Optical HRM sensor (too) late registration of Heart rate in activity mode!

How did you manage to update to software/firmware version 4.70 on the FR235, when version 4.60 was only announced and released some 36 hours ago?

When the heart icon in the Heart Rate widget is blinking, it is still trying to lock on to usable HR readings from the sensor, even if there is a number being shown in the meantime.

First, he clearly made a mistake with the version, no need to be rude. LOL.

I do wish Garmin made as much of an effort to tell people about what the blinking heart means. It honestly took me well over a month to figure it out, and I read the manual cover to cover several times.

And, gotta cinch the band a couple notches for a faster heart rate acquisition. That's why the band that comes with these things is so much stretchier compared to the non OHM watches.

First, he clearly made a mistake with the version, no need to be rude. LOL.

Since when is asking a clarification question, instead of declaring “You are wrong!”, is rude?

Assuming he indeed made a mistake, he may not know it and it would be good to get him to reflect and realise it, irrespective of how frustrated he's feeling about anything else. Saving face (or helping other to save face) is not the point of open discussion, is it?

It's a matter of tone.

"How did you manage to update to software/firmware version 4.70 on the FR235, when version 4.60 was only announced and released some 36 hours ago?" Comes across as rude because it implies ignorance on the other posters part.

Whereas "I think you meant 4.60 which is the current release." Allows you to correct the mistake without seeming to make a judgment on the other persons understanding of the details.

JESPERLAUR: Once you get a HR lock in the 4 hour widget (as others have said, the heart icon stops blinking), you should then see a registered HR immediately (faster than GPS being ready) when you go to start your activity. I've gotten in the habit to get a lock on my HR in the widget prior to starting a run activity ... works every time for me. It's a minor inconvenience, but not enough to need to return the watch IMHO.

Max

Sorry for the typo. It is 4.60 which is my current version.!
However, it is still annoying since it was not any issue in the beginning and the issue came during updates...

Max556: Is it also your impression, that the issue came with an update?

/Jesper

Yes, I never used to even think about looking for a HR when I started a run activity - I waited for GPS and ran. I think it was the after 4.20 update when I noticed a couple runs that were missing the HR for the first part of my runs ... that is when I started checking the widget and getting a HR lock before starting the run. Ran yesterday and this problem still exists after updating to the most recent 4.6/2/7 update.

Max

I never used to even think about looking for a HR when I started a run activity

I found, back in February, that both the TomTom Spark Cardio+Music and the Garmin Forerunner 235 had on occasion significantly under-reported my heart rate (by 30–40 bpm) at the start of a Run activity compared to what my Wahoo TICKR-X reported (in an app on my phone). That's when I got into the habit of prepping the Run activity early, and giving the reported current HR on the watch a quick sanity check, a few minutes before actually starting the timer and running.

What I think has changed from 3.30/2.50 back then is simply that instead of reporting unreliable (or sometimes patently inaccurate) HR values when I prep a Run on my FR235, it now reports –– (which I prefer), until it has actually locked onto values in which one can have some confidence.

Hmmm ... you're probably right ... I think your saying that in 3.30 as I started the Run activity it was immediately reporting the same thing I would see if I was viewing the HR widget with the heart blinking ... which I believe is a guess-timate based on the most recent reading. When it got a lock on HR (5 minutes into run) it would start reporting correctly. Now, it displays -- until it gets a lock on the HR. Yeah, I would rather wait for a lock on HR than have inaccurate data. They need to add a notification like when GPS is ready ... HEART Ready!

Max

Although it doesn't give a banner alert across the top like it does for GPS there is a heart icon next to the GPS signal strength icon that will flash until it locks on.

Personally once my watch goes to the data screens I switch to the HR gauge and watch that until it settles on a reasonable number before I start my run.