Discussion: Timex Heart Rate Monitor strap

About 6 month ago I bought Timex watch and Timex GPS unit. Now I am considering buying Heart Rate Strap however I cannot find any references in my watch’s user’s manual what type of Heart Rate Straps would work with my watch which would not. Different vendors sell different models of Timex Heart Rate Straps but descriptions on web-sites do not explicitly indicate that it would not work with “such and such” model. My guess is that I should look for Timex Heart Rate Strap. Model of the Timex watch and GPS unit I bought was “Timex Ironman GPS Speed + Distance System Watch T5B501” (I should have bought Heart Rate Monitor Strap at the same time but I did not think I want to be that “fancy” at that time)

I was wondering if anyone has knowledge of compatibility for Timex products, particularly Heart Rate Monitor Straps. Am I safe to buy any Timex Heart Rate Strap as long as it it Timex?

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that either timex or the person who sold you the watch could answer this question faster and more reliably than the AP crowd. Not that they aren't fast or reliable - they are.

Customer Service
Timex
1302 Pike Ave.
North Little Rock, AR 72114
USA
Tel: 1.800.448.4639

Duh!!! Got my answer in 2 minutes once I called Customer Service.

Seems like I forget that sometimes "old fashioned" media - phone - is viable option for getting information and at times can be lot faster and simpler then doing all kinds of extensive Internet search - I was trying to get answer to my question via Internet searches for about 2 weeks.

You live and learn...

So what'd they say?

Unfortunately watch I have will not recognize Heart Rate Strap signals. I should have planned wiser when I bought my set at first. However idea of monitoring heart rate during workouts grew on me in last year.

My son expressed wish to have GPS unit for his training during summer while he bikes. I might just buy Garmin ForeRunner 305 for Christmas for him and borrow it occasionally (or a lot)...

I have many similar moments of brilliance. I blame my kids - I used to be relatively intelligent.

Too bad you'll have to buy deadly new gear with tons of cool functions and the latest, shiniest model too. That'll be awful. Just remember to buy the absolute top of the line in order to avoid a similar predicament later on. As a matter of fact, I don't have a HRM either and my watch doesn't take enough splits.......

Too bad? For some time I have been looking for reason how to justify expense for getting Garmin ForeRunner 305. I think it is the coolest, most compact gadget for recording training activities. And seems like prices are dropping below $300,- for them...

How does the Timex BodyLink system compare to the Garmin ForeRunner? It seems they do just about the same thing it's just that the Timex system is broken up into 4 seperate pieces (watch, GPS unit, data recorder, HR strap) whereas the Garmin has it all built in to one bulky unit (plus the HR strap of course).

I am not sure I could get used to racing with that giant thing on my wrist. The Polar S625X was already a bit of a stretch for me.

The "giantness" of the Forerunner isn't too hard to get used to. Technically you can't use the Forerunner (or any other GPS unit) in a national or international level race because it is a "navigational aid" other than your map and compass. Although GPS coordinates aren't too useful while in an orienteering race, the Forerunner does do a pretty good job of telling you exactly how far you've gone (since the last control for instance).

I bet that most elite orienteers would find usage of GPS units more distractive then useful even if they would be allowed at national or international levels. I have used GPS at B-type local meets to get data about my actual route length vs. official course length.

I have used older model of Garmin GPS (borrowed from friend of mine) and Timex Bodylink GPS I own now. Both units performed very well for me and I was extremely happy about information they provided during my training runs. There were occasional 'lose of signal' spots for both units. However since training is not exact science both models provided accurate enough data for me and GPS unit is my constant companion when I run outside now.

I agree with assessment of "giantess" of GPS units. It's more mental then else. I was worried about how would I feel running with big-old Garmin GPS unit but I did not feel any difference once started running. Obviously smaller is better and that's why I think Garmin all-in-one is better choice. Otherwise they perform comparably and give the same feedback.

The Forerunner 305/1 watch doesn't feel much bigger than the Polar S625x, since the antenna sort of wraps around the wrist. Yeah, the display is still huge, but I forget about it... until I see the pictures of me wearing it, which always make me cringe. ;-)

The Forerunner something05 that I borrowed from Valerie Meyer was intolerable on my arm. It's got this angle thing on the back that interfaced badly with my bones. No problem on my hat, although it's harder to hit the split button when it's up there.

The 205 does hit the wrist bone on my right wrist in a painful way, though I have no pain on my left wrist.

Hm, well, I do have teeny tiny wrists, which may explain why I find it comfortable (enough) where others find it to smack the bone. I guess that is something to keep in mind.

Yes...the I'll get it for 'so and so' and use it myself was the reason I got my 205. However, it is my wife who likes to borrow MY anniversary gift. And I think the extra for the HR monitor (305) is worth it - you can get everything in one package. And the bulkiness only bothers us when we are wearing it cycling.

