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HRM takes long to give reliable HR

8117481
11 months ago

I have the Fenix 5 Plus and a HRM3-SS (HRM-Dual).

The HRM pairs with the watch with no problem. I always wet the electrodes (the rubber bits on the belt) with saliva.

For a while though, it gives no measurements, the watch just says "-- Hr". If I start running, eventually it will start giving quite low measurements, and then ramps up rapidly. It takes about 10 min before the HRM seems to have "waken up".

I've tried warming up a bit before running but am unsure if this has any effect. I usually wear the belt as long as possible before runs, sometimes even an hour. I think this helps a bit, but does not fix the problem.

I've tried the procedure described in the discussion below to "reverse the polarity". This did not help.

https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/accessories-sensors/227664/garmin-hrm-dual-not-working/1306668#1306668

I used to have an older Forerunner that I used with the same HRM. I never had this problem with that. So I wonder if this could be a firmware issue.

  • 0 11 months ago

    Maybe the strap is old and needs replacing. Mine last 6 months to 1 year. Wetting only the pads with water, electrode gel or saliva never worked for me, I always have to soak the strap in water for 15 minutes before putting it on, and then it works flawlessly. Wearing beforehand only helps if you are sweating profusely already.

  • 0 11 months ago in reply to Data
    Data said:
    I always have to soak the strap in water for 15 minutes before putting it on

    Soaking with water is the way to go but 15 minutes is probably a bit unnecessary. A good wetting and squeeze to remove excess water is sufficient.

  • 0 11 months ago

    I have same behavior with my HRM-Pro PLUS but observed the same with HRM-Pro I was using previously.
    It looks that problem is temperature because during summer it is not so big problem, now when it is cold outside usually it takes up to 6 minutes to start transmit all measures.
    I'm wetting electrodes with ECG gel and it helps a little.

  • 0 11 months ago in reply to Adam-1972

    I should have specified that the HRM3-SS is the HRM-Dual type. 

    My problem does not seem to be temperature dependent. It is a problem during winter as well as summer and when indoors.

  • 0 11 months ago in reply to Dr Phil

    It depends on how quickly a strap saturates with water. 15 minutes is enough for any type and results in a very low percentage of anomalies in the HRV data, but granted, that is not something everyone needs.

    I should have added: Adjust soak time the time it takes for the front part of the strap to be fully saturated with water.