Comments

• tfarabaugh Posts: 16,626
  Superusers

  May 2018

  Under what conditions was it reading high, for your 24/7 HR or during an activity? If so, during what activity? Spikes in HR are generally from poor blood flow producing weak pulse strength, so the watch reads cadence instead. This is most common in running and is particularly apparent early in a workout or during a non-intense workout when you are not warmed up or when you are doing sprints with very high effort. You have to think of the optical heart rate as an algorithm that is attempting to track a signal in a set frequency range (30-230 or whatever it uses). If the pulse signal is weak it latches onto the next strongest rhythmic signal, which is your cadence in running and the vibrations of the bike in cycling. For most people who experience this while running it spikes to around 180-200 bpm which is also the average cadence people run at. Additionally, each person has a different HR signal ‘strength’, depending on a range of factors, so some are prone to get it more than others. But usually their signal strength is lower for the first 5-10 minutes until they warm up properly. So in that time, it is prone to latching onto cadence, which is a common fault with all optical HRs, not just TomTom unfortunately. Optical HR also can tend to lag in measurements, so if you are doing intervals it can take a but to catch up so it shows high HR during the rest periods. If you notice it while it happening you can try moving the watch a bit or briefly pausing your run so it loses the cadence reading and latches back onto HR, which I find usually corrects it. I generally pause the watch, stand still for 20-30 seconds and will see it immediately start to drop. Once it gets into a more reasonable range and the pulse reading stops dithering (dithering is when it is not getting a good signal and it is a lighter grey in color) I start up again and it stays true for the rest of the run. You can also try switching wrists and the position on the wrist. I find I got better readings on my right wrist over my left and some people find they get better readings if the watch is on the inside of the wrist rather than the outside. It also helps if you warm up a bit to get your blood moving and your HR up so it is producing a strong signal. Play around with it and see if any of this helps you. The challenge for the manufacturers of optical HRs (and this is a common issue with all brands, my Scosche also does it) is to figure out how to factor out the other "noise" that is overriding the pulse signal without also factoring out other important data.
  
  When worn properly the watch should be very accurate for most people (some physiologies will be less accurate - skin tone, arm hair, tattoos, etc. all play a factor). The watch also needs to be worn rather tight (but not to the point of uncomfortable) and needs to be worn much higher up the wrist than a regular watch (about 1" above the wrist bone). Any light seeping under the band will cause interference. You also need to let it settle down before using. When you first go to an activity screen you will notice the HR pop up, but it will be light gray. Once it has established a strong signal it will get bolder, which is an indication it is ready to go.
  
  If the behavior continues you may want to call Support and follow up with them. To get the number for Customer Support, select Contact Us at the bottom of this page, select the service required and the product name and click Contact Customer Care and then 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).
  
  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.

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• i-zero Posts: 56 [Master Explorer]

  May 2018

  How can I deactivate HR during activity?

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• tfarabaugh Posts: 16,626
  Superusers

  May 2018

  i-zero wrote:

  How can I deactivate HR during activity?

  Go to Sensors>Heart>Off and press right to save it before going into the activity.
  
  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.

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• i-zero Posts: 56 [Master Explorer]

  May 2018

  Thank you.

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• i-zero Posts: 56 [Master Explorer]

  May 2018

  I want to try to down version the firmware before
  contacting the customer support. How do I do that?

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• tfarabaugh Posts: 16,626
  Superusers

  May 2018

  i-zero wrote:

  I want to try to down version the firmware before
  contacting the customer support. How do I do that?

  That will not help as HR troubles have never been reported due to the updates. Have you already tried a factory reset (that should have been your first step). To do a factory reset, make sure the Connect software is running and dock the device 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 and 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.
  
  If you go to this post and ask the moderator to roll back your firmware version they will but it is not a solution for your problem.
  
  https://en.discussions.tomtom.com/spark-and-spark-3-runner-2-and-runner-3-473/unable-to-pair-sync-after-update-to-firmware-v1-7-53-runner-and-spark-watch-series-1030088
  
  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.

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• i-zero Posts: 56 [Master Explorer]

  May 2018

  Tried the reset twice on different days but it not helping. Can I renew firmware 1.7.64?

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• q345456 Posts: 11 [Legendary Explorer]

  July 2018

  I have had a similar problem persistently and over a long period - crazy HRM peaks and continuously running 40 - 50 BPM above accurate. There is no simple explanation - some are at the start of a run, others part way through. Some last for a few minutes, others last over an hour. All of which makes it a wholly unreliable device for accurate or consistent HRM in my experience. Nowhere in the immediate marketing literature does TT explain the potential inaccuracy of the optical HRM device - it may be buried in some small print somewhere - so those people who buy the device for this element could be very disappointed. It is not a cheap option.

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