Suunto heart rate belt with Race - major issues at the start of each exercise

Mattg576 · 15 Mar 2024, 09:00

@sir_max only a few minutes seems to do the trick.

Last night I had to dash straight out for a run as the light was fading & I didn’t have a head torch so couldn’t wait the few minutes I normally would & the HR was all over the place again for the first 5 minutes.

(It turned into a bit of a threshold session as it was getting darker by the minute & I was in the middle of nowhere).

Mattg576 · 15 Mar 2024, 09:03

@Mff73 I used a 9peak for a few months before getting the Race & don’t recall seeing the issue with that.

I’ve given it to a mate so will borrow it back & have a play

Mff73 · 15 Mar 2024, 10:04

@Mattg576
i read this post again, and it seems that no one mentionned that, either the sensor battery could be weak (so it could be worth trying to change to a new one) or the belt itself could become to be out of usage or dirty …
It may not be the Race watch itself.

sir_max · 16 Mar 2024, 09:21

@Mff73 I’ve replaced the battery, washed the belt - at this point, I’m going to report the issue to Suunto, could be the belt is failing though it’s weird only the start. I bought the belt shortly after the race came out

Brad_Olwin · 16 Mar 2024, 13:43

@sir_max The belt should last longer than this.

Mattg576 · 16 Mar 2024, 20:38

@sir_max I got my Suunto HR belt with an Ambit 3 peak (HR) as a set in 2017 & it was secondhand then.

It gets the occasional wash & regular battery changes but other than the issue we’ve discussed works perfectly.

I’m sure a previous Suunto would alert me when the battery was running low (Ambit 3 peak, ambit 2R or a T3) I’d be interested to know if the Race does a similar thing ?

A Former User · 17 Mar 2024, 14:44

@Mff73 said in Suunto heart rate belt with Race - major issues at the start of each exercise:

@Mattg576
i read this post again, and it seems that no one mentionned that, either the sensor battery could be weak (so it could be worth trying to change to a new one) or the belt itself could become to be out of usage or dirty …
It may not be the Race watch itself.

You can “measure” if the belt is damaged or not, check this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXJ0spt9A1E&t=325s

Brad_Olwin · 18 Mar 2024, 19:42

@André-Faria

I’ve tried replacing the HRB battery, resetting pairing etc… still get this issue - any ideas?

DF130 · 18 Mar 2024, 22:56

Just adding my 2c: I‘ve had (have) similar issues with my S9P and a new Suunto belt - sensor is the same, battery is quite new (and has a decent charge as verified via a BT app), but since I have started using the new belt (same running attire, always wetting it before running) I almost always get a very high HR (180-190) for roughly the first 2k, everything settles down after that. Generally, there are no issues if I wear the belt for some time before setting off for a run and I have not experienced issues w/ other sports, eg HIIT. Almost seems as if the belt needs „proper“ sweat to work !

Brad_Olwin · 19 Mar 2024, 16:14

@DF130 should not happen and virtually never happens to me. I use the belt 6 days per week and do not have high HR at beginning of running or skimo.

sir_max · 19 Mar 2024, 19:32

@Brad_Olwin support said to try and pair the belt to the phone app and see… not sure how it will help but will try tmr

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos · 19 Mar 2024, 19:59

Ok a couple of things here.

First of all in the end all belts wear out. Suunto could replace it if needed but we are not there yet

change the battery. Make sure you get a non expired well stored battery. I say this to exclude kiosk batteries.
Wash the belt without soap. Let it dry.
Use a little of dishwasher cleaner only directly to the pads and rub it gently with the dish cleaning sponge on the soft side. This will remove any body residue pile ups.
wear the belt and test after that without washing off the soap used in the step before. It will act as conducting. Do not wear a t-shirt.
if all goes well, then wear a t-shirt. Test again. Does it create electrostatic that the belt picks up? Imitate a run static, to perhaps create electrostatic via the t-shirt.
if all goes well you are good to go. Notice if this procedure is needed more and more often that it’s not possible anymore and then replace the belt.

Matúš · 20 Mar 2024, 06:49

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos said in Suunto heart rate belt with Race - major issues at the start of each exercise:

change the battery. Make sure you get a non expired well stored battery. I say this to exclude kiosk batteries.

