (for $30 dollars more). Snapped the new transmitter into place and works fine. Returned bad transmitter to Best Buy, sorry doesn't work. The Polar website has a thread with several complaints about the bad transmitter. Poor quality control in China I suspect.

    All that said, I love my FT7 it transmits to the elliptical and treadmill at 24hour fitness so I don't have to grip the rails. Calorie burn is pretty consistant with machines. MFP calorie burn is almost always higher so I use the lower value from the heart rate monitor. It's water proof to 10 meters just don't press any buttons while submerged. I wear it to the hot tub and shower after a work out to rinse it off then disconnect the transmitter from the strap while it dries. Been working great the last two weeks.
  • iluvco3
    iluvco3 Posts: 98 Member
    I got a new FT7 for Christmas. It was fine for about a month and then the same problems mentioned here started. I called Polar and the person I talked to explained that the new design of the sensors on the strap are different. I have been very careful with cleaning the strap and the snaps on the transmitter after every use. I also wear the strap quite snug.

    Anyway, the guy said that you need to run water over the sensors/strap for AT LEAST one full minute before wearing. Mine has been working fine ever since I followed his advice. After use wash with mild (no moisturizers) soap and rinse well.

    It is annoying though that the book that comes with it gives different info. Also, the booklet said to wash in washer after every 5 uses, but a quick start paper stated to NEVER put it in the washer. UGH!!! I think that is poor business.

    Hope this will help someone else. I still have my receipt pulled in case my luck runs out.

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