Using Cal Factor with FR 955 with HRM PRO+

I got bad news for ya, 14.17 will shut down our expensive HRM PRO irreversibly, we can be glad if they‘ll fix it in some months so that we can use the belt at all.

Is there proof? Except for one Posting here in the Forum i haven´t heard about it at all.... would guess, if this was a general problem, more users would have reported that?! 

haven´t used my HRM Pro since the update to 14,17 because of illness...

Proof of what!??

FACT: HRMPRO+ Connects to a FR935 with two separate sensor entries. One for the Heart Rate and Running Dynamics and one named FP Pro for the Pace and Distance data. Selecting the "FP Pro" sensor allows a "Calibration Factor" to be applied to the calculated Pace/distance.

FACT: HRMPRO+ Connects to the 955 using a system that combines all of the features of the HRPPRO+ into only ONE sensor entry. Presumably Garmin did this on the "NEWER" watches to make it more convenient to change the sensor features in one location. The issue is that they failed to include the "Calibration Factor" in this "Combined" sensor.

The question is: Is there a way to get around this when using the HRMPRO+ with the FR955? This isn't a bug report! This has operated in this manner since I first received the HRMPRO+ and connected to my FR955, months ago. 

More simply: I want to separate out the Sensor connections, on the HRMPRO+/955, so that I can modify the "Cal Factor" on the Foot Pod feature of the HRMPRO+. This allows me to override the AutoCal values by a particular Factor (ie. 99.55) so its more accurate.

Proof of "14.17 will shut down our expensive HRM PRO irreversibly"

or this issue: forums.garmin.com/.../bug-14-17-crashing-hrm-pro

HRM Pro + working fine here with fw 14.17. I had about 5 runs with this fw - no issues at all. As for original question there's no way to set the cal factor. If I remember correctly FR945 had this option too. I'm using Stryd so it's not an issue for me - there's cal factor for Stryd though there's no need to adjust it at all.

Marek,

Thanks for the feedback regarding the 945 and the Stryd.

BTW, I enabled my old Garmin Footpod to the 955 and it consolidated it into to the HRMPRO+ Sensor. I opened the entry and it had the ability to change the Calibration Factor for the old footpod. So, it works with the old Garmin Footpod but doesn't allow Calibration Factor adjustments to the Pace/Distance feature on the 955 for the HRMPRO+. Clearly an oversight by Garmin. I would just go back to my old footpod, but the holder broke and it doesn't properly attach to my laces. I guess I'll just wait and hope that Garmin figures this out on their own.

Waslin,

I have to correct my previous post. Connection to FR945 and FR955 are identical, I just checked it. There's no option to change cal factor manually in both. However, once HRM Pro is connected to the watch, option to autocalibrate HRM while running outside using GPS appears under HRM entry. So in fact there's no need to enter cal factor manually. Just enable autocalibration and run in the area with good GPS signal preferably in straight route. Then turn off autocalibration to disable cal data change with poor GPS signal in future runs. Hope it helped.

Marek,

Thanks for clarifying the facts around connecting the 945 to the HRMPRO+.

However, I completely disagree with your comment regarding not needing the Cal Factor" because of the AutoCal feature on the HRMPRO+. You're assuming that the Auto Cal gets it right, which it doesn't for me. I've clocked many, many KMs, on flat roads, at different paces, with various shoes, and it most certainly gets it wrong for me. This feature assumes we travel the same pace with the same effort with all shoes, which just isn't true. I can calibrate my easy pace with my Triumph 19s at about 4:55/km on the flat, and the calibration will yield reasonable results on the TM. However, if I use my Triumph 20s, on the same treadmill at the same speed setting, it will estimate my pace at 4:40/km. This is too far off. The same issue happens at Steady State Pace, Tempo Pace, Interval Pace and Repeat Pace. If you have success with this system, good on you, but it doesn't work for me with Autocal. 

Having said this, the HRMPRO+ can be very useful, if they enable a Calibration Factor. I know this because I used my old Garmin Footpod with great success, before the clip broke. The one thing the HRMPRO+ and the Footpod do brilliantly is consistency. In other words, If I run 15km on a treadmill set at 4:55/km for the entire run, the HRMRO+ will report the same pace with remarkable consistency. I mean it nails it. So, the answer for me is to have a list of paces and specific shoes on my phone and remember to set the "Cal Factor", before the run, and it will nail it. This works very well for any pace range. The other day I completed an 8x3:30 at my 10K race pace of 3:42 with my Endorphin Speed IIs and it nailed it! The Treadmill was set at 3:42/km and it felt right around 10K effort. Give me the ability to correct the Autocal numbers and I have a very, very versatile and accurate device for reporting the correct pace and distance. All Garmin has to do is enable this feature when using the 955 with the HRMPRO+. It seems like a clear oversight on their part and probably a trivial matter to remedy, given that it can be done on the 935.

Thanks again for your insights.

As I wrote I'm using Stryd, and I just thought autocal might work for you (I never used it). Stryd works out of the box, no calibration needed for any wotkout type, still there's an option to adjust cal factor on FR955 with current fw.