heart rate monitors

[bodge]

hi, i have been trying to get fit, for the umpteenth time, but this time i mean it. seeing is believing.

i am slightly worried that my age and fittness levels are such that i need to keep a eye on the heart rate and so i have been investigating the software available for the mobile phone that i have which is windows based. my cyclemate shows the heart rate very well but i would prefer to see it in a bigger display. eyes not what they used to be and if i am on the move, then the road is were my eyes should be.

bikedashboard and run.gps seem to be the best so far but they use a bluetooth chest belt. i already have several chest belts ie ( polar cyclemate and accurate types.
MY QUESTION AT LAST IS:- is there a dongle that will transfer the data from my annalogue chest straps onto my windows mobile phone or should i just bite the bullet and buy a bluetooth chest strap. or can anyone think of a better solution. cost is always relevant of course.

 

[ian turner]

Why do you want to watch your heart rate while cycling ? Looking at it afterwards across the entire ride maybe or for ride comparisons but not on a second by second basis. I assume you mean bikemate.

 

[paddy01]

To the OP - You'll need a phone which supports the ANT+ protocol in order to use non bluetooth straps. They're few and far between at the moment. The most notable ones are the Sony Xperia range I think.

There is a company with makes a plug in ANT+ dongle for the iPhone.

 

[jefmcg]

1) If you have serious concerns about your heart, see a doctor. You need a stress test under laboratory conditions to uncover any heart problems.
2) Once you have seen a doctor, you can use a normal HRM watch to set high rate alarm, so it will beep when you go to fast.
3) if this is all flimflam to justify the purchase that you want because it's cool/fun/motivational, then - yes, you have to get a bt HRM. No one is going to manufacture a dongle that connects with a polar HRM, and plugs into any phone and would not interfere with a handlebar mount. And if they did, the software would have to be written especially for that dongle. And if there was something that converted polar->bt, then you'd have to put that somewhere in line of sight with your phone, and keep it charged and pay (I imagine) way more than €70 for it. So it doesn't exist either.

you don't need ant protocol, there are plenty that use standard bt http://www.polar.fi/en/products/accessories/Polar_WearLink_transmitter_with_Bluetooth

(I haven't used it)

 

[bodge]

hi ian, the main two reasons, are that i am trying to lose some wieght and would like to keep below a certain heart rate and keep to a region based on min / max hr . also i had a bit of episode a few years ago and i am the determined type that will keep going up a hill untill i explode and collapse in a heap. not good at my age, wieght or physical condition at the moment.

 

[bodge]

hi, jefmc, yes i am a techno phob but haveing said that it would be nice to see my progress on a screen, on the bike, in front of me. i am evaluating the bikedashboard program that is freeware, some bloke in austrailia has produced it and it seems to be what i want . altitude, route, speed etc and heartrate. thanks for your advice now i will trawl the net for a good cheap bt hrm belt. if i find one i will post again and let you all know how i get on. thats if this cycling lark don't kill me.

 

[ian turner]

How accurate are HRM on a minute by minute basis ? My mother went into hospital recently after suffering a minor stroke and the above bed monitor screens had heart rates going up and down all over the place suggesting they were extrapolating per minute from the time between the last two pulses rather than keeping a running average of the last minute and I can't see the cheap aldi/lidl ones (I'm assuming this is the bike mate from one of these shops as cyclemate turns up snuff) being anymore accurate.

 

[jefmcg]

Bodge,
Pick your software first! There is no single format for hrm info so your software has to understand your monitor.

I'm very tempted by this too. I'm using cardiotrainer on Android and want one. But it's one more thing to distract me and one more battery to fuss over. BT uses a lot of power. Apparently the belt lasts about 1/3 a normal one and your phone will run down quicker.

 

[Dan B]

I looked into the whole bluetooth thing a little while ago because I was using the runkeeper android app to track my training, but in the end I decided I'd be better off getting my forerunner 305 fixed and using that. I can still upload the resulting files into runkeeper (if I want. and when I remember)

@ian: I'm not sure from your description what you're asking, but you seem to say you would view a heart rate display as "more accurate" if it averaged over the 60 seconds instead of calculating the instantaneous rate over the last two pulses (or a slightly smoothed rate over the last few pulses, to account for glitches or missed beats, which I think is what they tend to do in reality). If so, I guess I'm asking why you'd want that? You could be over the top of a short hill before the hrm even notices you'd been climbing ...