Garmin Edge 705 IN STOCK
19/03/2008 by Tris.
We are pleased to say that BHIP Ltd now have stock of the fitness monitoring GPS with auto routing for cyclists etc - the NEW GARMIN EDGE 705 BUNDLE with HR and pedal CADENCE - Garmin Edge Bundle with HR and CADENCE 010-00555-31
Polar USB IR problems
19/03/2008 by Tris.
One of the questions we get a lot of at www.heartratemonitor.co.uk is with regard to Polar USB Infra Red stick.
Some general pointers would be - with Reference to problems with the Polar RS800/RS400/CS400/CS600
If it looks like this :
good - this is the new one - if it nothing like this.. sorry… this information won’t help…..
1) Have you got latest version of PRO-TRAINER - www.heartratemonitor.co.uk always supply the latest versions available on CD ROM with the product, BUT it is not always the VERY latest version …. sometimes it’s just worth checking www.polar.fi then DOWNLOADS and SUPPORT area. There are also some USB.exe files to download and correct USB driver issues… This is particularly so for Windows Vista 2) www.polar.fi has an extensive knowledge base with keyword search, so it’s worth spending 10 mins there. If you are getting a specific error message - try entering the main terms in the KEYWORD SEARCH field. Go to the GLOBAL SITE then bottom left, support and download… there is LOADS of info there. This is normally where Polar UK or Polar Finland will send you first….
3) In the settings of your PRO-TRAINER interface, make sure you have OPTIONS - PREFS - HARDWARE set to “IRDA” and NOT “USB” - this is quite a common mistake
4) Make sure you have the unit VERY CLOSE to the USB IR stick. I normally suggest just a few mm. The IR contacts on the watch are the small 2 x white LED’s between the Polar LOGO.. it is NOT the big red button.. another common mistake
5) I always recommend simply putting the watch in to CONNECT MODE then do the rest from the PC - press the GREEN “TRANSFER DATA” icon - third from left.
If it still doesn’t work, and you’re a customer of ours, contact us via the website - www.heartratemonitor.co.uk . If you didn’t buy it from us, contact Polar via your LOCAL website, found through www.polar.fi
Tris
Choosing a heart rate monitor
04/02/2008 by Tris.
Here’s a copy of a fairly technical heart rate monitor enquiry we received recently…. Please feel free to add your comments
Suunto T3/4 Heart Rate Monitor and s/w: Seems to have a good range of features, but does the “coach” system really work? seems too good to be true…[Tris] <<< yes, it absolutely works… I use it - BUT, it needs to SEE all your training sessions and it’s only worth having if you’re going to follow the prescribed plan >>>
Suunto T6 Heart Rate Monitor : Looks great, does everything you could want, but expensive. Is the only real advantage over the T4 the EPOC stuff? (A new one on me, but seems interesting)
[Tris] <<< The T3/T4 do use EPOC to give TRAINING EFFECT, but they don’t show actual EPOC value>>> . Is the software and the intelligent coaching side of things different between the T4 and T6, or are they the same? This one seems great, but obvious downside is cost.[Tris] << very different software.. the T6 does most the clever stuff POST EXERCISE on the PC, the T3/4 gives only a summary of what is in the watch data>>>
Garmin Forerunner 50 Heart Rate monitor: Got a good review in one of the cycle mags, cheapest of these, probably ok, Less features (eg altimeter), and I’ve read some mixed opinions on the software, which would be a big downside.[Tris] <<< Very basic, but great value for money >>>>
Garmin edge 305 HRM GPS Heart Rate Monitor : Didn’t seem to be exactly what I was looking for, but maybe combines some of the features. The GPS itself doesn’t seem ideal, but it’s good for biking, though not ideal for anything other than cycle based training- true?[Tris] << Skip this one…. >>>
Suunto Memory belt and PC link: How would this work. Apart from the obvious downside of having no HRM to use while training- so no instant feedback, it’d give me good feedback to use for sessions, and be possible to swim with it on, use the sowtware and coach. I could get this plus another unit, but obviously the cost would be massive.[Tris] <<< you use it WITH a T3/4/6 instead of the standard belt… main advantage is HR data while swimming >>>>
An other not mentioned… something else come to mind?
OK, so what do you think would best suit my needs? ………. your site seems to suggest that someone should at your end have a few opinions or ideas.
[Tris]
<<< T6 is the best by a long way for your needs…. altimeter… EPOC… good PC download…. etc etc…. You could go for a T3 or T4 with a MEMORY BELT (just add £50 on to package price and we will swap the belt) You then have EPOC on PC download data.. but still no altimeter…. brings me back to T6…. 
Suunto T1 coded heart rate monitor
23/01/2008 by Tris.
Suunto have now released a range of CODED - but not ANT digital - heart rate monitors. The range of Suunto T1 CODED heart rate monitors is available now and at under £70 they offer great value for money. The original T1 was a popular unit, but COULD suffer heart rate crosstalk in a gym environment. The new CODED T1 heart rate monitor will avoid this crosstalk / interference. Please note that it will NOT interface with gym equipment, nor does the T3/4/6… not a massive problem as you have the data on your wrist….
