Heart Rate Monitor that can handle electrical interference

[Ian Levit]

I currently have a Polar Protrainer XP. It works well, except you are near high voltage lines, where
the electrical/electromagnetic interference is strong, in which case the HRM stops working. That is,
it stops showing your heart rate, and therfore all of its recording functions are useless. Polar
does explain that the HRM will NOT work properly when in areas with a great deal of
electrical/electromagnetic interference, and they are right.

The bike Trail in Northern Virginia (from Ashburn East) is also the right-of-way for the electrical
power company, and the trail is just a few feet from, and runs parallel to high voltage lines. As
soon as you get to the area with the high voltage lines, the HRM stops working.

I'm sure others may have had this problem. I would like to know which product (Make and Model)
people believe can best handle electrical/electromagnetic interference.

Thanks.

Ian [email protected]

 

[Cletus Lee]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>
> I currently have a Polar Protrainer XP. It works well, except you are near high voltage lines,
> where the electrical/electromagnetic interference is strong, in which case the HRM stops working.
> That is, it stops showing your heart rate, and therfore all of its recording functions are
> useless. Polar does explain that the HRM will NOT work properly when in areas with a great deal of
> electrical/electromagnetic interference, and they are right.

What they don't explain is that the HRM once confused by EMF, never recovers unless
restarted manually.

> The bike Trail in Northern Virginia (from Ashburn East) is also the right-of-way for the
> electrical power company, and the trail is just a few feet from, and runs parallel to high voltage
> lines. As soon as you get to the area with the high voltage lines, the HRM stops working.
>
> I'm sure others may have had this problem. I would like to know which product (Make and Model)
> people believe can best handle electrical/electromagnetic interference.

I tried and gave up on a Polar HRM because my daily commute crossed a RR track and a High Voltage
line and was essentially useless.

I replaced mime with Sports Instrument ECG5. I still have the same porblem crossing under the
powerlines, but it recovers soon after I exit the area.

If your bike route parallels the High Voltage line you may be SOL. since none offer 100% shielding.

--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

 

[Brian Hughes]

When I try to use a Polar heart monitor while jogging on the treadmill and watching TV, it doesn't
work either--unless I push the TV to the other side of the room and restart it. One of the downfalls
of wireless. But this is rarely a problem anymore, I have all but given up on the treadmill. Riding
suits my joints much better than running does.

Brian

 

[Freewheeling]

Ian:

I have a Polar Xtrainer Plus and it has never worked on the section of the W&OD trail that you refer
to in Northern Virginia. I don't think anything that uses radio signals will. Might as well just
shut it off for those sections.

On Wed, 21 May 2003 15:13:03 -0400, "Ian Levit" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I currently have a Polar Protrainer XP. It works well, except you are near high voltage lines,
>where the electrical/electromagnetic interference is strong, in which case the HRM stops working.
>That is, it stops showing your heart rate, and therfore all of its recording functions are useless.
>Polar does explain that the HRM will NOT work properly when in areas with a great deal of
>electrical/electromagnetic interference, and they are right.
>
>The bike Trail in Northern Virginia (from Ashburn East) is also the right-of-way for the electrical
>power company, and the trail is just a few feet from, and runs parallel to high voltage lines. As
>soon as you get to the area with the high voltage lines, the HRM stops working.
>
>I'm sure others may have had this problem. I would like to know which product (Make and Model)
>people believe can best handle electrical/electromagnetic interference.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Ian [email protected]

 

[Freewheeling]

On Thu, 22 May 2003 01:56:15 GMT, "brian hughes" <[email protected]> wrote:

>When I try to use a Polar heart monitor while jogging on the treadmill and watching TV, it doesn't
>work either--unless I push the TV to the other side of the room and restart it.

Brian:

I use it all the time on the Concept II rowing machine, and it works fine in conjunction with the
TV. I even use it in conjunction with 900 mhz headphones, so I can hear the TV over the roar of the
CII. Have never had a problem, at least not one that was related to RF. Both the wrist receiver and
the receiver on the CII work.

Scott

 

[Andy]

Dear Ian,

As to the Polar, mine has less interference when the battery is fresh and strong.

This month's Consumer Reports (which I cannot find at the moment) tests heart rate monitors. Perhaps
one of them is not wireless.

Andy

"Ian Levit" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I currently have a Polar Protrainer XP. It works well, except you are
near
> high voltage lines, where the electrical/electromagnetic interference is strong, in which case the
> HRM stops working. That is, it stops showing
your
> heart rate, and therfore all of its recording functions are useless.
Polar
> does explain that the HRM will NOT work properly when in areas with a
great
> deal of electrical/electromagnetic interference, and they are right.
>
> The bike Trail in Northern Virginia (from Ashburn East) is also the right-of-way for the
> electrical power company, and the trail is just a few feet from, and runs parallel to high voltage
> lines. As soon as you get to the area with the high voltage lines, the HRM stops working.
>
> I'm sure others may have had this problem. I would like to know which product (Make and Model)
> people believe can best handle electrical/electromagnetic interference.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Ian [email protected]
>