Heart rate tracking elliptical handlebar strokes, not my hear trate

Garmin Instinct Version 18.10

Some recent software update has broken the heartrate monitor on my Instinct. It used to work perfectly on the elliptical, but now it only tracks the strokes of the handlebars as I move them back and forth. How do I know?

1. The heartrate number matches the strokes per minute number on the machine, and is WAY lower than my heartrate actually is (measured manually).
2. I've tried cleaning the sensor and adjusting the position on my arm to no avail.

3. This used to work perfectly on the elliptical.

This morning I thought of a test and tried it. I attached the watch to the elliptical handlebar with the sensor facing the air and it happily reported a heart rate that matched the strokes per minute even though it was no longer attached to a human and the sensor was facing the open air!

The heart rate monitor does seem to track accurately with other activities, like sitting still, or even doing squats (you should see my HR spike for those).

Please fix! Ideas from others?

0 chartscharts over 2 years ago

Noticed the same thing happening when I'm running on a treadmill now. Captures arm swing rate and not my heart rate.

Is no on else seeing this?

Do Garmin employees monitor this forum?

0 trux over 2 years ago in reply to chartscharts

chartscharts said:
Is no on else seeing this?

When the optical signal from the blood stream variations is weak, the sensor will lock on whatever periodical changes it can sense. That's a well known limitation of optical sensors. The reasons may be multiple, from dark or thick skin, tattoos, over peripheral vasoconstriction, low hemoglobin levels, bad fit of the wrist band, incorrect position of the watch, to a dirty sensor. See some more details and tips to avoid the pace-lock for example in the document The Heart Rate Sensor on My Garmin Watch Is Not Accurate | Garmin Customer Support

chartscharts said:
Do Garmin employees monitor this forum?

This is primarily a user forum. Although occasionally a Garmin employee may intervene here, it is relatively rare. This is not the official support platform. To reach the Support, rather use https://support.garmin.com

0 chartscharts over 2 years ago in reply to trux

Thanks for the reply! What's odd is that the watch worked fine for a couple of years on my skin with my exercise habits. Nothing changed, but it suddenly started doing this. That's what points to a software update for me.

Thanks for the support link.

0 trux over 2 years ago in reply to chartscharts

chartscharts said:
Nothing changed, but it suddenly started doing this.

As I wrote, there are many possible reasons for that, including a dirt on the sensor window, medical conditions, bad fit, wrong position, etc, etc. Colder temperatures can lead to peripheral vasoconstriction. Follow the tips in the document and see whether they can help. Also try restarting the watch.