Polar HRM chest strap WEARLINK

[I am Spartacus]

Has anyone else had their wearlink giving up the ghost 1/2 the time?
i.e. the communication lost to the monitor.
I am fed up of replacing the battery.
I have cheapo polar strap for over 2 years which is still going strong.. but 1 day soon will die and then it is a disposable item ( I thought the Finns were green?) because the user cannot change the battery.

As matter of interest...has anyone hacked another make of hrm to get it to talk to a Polar?
The cheap Aldi ones dont sadly

Someone was having a go at someone for spending so much money on a mobile phone.. but to be honest.. it is up to the individual.. I am tempted to put a Garmin on the Xmas 2014 wish list

 

[Davywalnuts]

Yes! All the time!

And as its getting colder, am not liking having to re-apply cold water to the sensors! Brrrrrrrr and Grrrrrr!

 

[I am Spartacus]

Maybe a case of ky jelly and make a beeline for the self serve checkout.. but you can bet your .... "oh sorry dear not gone thru.let me check.. HOW MUCH FOR THE KY JELLY FOR THE GENTLEMAN HERE??"

 

[Fiona N]

I second the conductive gel as I usually find that the problem isn't the signal to the sensor but the wearlink picking up the heart beat signal. In summer, pre-wetting the electrodes (more tricky with the soft fabric version than with the older plastic versions) and then sweating seems to work fine . But in winter, it's more iffy especially at the beginning of a ride so I use some gel from the physio's to give a good electrical contact (not sure KY will do this).

 

[I am Spartacus]

I suppose the gel is a solution altho a quick check on prices .. from a few quid to something ridiculous in the 20s... but why the wearlink itself is so iffy and the normal plastic polar strap works 100% every time without recourse to anything beforehand is still a mystery to me.