Refurbished 230

The watch does not have a user replaceable battery. Are you using the cable that came with watch. Does watch dies when disconnected from USB cradle? If so, contact support.

The watch does not have a user replaceable battery. Are you using the cable that came with watch. Does watch dies when disconnected from USB cradle? If so, contact support.

Hi Trippy! Thanks for the come back.

I misunderstood page 11 of the 230 PDF Manual as to the battery.

Yes, I am using the cable that came with the watch.

Update: I disconnected the cable and took the watch into a small, dark room. In the dark, I am able to see a difference when the watch is turned on/off. A faint purple line follows the edge of the watch face. It begins at 11:00 o'clock, goes straight to 1:00 o'clock, curves down to 5:00 o'clock and goes straight, to the termination at 7:00 o'clock. Also, when turned on, the other watch face icons (red man,the word run, etc.) become barely visible in the dark. This purple border and the watch face icons do NOT BRIGHTEN enough to see any difference (off/on) in a brightly lit room.

OK, so now I know I have a battery (no user replacement). I will attempt to install software (apps?) and try to sync up with my phone, the watch, the computer and a HRM-Tri (purchased separately).

Thanks again for your attention,

Robin

Update: I just discovered that the entire watch face was covered with a protective film with the watch face and icons printed opaquely on the film. After removal of the protective film, the watch appears as one would expect.

Is the Forerunner 230 an ANT+ device compatible with the HRM-Tr1?

Well, I am getting closer. I have successfully paired/linked/synced (?) My 230, my computer, and my S7 Edge, On my phone I see 6 Forerunner 230 related Widgets installed. Unfortunately, my attempts to hook up with the HRM-Tri have not been successful. The process teases me. I wet the contacts and wear the HRM-Tri. In the watch settings I get to Add New, Search All, and Add New, Heart Rate. Attempts at both (after about five seconds) result in the display showing:

Wear external HR monitor to connect.
Try Again

Probably got the

Wear external HR monitor to connect.
Try Again

message at least 30 times/tries. It has made me sleepy, will try again tomorrow.

According to https://www.thisisant.com/directory/hrm-tri/, the FR230 is compatible with the HRM-Tri. Given that the HRM-Tri broadcasts over ANT+ and multiple devices can read the data stream from it concurrently, if you have another ANT+ compatible device (Why else would you have an HRM-Tri to begin with, given that it was never packaged with the FR230 in retail?), you could always use that to verify whether the HRM-Tri is broadcasting your HR, when/before you attempt to connect the FR230 with the HRM-Tri.

...................... (Why else would you have an HRM-Tri to begin with, given that it was never packaged with the FR230 in retail?) .................

Hi ASmug,

I was/am a confused shopper. Was looking for a HRM. Just a simple one would have been ok. I may only use the device while on an elliptical machine. I was really impressed with the reviews of the HRM-Tri on Amazon. Got one for myself and one for a daughter in CA. I was stunned to see only the chest belt. I completely missed the fact that there was no watch bundled with it. I would have called the chest straps "sensors" as opposed to "monitors". I never imagined a HR "monitor" that has no lights or viewing screen. I purchased two refurbished 230s trying to mitigate expenses.

As to "Does the HRM-Tri work?", I have several scanners that can search for signals. Probably will try that as a check. Knowing the broadcast frequency for the HRM-Tri would make it easy.

This is really wearing me out. How about a recommendation for a new, economical chest strap known to pair up and work well with the 230?

Thanks for your assistance!

I can't give you a recommendation. The three I have or had – all of which have been successfully used with my FR630, and at least connected with my FR235, so there is every reason to believe they will also work with a FR230 – are all ‘premium’, so to speak:

• Wahoo TICKR X
  
• Garmin HRM4-Run
  
• Garmin HRM-Run
  

As far as HR ‘sensor’ versus ‘monitor’ goes, the HRM-Tri – as with any chest strap heart rate monitor – does far more than just sense the user's heart rate; at the very least, the device will transmit a number of metrics in a data stream by radio, using ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart (or even both concurrently).

Thanks!

Info for the 230 Forum:

I gave up on the HRM-Tri. I ordered an HRM-Run. Just delivered same day order. After several failed attempts to connect the HRM-Run with the 230, I saw the "Restore Defaults"option. I selected "Yes". The watch turned off and I had to hold the on/off button down for about 15 seconds. I went back to the "Search for Sensor" screen. SUCCESS!!! Then I tried the "bad" HRM-Tri again. SUCCESS!!!

This info just for the Forum, and thanks for assistance.