HRM - has this ever happened to you?

Mine did that yesterday. It was because the "electrodes" on the strap weren't touching me right. I think the bottom of my sports bra had moved a bit. I adjusted it slightly, and it was fine.

I have an FT7 and this happens on a regular basis. It said it was waterproof, so I got it wet and it hasn't worked properly since. And yes, regularly happens on workouts when it is suspended i.e. I'm doing a plank or push ups and the monitor is 'below' my body.
It's only five months old as well, so it can't be the battery. I'm going to give the strap a wash and I might put a new battery in the watch, just for the hell of it.

Probably NOT the battery. Probably the contact between the strap and your body. I've had some problems with mine, some of which were resolved by cleaning the strap electrodes really well as well as the "snap contacts" of the sensor and strap. Dropouts are common with these things, Polar went through several designs before they got it as good as it is now. Mine will sometimes drop out of I am doing something that makes my whole chest flex, or something. It's worse when I'm just starting to exercise (a little sweat helps make good electrical contact!). Even with gel it can drop out sometimes. Men have it a bit worse if they have a little chest hair in between.

BTW mine started giving worse trouble after a few hundred hours of training. My first thought was also the battery, but I opened it up and measured it and it measures like brand new. Like I said I cleaned the band and snaps really well and it seems to be fixed. That's good, cuz those batteries could stand to be cheaper...

This has happened to me as my HRM got older. I've had many, and sometimes it can be related to battery issues, other times its related to a decrease in connectivity on the torso band. If its only a certain kind of workout, I'm guessing its the latter issue, which is easy to fix. Get you band wet, as usual, before putting it on, and in addition slather some petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on your body where the sensors touch you. For me, this completely solved the problem. Good luck!

I agree that it's probably the battery. Is the sensor/chest strap making good contact with your skin?

On a side note, HRMs aren't generally very accurate with cals burned during strength training. They can be handy for other things, but cals burned won't be very reliable.

I have a Polar FT4. I typically do group fitness and cardio, but now that I am doing more core and strength my HRM isn't working correctly. It will go from 270 to 00 - and I am still alive so I know that's not correct :huh:

If you have had this problem - is it because the battery is dying or areHRMs just not ideal for core exercises?

Thanks

Get the battery changed in both the watch AND the receiver bit, don't risk just changing one, do them both. A jewellers changed mine and it works perfectly fine, that's the beauty of the FT4 you can change the battery without having to send it back to the manufacturers which you may have to do with some other HRMs.

Secondly, do you rinse your strap after every use and wash it in the washing machine every fifth or sixth time you use it? If not, all salt deposits from your sweat will solidify on the strap receptors and render it virtually useless after a time, salt is terribly corrosive.

Yes, it happened to me several times, I would just stop it and then re-start and it would be OK. Until it finally stopped, as it was just a few months old I contacted Polar, filled a form and sent it to them. Got it back a couple of days later, the strap's sensor were the problem so they gave me a new one. Contact them if yours is still under warranty!!

This happens to me when the strap isn't touching my chest properly, usually when I am bent over.

A secondary question about the FT4.

When I am running and my heart rate goes into the 170's, it says 'not in zone', why is it no longer in the zone when my heart rate is high and what zone has it gone into exactly now?

Mine did that yesterday. It was because the "electrodes" on the strap weren't touching me right. I think the bottom of my sports bra had moved a bit. I adjusted it slightly, and it was fine.

^^THIS happens to me quite frequently! Just move it around a bit.

I've had an FT4 for a while now and honestly, it could be any of the three things mentioned above - battery, contact, loose transmitter.

If my chest strap is too tight (tends to flip and lose contact), too loose, isn't wet enough or hasn't been cleaned in a while, the contact comes and goes so you get that on and off 00 reading.

If the battery in the watch or transmitter is low, your signal will be funny. I've even experienced some of the cardio machines in our gym causing issues with the signal (heart rate will go way up to 200 then drop way down to 50).

The batteries in the watch are very easy to replace but the transmitter case can be hard to open. I'd recommend taking it to a jeweler if you decide to get it replaced.