Fenix 5S plus downgrade

Former Member over 4 years ago

Hi All, I wonder if I am the only having issues with HR bands since version 12. Long story short:
1) i did the upgrade to v12 couple of months ago, as soon as i did, i started to had issues with my HR band (old one shipped with FR 610 but working fine till that moment - i have also changed the battery). My band started to send erratic values and having issues when connecting

2) I had several chats with Garmin tech support, and we've not found any way to fix the issue. even I have send it to them, but it is still same status. They send it back to me with no comments

3) I did the upgrade to v13 and it is in the same status. currently What i have detected is

- My F5S+ is able to find my band

- seems to connect with my band

- it send some values (few seconds) to the watch but suddenly it stops sending values and I only see -- (2 dashes)

- if i change the window, it starts sending values again, but after few seconds it stops

I would either to get a version solving my issue or downgrade my sw version to version prior 12 and potentially downgrade my ANT/BLE/BT to version below 6.06.

I don't see where to get these old versions, is there any repository?

Honestly, i was very happy with my watch but now I am starting to be frustrated and even thinking if makes sense the investment done in garmin watches.

An help is welcome (in parallel I will call again to the support service)

Thank you

Top Replies

petje_p over 4 years ago in reply to 5135968 +1

Is there a manual or something how to perform the downgrade?

All Replies

0 5135968 over 4 years ago

Have you tried connecting your heart rate band to an app to see if you still get erratic values for example try connecting to Wahoo Utility.

I use the Polar H10 and Wahoo Tickr and I have no issues with either ANT or BT connections producing erratic values.

I would be inclined to suspect a problem with your band, not a firmware issue

0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to 5135968

Will try for sure, just to add, before sending my watch to support service i Connected my band with other Garmin device like the old FR 610 and one more from a friend and the issue with erratic values was not reproduced. this is why i believe is an issue with sw and the last update.
Thank you for your suggestion

0 5135968 over 4 years ago in reply to Former Member

I downgraded my ANT/BLE/BT from 6.06 as I was having power drain problems after activities with music and the downgrade solved my problem, so I would say a downgrade is worth a try for sure.

It sounds like you have a very old heart rate belt?

0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to 5135968

Yes, it is an old one but used to work perfect before the upgrade. it should continue working :)

It only works with ANT protocol

0 Dr Phil over 4 years ago in reply to Former Member

es, it is an old one but used to work perfect before the upgrade. it should continue working :)

How old is old? Is it the fabric band? These things do not last for ever and the fabric bands fo breakdown.

0 petje_p over 4 years ago in reply to 5135968

Is there a manual or something how to perform the downgrade?

0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to Dr Phil

Hi,

was shipped with former FR610 (so yes is fabric band) and age could be 4 years old. not to much to be deprecated. :)

0 Data over 4 years ago in reply to Former Member

if it is the HRM-Dual (https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/p/649059) and the strap is 4 years old, the conductive pads may have deteriorated over time. And the connectors on the strap can wear out/corrode/get dirty, affecting the contact between pod and strap. Can't hurt to clean the connectors with something like isopropyl alcohol. If not tried yet, battery change may help.

Not all old HRM straps wear out: if it is the HRM-1 (https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-10997-00-Heart-Rate-Monitor/dp/B000UOD5QM/ref=sr_1_2?crid=AGIU8I3OBB6&dchild=1&keywords=hrm1g+garmin&qid=1598367233&sprefix=hrm1%2Caps%2C274&sr=8-2) it should still be fine.

0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to Data

Thank you for your answer,
Indeed it is HRM Dual like the link you put.
the strap is new branded ( bought it march this year in a Garmin shop) what is 4 years old is the device/pod who capture HR and send it to watch.
Battery is also new, this was my first step -> replace the battery

0 Benny Danny over 4 years ago

Hi! Do you still have the files to downgrade? It would be useful for me... Thanks in advance!