Turbo HR dropout problems

blorg

I have a problem with heart rate dropping out during a ride, see the attached. Tacx I-Magic and a Sigma belt. I used have a problem with it picking up HR in the first place but solved that by just putting on the belt for a bit before the ride.

This ride was 1:02:51 if that helps any to visualise the time in it is dropping out (couldn't find a "by time" option in the software):



Any ideas? I try wiggling it around a bit when it drops out and then it comes back. Unfortunately I just have the belt not a watch, so difficult to tell if it is the belt or the Tacx.

I have a Garmin 705 and while it can take a little while at the start of a ride to get HR going in much the same way, I don't tend to have dropouts once I am going... on the Tacx I am sweating like a pig which I would have thought would help conductivity if anything I am not using the Garmin during the sessions on the Tacx and don't have any wireless computers or the Garmin cadence sensor on the bike on the trainer.

I use an iPod while training and have a bit of a suspicion the headphone cable may interfere, I try to route this around the back and the dropouts don't seem to correspond with the time the cable seems to be interfering.

Lumen

Try putting contact lens solution on the belt before wearing it. Apparently the salt helps the conductivity. I have no idea whether that's true. Maybe you could try actual salty water, or get some of that conductive gel they use in hospitals.

Obviously this will do nothing for data transmission.

blorg

Lumen wrote: »

Try putting contact lens solution on the belt before wearing it. Apparently the salt helps the conductivity. I have no idea whether that's true. Maybe you could try actual salty water, or get some of that conductive gel they use in hospitals.

Obviously this will do nothing for data transmission.

Yes, I might try something like that, could get pricey. As it is I lick it thoroughly before I stick it on and after leaving it for a bit or warming up it seems to work OK. It's the dropouts that get me, there should be enough salt in the buckets of sweat coming off me. Would be tempted to get a cheap watch just so I could diagnose whether it was the belt or the transmission.

tyler71

I have a similar problem both before and during the session - as Lumen says it needs a bit of conductivity to get it going - I used some of my energy drink on it (and me!) yesterday and it did the job - obviously cleaned it after the session. The dropout during I think was due to the belt slipping down a bit, the Polars seem to be very sensitive to position as well so tightened up the belt and that seemed to work.

paddyduc

I'd say your heart stopped for a wee while there,Nothing to worry about:D

Toblerone1978

blorg wrote: »

on the Tacx I am sweating like a pig which I would have thought would help conductivity if anything .

Very true - I sweat bucketloads but

blorg wrote: »

I use an iPod while training and have a bit of a suspicion the headphone cable may interfere, I try to route this around the back and the dropouts don't seem to correspond with the time the cable seems to be interfering.

I used an iPod as well, no problems. Try another cable headphone. Perhaps get a loan different belt or watch (or both) and see would that reduce the problem.

I know this is probably obvious, but I take it that you are damping the belt under a tap where the signals are being picked up, before putting the belt on. Without moisturising those signal areas, the HR monitor can be very ineffective and irratic.

lescol

Guess you're still alive...so check batteries, check conduction, check anything getting in the way of transmission. All those things affect my Polar, when I set it up for my PX I found that the monitor would only pick up intermittently if the sensors and monitor were on opposite sides of the bike, would work for hours then nothing for a few minutes.

blorg

I have been using HR for a few years now out on the road and like the Garmin I lick it, a lot. I won't go into graphic detail there.

It's a new strap so batteries should be OK but you never know, may as well try that.

Paul Kiernan

I had a problem after I changed batteries in the strap where seal was poor and sweat leaked in causing corrosional mayhem. It worked intermittently for a while and then literally rusted away.