Garmin HR monitor problem

woolwich

Hi,

I have a Garmin HR monitor which came with an Edge about 18 months ago. Recently it's started to provide false readings both over and under reading. Often the unit does not find the signal.
I have tried battery replacement twice. Cleaning it. Wetting the contacts. Adjusting the strap both tighter and looser and placing it higher and lower on my chest. Sometimes it comes back to life for a bit before failing again.
Anything else I can try before admitting it needs replacement?

Thanks

deadhead1971

I had one do the same thing - was it the soft strap version?
Intermittent, sometimes I thought it was related to moisture (or initial lack of) on the contacts, but I got wiggle to replace it, and the new one has been fine ever since.

woolwich

Thanks. Yes the strap is a kind of material with elastic in, if thats what you mean by soft. It's got pretty shabby very quickly. My older Polaris stuff stood up to sweat far better.
Love the Edge and its had all sorts of abuse but I figure the HR monitor isnt very durable. A trip down the LBS then.

farrina

I have used a Garmin 310XT/Edge 500 with a Garmin soft heart strap for 3 years.

In my experience the strap tends to become erratic after circa 12 months. I am careful to wash mine (warm water only) after use but frankly it appears a bit hit or miss.

They do need damping before use (if you don't typically they will show wildly high heart rates - well at least I hope my heart is not running at 230pm!)

It would appear to be a common problem - more here with suggested solution http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/08/solution-to-heart-rate-dropoutsspikes.html

Regards

Alan

Ps note Garmin strap shown on website link is old soft type. In my experience similar comments apply to its replacement. I have tried a Polar strap with moderate success - note some careful pruning of plastic with model knife was required in my case to allow the unit to clip into the strap.

woolwich

Thanks again. Useful link. Good to know there are some cheaper options and a Polaris strap can be used.

ta

fishyweb

I resorted to a Polar strap after the Garmin strap stopped working properly after 2-3 months. Seems to be a very common problem. Has been fine with the Polar strap, even though the fit of the monitor onto the press studs feels a bit iffy.

farrina

fishyweb wrote:

I resorted to a Polar strap after the Garmin strap stopped working properly after 2-3 months. Seems to be a very common problem. Has been fine with the Polar strap, even though the fit of the monitor onto the press studs feels a bit iffy.

Yes I agree - I used a craft knife to lower the height of the surrounding plastic that circles the holes for this very reason on the Polar.

edten

definitely needs to be damp. if not I get crazy readings or non at all.

TakeTurns

The soft strap one is really shite - I've gone through 4 in 8 months. Now using the hard strap strap one (which isn't uncomfortable at all) and seems to be going well.

fishyweb

TakeTurns wrote:

The soft strap one is really shite - I've gone through 4 in 8 months. Now using the hard strap strap one (which isn't uncomfortable at all) and seems to be going well.

Yes, 2-3 months seems to be the average lifespan of the strap. Garmin really need to sort that out, but at least it seems OK with the Polar strap.

One other problem I've heard about the soft strap monitor is that it's near impossible to change the battery without stripping the thread in the screw holes :?

MattC59

I've been using the soft strap since August '11 with no problems at all. I just lick (sometimes a little salty ) the contact points and it works perfectly.