I’m using a Garmin HRM-Dual belt: with reference to this point, I have found out that it is needed a reset of the device during the battery change. I do not know if this is requested even for Suunto belt device, but by resetting mine I have solved different problems as wrong “average” HR data, frequent not expected HR variation and HR registration stalling.

Mff73 · 20 Mar 2024, 07:31

@Egika
Worth putting this wonderful @Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos explanations in your FAQ post ?

Mattg576 · 20 Mar 2024, 09:13

Thanks @André-Faria
The guy in your video suggests it needs to be under 10kOhm so mine’s in pretty good shape considering its at least 7 years old.

GiPFELKiND · 20 Mar 2024, 20:05

@Brad_Olwin said in Suunto heart rate belt with Race - major issues at the start of each exercise:

@DF130 should not happen and virtually never happens to me. I use the belt 6 days per week and do not have high HR at beginning of running or skimo.

Okay: then the question If you dont have Problems with your belt --> Happy suunto User. What about good solution for the question teller?;

sartoric · 21 Mar 2024, 08:26

@GiPFELKiND said in Suunto heart rate belt with Race - major issues at the start of each exercise:

What about good solution for the question teller?;

did you even read the whole thread?

Arnaud Lclr · 14 May 2024, 17:07

Hello,
having regular problems with this belt which annoys me 3 times out of 4 I am going to ask a few additional questions…
I have the same HR belt and the same watch (Race latest firmware).

I have already changed the batteries x times (I am now a pro at testing batteries before each change). I tested the resistance of the belt, no problem there. I moisten my HR belt as best I can before each use, and I launch the activity after installing my belt…… and yet my watch almost never finds my belt.
Latest serious annoyance: VVX from last weekend. impossible to connect my belt for my 80km race. I unpaired, restarted my watch and re-paired successfully but 2 minutes later when launching the activity…… no connection! the belt almost ended up in a trash can. (and i ran with the £$^%#• optical sensor).

I forgot, I have 4 Garmin belts and therefore quite used to this thing. And I connect the heart rate belt without the slightest problem to a phone for running/biking.

I need your tips which are missing from the frankly light manual.

Do you have to pair again the HR belt when changing the battery?
When putting your belt on your chest, do you shake it to activate it?
Is it really necessary to wear the belt before starting the activity until you see the HR Belt logo and not the simple HR heart?
what is the time period during which the watch searches?
If the watch does not find the belt, is it possible to activate it a little by going down in the menu to deactivate the external HR belt device then reactivate it to restart the search?
Do you use aqueous gels under the electrodes such as electrostimulation gel?

Thanks

and yes I said that it bothers me 3 times 4 because sometimes it works in 1 second without me having to change my process.

cosme.costa · 15 May 2024, 12:41

@Arnaud-Lclr said in Suunto heart rate belt with Race - major issues at the start of each exercise:

I need your tips which are missing from the frankly light manual.

Do you have to pair again the HR belt when changing the battery?

No, you shouldn’t

When putting your belt on your chest, do you shake it to activate it?

No, theoretically it activates automatically when detects beats

Is it really necessary to wear the belt before starting the activity until you see the HR Belt logo and not the simple HR heart?

Yes. The watch first look for the external sensor if not detected switches to the OHR and doesn’t goes back, even if the belt is emitting just before starting the exercise.

what is the time period during which the watch searches?

Just when you enter in the exercise screen, where you can choose the different options. My 2 cents is to put the belt some minutes before you are going to start the exercice.

If the watch does not find the belt, is it possible to activate it a little by going down in the menu to deactivate the external HR belt device then reactivate it to restart the search?

What I do is go back to the previous screen and go again to the exercise screen.

Do you use aqueous gels under the electrodes such as electrostimulation gel?

I don’t, tap water and I didn’t have any issues with the Suunto belt not now with Polar H10 but some people improved the performance using gel.

From my experience, using the belt 5/6 hr per week, battery should last between 9/12 months and the belt around a year. Could also be that you got a defective sensor.

Zdeněk Hruška · 15 May 2024, 13:07

@cosme-costa Ad 1, regarding H10 I need to pair the belt again after changing the battery