. Technically you can't use the Forerunner (or any other GPS unit) in a national or international level race because it is a "navigational aid" other than your map and compass.


I bet that most elite orienteers would find usage of GPS units more distractive then useful even if they would be allowed at national or international levels.

The rules also apply to others besides "elites". I've never been keen on the fact that some of my competition (admittedly) uses electronic wristwatches as a navigational aid. I personally believe it is possible to profitably use a wristworn GPS device as a navigational aid, tho I am unaware of anyone ever having done so,

Its not something I'd complain about, as I race for personal satisfaction, and the rules I think prohibit the use of navigational aids, not the mere wearing of them (I wear a watch, but never look at it during a race), so, like following, it is on the honor system and seems unenforceable (and, at least with watches), it happens.

I'll admit I've been surprised (and heartened) by the fact that there hasn't been a backlash against the carrying of this technology given the rules against its use and its potential (even if FUD) benefits, but have felt that it is only a matter of time. As USOF rules enforcer, I've spent some time actually thinking about what to do if someone complained, especially given (IMHO) USOF's seeming random cognizance of rules. I guess my response would be "take it up with the meet director".

Hey Randy, that's misplaced. A watch (as in, timekeeping piece) is not a navigational aid, and thus is not prohibited by IOF 21.3. USOF 36.3 says "Personal aids not used directly for navigation are permitted. (e.g. magnifying glass, flashlight, cane, eyeglasses)" It can also be argued that a watch is the most essential safety accessory one can carry (how else do you know you're overtime?), so a bit of sanity check here won't hurt.

I would argue that a device used to measure distance traveled is a navigational aid when used as such. If it is used to stir soup, then probably not. I guess we agree to disagree. I'm not against carrying a watch (for safety or other reasons), just against using it to measure distance or otherwise assist in navigation. For that matter, of course, a gps device could be carried for safety reasons (e.g., to simply use its wristwatch function); is it therefore not a navigational aid?

Just like the famous Wire album that suggesed a A Bell is a Cup Until Its Struck, I'm not sure the IOF rules classify devices by their usage a prori, only ex post facto. If I'm wrong, then alot of people are running afoul of the IOF rules by carrying a gps unit, even if they are not using it as a navigational device.

(As an aside, I find these issues more interesting in an abstract, rather than practical sense, and as such fear my interest is running a bit off-topic).

I believe there is a well accepted opinion among IOF Advisors and the Foot-O Committee, at least, that a watch does not constitute a navigational aid if it is used to its intended function. I think we went over this at the Advisors clinic in 2002.

I also believe the newer Emit bricks have a running time display.

From looking at people's GPS traces of events, I suspect (but don't know) that they are useful training devices. It looks like you could find out not only how long you took for a leg compared to others, as you can with splits, but also more precisely how much time you spent where. How much time did relocating on that knoll take? How fast were you moving in different kinds of terrain? Etc. I don't know what those who use them find? (I got a 305 recently, so I'll find out soon for myself I guess.)

In terms of fairness, in the past, the conventional wisdom seemed to be that GPS units were more of a theoretical than practical advantage in competition...using a GPS was against the rules, but probably more of a distraction than help, so more of a futuristic worry than a realistic one. Now that detailed topo maps are available digitally for almost everywhere it seems, and wrist mounted GPS units can show maps somewhat legibly, I wonder if GPS units could now actually be of use (by those of scurilous intent) in Long competitions for detecting major mistakes early, or making sure they take the correct ridge or possibly trail. Having control-sat at WOC93, I saw that not all of the top-half orienteers were flawless navigators. A noticeable number of the WOC participants, even some quite high placing ones, were surprisingly eratic in their navigation, making up for it with foot speed and quick relo. Seemed a bit like pinballs bouncing off catching features and such. (But quickly.) A quick check of the GPS might plausibly help the more eratic navigators relo more quickly in longer races, or run harder while staying roughly on route on long legs, and thus close the gap a bit with the best. Thus, is fairness now a meaningful issue for use of GPS in major races, perhaps worth enforcing where results matter? Is GPS now a plausible tool of misdeed and wickedness? Dunno what APers think.

I'm still waiting for an anecdote of someone successfully using a GPS device to do anything useful in a "normal" orienteering event. Until that happens, I'm not going to worry about it. And microwave ovens are still specifically allowed at the 1000-Day.

Of course, most people aren't trying to cheat, and those who do may not be vocal about it.

As Glen suggested, anything you can do with pacecounting, you can do better with a Forerunner, and without the mental distraction. A lot of normal orienteers pacecount at least on some legs at normal orienteering events. As Jim suggested, anecdotes will be few and far between, since they would have to come from the cheater. If I was in charge of writing or enforcing the rules, I'd worry about it.

cheating in o is like cheating at golf - you only cheat yourself.

SuperWes, Don't you cheetah all the time?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlL1vl601rk