How to stop Edge 500 pairing with other HRMs

H.E. Pennypacker

Hi,

I was out for a spin a few days ago without my heart rate monitor. I passed another cyclist who was wearing one and my Edge 500 picked his heart rate briefly. Problem is that my Strava activity feed shows my entire effort with his heart rate (94 bpm) as my average and maximum heartrate.

Is it possible to lock in the Edge to just one heart rate monitor to prevent this happening again?

godtabh

H.E. Pennypacker wrote: »

Hi,

I was out for a spin a few days ago without my heart rate monitor. I passed another cyclist who was wearing one and my Edge 500 picked his heart rate briefly. Problem is that my Strava activity feed shows my entire effort with his heart rate (94 bpm) as my average and maximum heartrate.

Is it possible to lock in the Edge to just one heart rate monitor to prevent this happening again?

That doesn't sound right. Never had that happen to me

Unknown Soldier

H.E. Pennypacker wrote: »

Hi,

I was out for a spin a few days ago without my heart rate monitor. I passed another cyclist who was wearing one and my Edge 500 picked his heart rate briefly. Problem is that my Strava activity feed shows my entire effort with his heart rate (94 bpm) as my average and maximum heartrate.

Is it possible to lock in the Edge to just one heart rate monitor to prevent this happening again?

That seems weird. You have to pair it with a "unit" and you can see the id number in your 500. I don't think it can pick up a random unit from nearby unless you "pair" it?

It could be that your HRM is wonky. Mine has let me down over the past few weeks. As a last resort I changed the battery yesterday as per the Garmin support help desk suggestion. Yet to see if that has worked.

If that fails it has to be returned.

I got the distinct impression talking to Garmin support that some units have "known issues"

H.E. Pennypacker

My HRM usually works fine as does the Edge unit itself - I don't think that there's any issue with it in general. I was in a bit of a rush to head out for a spin that day so only remembered it when I was just about to hop on the bike so I headed off without it. I fitted a new battery to the HRM a couple of weeks ago and used it at least once since then with no issues. Everything else works fine on the Edge including the cadence sensor which I fitted a couple of weeks ago too.

I thought that maybe I'd left some step incomplete when setting up. I'm guessing that once its picks up a HRM it stays locked to it if it stays within range so if I were to join a group wearing my HRM then mine would stay paired but it was a slightly unusual scenario that day. It just makes my Strava activity look unusual that day

Unknown Soldier

H.E. Pennypacker wrote: »

My HRM usually works fine as does the Edge unit itself - I don't think that there's any issue with it in general. I was in a bit of a rush to head out for a spin that day so only remembered it when I was just about to hop on the bike so I headed off without it. I fitted a new battery to the HRM a couple of weeks ago and used it at least once since then with no issues. Everything else works fine on the Edge including the cadence sensor which I fitted a couple of weeks ago too.

I thought that maybe I'd left some step incomplete when setting up. I'm guessing that once its picks up a HRM it stays locked to it if it stays within range so if I were to join a group wearing my HRM then mine would stay paired but it was a slightly unusual scenario that day. It just makes my Strava activity look unusual that day

Try removing the sensor from the strap and looking at the attachment points? One of mine was actually rusting. I don't remeber anything in the instructions telling me to check that. I was washing the strap every 4 or 5 days.

Even after I cleaned everything up on thursday it still let me down on Friday/Saturday.

Maybe having changed the battery, it will be OK. Tomorrow will tell. Otherwise it's going back under warranty.

Below is what support sent me btw. I'm not formatting the cut and paste.

