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From: nomail1983 on 6 Apr 2008 18:40
I like to use an HRM. I have had 2 or 3 Polar HRMs over the last 15
or more years. Until now, I have been very happy with the basic Polar
model(s).

But the FS2 is terrible(!).

Is there another manufacturer of a continuous HRM with chest strap
that you like?

What about Timex? It claims that to conform to some standard signal.
(It's own? ;->) Will it interface with gym equipment that works with
Polar?

"What's so wrong with the FS2?", you ask.

First, it switches modes too easily when the wrist watch comes near
the center of the chest strap.

The older models used to require that they be in close proximity for
several seconds before changing modes (displaying elapsed time instead
of HR); and it would revert to HR mode automatically after some delay
(perhaps 30 sec). The FS2 changes mode immediately; and it retains
that mode unless and until you bring watch close to the chest strap
again, much like pushing a button. And because it cycles through 3
modes that way, you have to bring the watch to the chest twice in
order to return to HR mode.

That's inconvenient. But I could live with that.

The fatal flaw is: it seems to get "stuck" at an HR reading
periodically.

At first, I thought (hoped) it was just a defective unit. But a
second unit behaved the same way. I finally returned the second unit
for a full refund.

It is just some specific HRs that it gets stuck at. Honestly, I
cannot explain its behavior accurately. I have not found a consistent
rule.

Often, it fails to record a dropping HR in a timely manner. For
example, I will ramp up my HR by biking hard. Then I get to a long
traffic light (sigh). The FS2 continues to display a high HR, even as
my breath drops dramatically. If I wait long enough -- perhaps 90-120
sec (after the light turns green again) -- all of a sudden the
displayed HR drops 20-30 beats, where I would expect it to be.

But it is not just a "peak" HR that it gets stuck at. Sometimes I
will be pumping hard, and I know my HR must be increasing. But the
FS2 is not recording the increase -- at least not immediately. Again,
after some long delay, the displayed HR will jump 10-15 beats.

Finally, at the gym, the HRM records zero under certain predicable
conditions. When I do a side plank resting on the HRM arm, the HRM
will display zero. Again, it holds that reading for 90-120 sec or
more after I return to a normal position.

Giving it the benefit of the doubt, I might think that the distance of
the extended arm to the chest strap exceeds the maximum allowed (which
is undocumented). But first, my arms are not abnormally long; and I
am resting on my forearm, not my palms. Second, there is no problem
when I do a plank on the other side, where I extend my HRM arm even
further into the air.

Even though I am the gym, I am quite certain that there is no
interfence. This problem happens in a variety of locations within the
gym. Often, I am quite isolated. And the problem is consistent --
always in that particular plank position. (Sometimes in other
situations as well.)

My theory is: Polar has changed its algorithm for displaying an
average HR. I am sure the displayed HR is not and never has been an
instantaneous HR. The display would change much too often, if that
were the case. I have always assumed that Polar average the HR over a
period of 5 sec or so -- the initial time it takes to display a
reading just after going into HR mode.

The FS2 does take longer initially to enter HR mode. But I do not
believe that accounts for the "stuck" readings. Instead, I suspect
that it is using a weighted average algorithm of some sort. But even
that theory does not hold water. In that case, the longer I would
hold a particular HR, the longer it would take for the display to show
a change in HR. I don't believe that was always the case.

In any case, the FS2 is totally screwed up. I'm sorry to say that. I
used to consider Polar to be the best HRM on the market. No longer
true.
From: nomail1983 on 7 Apr 2008 16:55
On Apr 7, 6:38 am, M.P. Android <m...(a)privacy.com> wrote:
> My Timex works fine and does indeed read out on gym equipment

Good input. Thanks for the feedback.

What model of Timex do you have?


> Exercise time resets if it loses signal

This concerns me. In your experience, how common is the signal loss?
What does it take to cause signal loss?
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