Heart Rate Monitor Problems?

[Kangaroo]

I own a Polar heart rate monitor and use it for my training. It works with all the other exercise I do (besides ergoing - running, cycling etc.) but when I get onto the ergo it doesn't work.

I'll start the (wristwatch) monitor and it'll read my HR fine... Then after a couple of seconds on the erg it'll just stop. It'll stay on one HR reading no matter how hard or fast I go and at the end of the session if I check the file it gives my average and maximum HR as 00.

This is all on my wristwatch, not on the PM3 monitor.

Anyone know what the problem could be?

[BrianStaff]

You might find it is possible to also have your PM3 receive the HR signal as well as your watch. I know my Garmin Forerunner 50 works that way.

It is not an either/or situation...you can have both receive the signal.

Now, as for the signal stopping...whenever that has happened to me in the past, it's because the HR monitor has not been wet enough.

Maybe the battery needs replacing too.

Brian

[Kangaroo]

I only mentioned that it was on the wristwatch and not on the monitor to be clear that it was a problem with the HR monitor, not the PM3.

I've thought that it could be the monitor not being wet enough but that wouldn't explain why it worked just before I start rowing. I think it could be because of the way I take my strokes or something (maybe it loses contact when I pull through with my body) and was wondering if anyone has had similar problems...

And the battery is new so it couldn't possibly be that.

[M. Podolsky]

This happens to me when the chest strap is not tight enough. It seems the rowing action can move the transmitter out of place unless the strap is quite snug.

[Kangaroo]

So you have your strap tighter than you normally would when using the ergo?

[M. Podolsky]

I have never noticed the problem on the bike or the skates. After it happened a couple of times on the erg I started keeping the strap fairly tight. The heart icon still disappears from the PM3 from time to time if the strap is not tight, but it will reappear if I pull up the transmitter just a bit during recovery. Actually, the value stays constant on the F6 watch, but the heart icon disappears completely from the PM3 (shortly after the HR reading disappears from the PM3). You might also check the position of the receiver. I've found that it can't be much more than an arm's length away from the transmitter.

[Kangaroo]

Well I went rowing yesterday and tightened it quite a bit and it worked but gave me some problem towards the end of my piece. Then was on the erg this morning with it still tighter and it worked perfectly fine. Thanks a lot for the advice

[Big Fat Fishy]

Question for you: where do you put your watch?

I've seen some people try to stick it onto the monitor so they can watch it as they row, but this doesn't work very well. As you pull to the end of the stroke, you're getting to the end of the range of some chestband transmitters. So the watch may lose the signal at the end of every stroke.

It's harder to look at on your wrist, but this keeps it closer to your body so you ususally get a better signal and a more accurate reading.

If you're wearing the watch on your wrist normally....I got nuthin'.

[BobD]

I use the HR sensor on my C2 D model as well as a Polar 625x on my wrist. I get occasional dropouts which may last several seconds on the C2 monitor, but the 625x tracks just fine. The 625x is more accurate than the C2 monitor.