andrace

So it seems my friend search isnt working quite properly with the new site update, and although i hate to pollute with posts on subjects that have probably been beaten to death i'm getting annoyed with this issue.
As the title states; i bought a 705 not too long ago (which i love btw) but recently the heart rate signal is cutting out. I just get the dashes on the units display when it looses the signal. When the ride is imported into sport tracks it seems the data is all there (data isn't abnormally erratic, and seems consistent with the other parameters being logged), so i know what is going on. Firmware update perhaps? Since the signal is intermittent i suspect it's not an issue with the battery of the heart strap; although i guess it may very well be that. Any suggestions?
When i mean intermittent i mean the signal may cut out for a few seconds, or a few minutes, and on one ride the HR was only being displayed for a few minutes of the entire ride. I have also tired a few different positions for the meter, usually i keep it on the upper abdomen just below the pecs, but have tried it offset directly in front of my heart and the problem seems to be less of an issue when its on the upper abdomen. It is also snug enough to be in constant contact with skin, but i suspect the curvature of the chest may disturb the contact while moving around, thus explaining it being slightly more consistent on the upper abdomen. anyways you guys get the jist of the problem.

txvintage

Did you by chance see a bright light and hear harp music when you lost your heart siganl?

It does sound like a fit problem, but have you down loaded your data to see if it was recorded? It might just be the display.

bangkok

see the garmin 705 manual, page 35, item '2' ... this might explain the intermittent signal

Stjtoday

Clear!

umd

Don't take this personally, but are you overweight? Extra body fat can sometimes interfere with picking up the signal.

OT, I see from your location you are in Santa Barbara, I wonder if I've seen you around at all. Do you do any of the group rides?

milnerpt

Take the heartrate monitor off your junk, put it across your chest.

If you have excess body hair, fat, etc.... that can impede the signal.

And if its over your "upper abdomen".... you are way too low. Id shoot for between the nipples (thats what she said) or a hair lower. A little gel or saliva would help too (they sell the gel, but its a ripoff... same stuff as ultrasound gel)

Zeriman

replace the battery

sijray21

this

andrace

Thanks for the replies guys, the setup is more or less what the FSM states, but i did re-sync the sensors. The unit is brand new but i will get a spare battery just to be certain. Steve yeah im from SB but go to school down in LB, i rode with you and TMONK on mt drive the day after you two got in a fight with OSM pavement, so yeah no im not quite a fat ass @ 10% BF. I will be back up for turkey day so im sure i will see you around, although im afraid to since i think i have lost a bit of performance, and that probably puts me below the pace of old man steve; it took me all summer to get fit enough to pull time out of him up casitas.

One thing i did realize is that i always ride with a mp3 player and i route the cord up front; so im thinking the cord may be making contact and interfering with the signal. I will see what happens when i route the cable around the back.
Will follow up when i return in a few hours.

sijray21

i said a battery replacement even if it's new since it's a pretty easy/cheap fix and you can rule it out in the event you have to argue with the seller/Garmin about a defective heart-rate sensor. it should simply just 'work' with your device as long as you have the settings set-up correctly on the device (which it sounds like if you're getting a reading at all).

andrace

I figured that's what you meant since i posted the unit was brand new.

I had the same problem today, cant be the mp3; didn't really think it was that anyways. I also tried the monitor in a few positions, and no help; it actually was worse the farther up my chest it was positioned. Next step is to replace the battery. I will update when its running on a new battery.

also the data was all screwy, for some reason it never separated my last ride from today's, but the other rides ive done with it cutting out; all display consistent readings. consistent as far as i can tell anyways; I am as new to sport tracks as i am to the garmin, if anybody wants a freeze frame of the data i suppose i can post that for those of you that can tell right away.

umd

Oh yeah I remember now... sorry sometimes I forget user names