Thank you for contacting Garmin Europe.
Typically incorrect heart rate data originates in the Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) and not in the device. If your device is reporting high heart rate spikes or an irregularly low heart rate there are a few things that may be at fault.
To eliminate erratic heart rate data:
Ensure the HRM is worn close-fitted.
Warm up for 5–10 minutes before an activity.
Reapply moisture to the sensors using water, saliva or electrode gel.
Wipe the sensor clean with a dampened towel.
Try a cotton shirt or wet your shirt if suitable for your activity: occasionally synthetic fabrics can rub or flap against the HRM creating static electricity that interferes with heart rate signals – this step can eliminate this possibility.
Reposition the HRM: sometimes better readings can be obtained by shifting the front of the HRM, with the Garmin logo, to the side or back – instead of leaving it on the chest.
Avoid strong electromagnetic fields and 2.4 GHz wireless sensors: these interfere with your heart rate monitor; examples may include very high voltage power lines, electric motors, microwave ovens, 2.4 GHz cordless phones, and wireless LAN access points.
Other possible causes of erratic heart rate data:
Improper care of the Premium HRM can cause permanent damage to the HRM, which can produce spiking or an irregularly low heart rate.
A low battery can cause erratic HRM readings. Replace the CR2032 battery in the HRM. Wait at least 30-60 seconds after the old battery is removed before installing the new.
Medicine (like Beta blockers) and devices (like pace makers or implantable cardiac defibrillators) that help to ensure proper heart health could potentially interfere with HRM readings. Please consult your doctor regarding this possibility and for possible solutions.
If there is anything else I can help you with then please let me know. Alternatively you can search for a solution here: http://www.garmin.co.uk/support
Kind regards,

doozerie

I have a 705 and if I turn that on while I'm not wearing my HRM strap it'll keep searching for it for a while. I don't know how long it'll do it for, certainly several minutes but perhaps longer. At some recent races it ended up picking the HRM of those around me rather than mine after I'd turned the unit on before putting my strap on - I had to turn it off, find an area free of nearby cyclists, and turn it on again so that it would detect only my HRM again.

I don't know if the 500 behaves in the same way but I'd guess so. I always assumed that if my 705 didn't find a sensor (I've had the issue with my cadence sensor on occasion too), it would just stop seeking one after a few minutes, but maybe it persists and "broadens" the search out to any sensor rather than the one it was last paired with. Just a guess though.

Having said that, when my Garmin works it's great, but when it starts to act up it does so in sometimes very obscure and weird ways which often defy any kind of logic. So I may be seeking logic in the behaviour of your 500 where none exists!

H.E. Pennypacker

Unknown Soldier wrote: »

Try removing the sensor from the strap and looking at the attachment points? One of mine was actually rusting. I don't remeber anything in the instructions telling me to check that. I was washing the strap every 4 or 5 days.

Cheers - mine is rust free but its had more occasional use so less frequent washing. It seems to read accurately. I haven't checked it with a manual pulse count but its readings look in the ballpark for what I'm doing. I'm planning to use it/wash it a bit more from now on so I'll keep an eye out for rust.

doozerie wrote: »

I have a 705 and if I turn that on while I'm not wearing my HRM strap it'll keep searching for it for a while.

Thanks Doozerie - I was cycling in a rural area so I was about 40 mins into my spin when I passed the other cyclist so it seems to keep searching for the HRM for quite a while. Its interesting that the various devices can't be exclusively tied but as you say, logic isn't necessarily expected.

seamus

I've had this happen to me with both the edge and the forerunner. Basically, if you're not wearing your HRM you need to tell the unit to not look for one.

triggermortis

My 500 has paired briefly with power meters and cadence sensors during a sportive. It only happened once as far as I can remember, as I was surprised to see figures in the charts for items I didnt have fitted when I loaded my ride into Garmin Connect

Shadow78

Is the firmware up to date? Might be part of the problem. Older firmware had issues with multiple heart rate monitors detected. Newer firmware should lock in monitor to the bike profile.

Inquitus

I used to detect loads of HRM when I first got my 500, seems some firmware changes have fixed that and now it only ever picks up mine. If you do not have a HRM you can turn off HRM in the bike profile and then it will not search for or pair with any HRM.

H.E. Pennypacker

Cheers - mine has firmware 3.00. I'll upgrade to 3.30 just to be sure. If the problem persists I'll have to remember to disable the HRM on the Edge before use