Heart Rate Chest Strap Monitor

Scooby27

I have been using the chest strap monitor with my TomTom Spark/Runner 2 since mid January. For the first 6 weeks it worked fine. Then it started to give faulty heart rate readings. It spikes real high and drops real low during a run. Usually after a mile or so it straightens out, but not always. I changed the batteries and I still have issues. I have wet the strap contacts and that does not help. It occurs whether I am indoors on the treadmill or outside running on a trail, so I don't think it has anything to do with interference. Anyone else dealing with this? Any suggestions on how to fix this?

tfarabaugh

It sure sounds like a strap issue, particularly if it worked fine for awhile. If you changed the battery, I assume it was a fresh battery? I find that an electrode gel (available online) works far better than water or saliva. If it continues to be a problem, I would contact Customer Support, who can dig into issues more deeply than we can here on the user forum. If it is a TT strap they may replace it for you. To get the number for Customer Support, go to tomtom.com/support, choose Contact, enter the product name and click Phone Us. It will give you the phone number for the country your account is registered under (this can be changed by clicking the flag icon in the bottom right corner of the screen).

You may also want to try a factory reset of the watch just in case it is a firmware issue. It won't hurt to try. To do a factory reset, make sure the Connect software is running and dock the watch to your computer. The Connect window will open; press the gear at the top right and select Factory reset from the next screen. Follow the steps provided, giving the watch the same name and using the same email address. When prompted to register or sign in to MySports, select sign in and use your existing account credentials. It is fairly straightforward and should take less than 5 minutes.

I hope this helped answer your question. If so, please mark it as a solution so others can look for it if they have the same question.

Scooby27

I did a factory reset of the watch and went for a short run tonight and the heart rate monitor worked correctly. Fingers crossed that that did the trick. Thanks so much for the quick response! If I end up having further issues, I will contact TomTom and see if I can get the strap replaced.

figment79

Mine started doing the exact same thing recently. started with a few spikes which were high but not outrageous, then it started getting really weird, well into the 200s for extended periods of time, then dropping to what I'd expect it to be. Tightened the strap, and it worked fine. Didn't tighten further for the next run and it was all peaks and valleys.