Suunto T1 coded heart rate monitor
Garmin forerunner 405 gps heart rate monitor
12/01/2008 by Tris.
it’s been a long time coming - but it’s now officially on it’s way - the new Garmin Forerunner 405 will be here in march - Garmin Forerunner 405 gps heart rate monitor - reserve one now
Tristan and the gang at BHIP will review and report on it’s funtionality as soon as w have them in stock - they look loads better than the old garmin forerunner 305.
Heart rate logging
05/12/2007 by Tris.
CUSTOMER QUESTION
Keywords: logging, memory, sample, heart rate, pulse monitoring, sleep monitoring
QUESTION: I’m looking for a heart rate monitor that will log heart rate accurately over a period of at least 8 hours (whilst I sleep) and allow me to analyse the log on my PC. Which of your many products on offer would you recommend for this please? I’ve been wading through your web site and cannot put my finger on logging monitors but I know you do do them you see.
ANSWER from Tris : I would recommend the Polar RS400 - it will record 31 hours with 1 second sample rate
http://www.heartratemonitor.co.uk/Manuals/RS400/ch07.html#N10D81
Hope we can help :http://www.heartratemonitor.co.uk/polar_rs400.html
Tris - BHIP Ltd
Polar Own Optimiser question
28/11/2007 by Tris.
Apologies for contacting you again, however I do have a query about the polar products but don’t have my order number (my girlfriend bought my RS800 for me last month). My query is I have been a life long support of polar products and really like them. I currently own a RS800SD. I do about 8-12 hours training a week and have been training at this level for about 3 years. However this year didn’t see much of an improvement in my performances. At the time I was worried that I was over training. Therefore I took a break of about 1.5 months and then bought the RS800SD to use the Polar Optimiser to keep track of my recovery levels as I restarted my training.I have restarted my training and test myself everyday as I train everyday. I do mix it up with a long run at the weekend and interval session mid week. However the optimiser is reporting “stagnant training” and has done for the past few weeks. Even though this morning when I woke up I definitely felt tired (I did my running intervals and a hard 1hour turbo yesterday). The fact that the optimiser is reporting stagnant training should mean something to me, but I don’t know what. I was thinking that perhaps the optimiser is testing how tired my cardio system was so I might be feeling tired because my muscles are tired, but my cardio is un stressed and is not the limiting factor? As you can probably tell I don’t know, and would appreciate any advice you had on the matter?PLEASE HELP - ADVISE - thanks ANON
REPLY from Tris at heart rate monitor shop
Many thanks for your emailPlease follow this link for a full explanation of the Polar OwnOptimiser results - OWN OPTIMISER Personally, i think the problem is that you are not having ANY rest days.
The OwnOptimiser works best when used the morning after a heavy training day, and hte morning after a rest day.
This information is taken from the Polar manual, and the link I have pasted above:
>>> Polar manual >>>
Monitoring OwnOptimizer Values:
After the baseline recordings, you should continue to perform the test 2-3 times a week. Test yourself weekly in the morning following both a recovery day and a heavy training day (or a series of heavy training days). An optional third test can be performed after a normal training day. OwnOptimizer may not provide reliable information during detraining or in a very irregular training period. If you take a break from exercise for 14 days or longer, the baseline tests should be performed again.
>> TH comment again >>>
The OwnOptimiser is monitoring the difference between your resting heart rate status on days after training, versus days after resting.
You are not resting so it sees all the results as the same… thus stagnant….
I would recommend adding at least ONE REST DAY and make sure you perform an OwnOptimiser the morning after that
Perform ONLY TWO other OwnOptimiser tests in the week, following training days.
Let me know how you get on
LINKS : Polar RS800 - Polar RS800 G3 - Polar RS800 SD
Polar multisport heart rate monitor
15/11/2007 by Tris.
When are Polar heart rate monitors going to produce a TRUE multisport HRM. The old Polar S725X could support bike speed, bike cadence, run speed ( via foot pod) and optional bike POWER. The new RS800 cannot support POWER and the new CS600 cannot support the foot POD or GPS…. nor does it fit on the wrist…
It seems to be a big hole in their otherwise excellent line up??
Polar RS800 heart rate monitor
Polar CS600 cyclists heart rate monitor
Good job the Polar S725x is still available Polar S725x multi sport heart rate monitor
GPS or Foot POD
12/11/2007 by Tris.
We’ve been using heart rate monitors with both GPS and foot pod accelerometers for 4 years now. The Garmin Forerunner 301 was the first GPS based unit we used. The Nike CV10 was the first foot pod style heart rate monitor.
From our own tests:
http://www.heartratemonitor.co.uk/footpod_accelerometers_inertia.html this is the link
We’ve found that there isn’t much difference at all. Personally I prefer foot pod style as the batteries last that much longer, and you don’t notice the pod on your shoe. Although… GPS is convenient as it works for any outdoor sport, and it doesn’t require calibration…… that said… 90% + of our customers don’t need to calibrate the foot pods….
What do you think?
Essential heart rate monitor features
12/11/2007 by Tris.
We’ve reviewed over 100 heart rate monitors in 10 years…. what do people really want from a heart rate monitor? Personally I think that there are some HRM on the market that are over complicated… What do you think??