Polar s720i

melvyng

About a month ago I bought a Polar s720i heart rate monitor. I spent several days studying the accompanying manual and man oh man there's some stuff that I just don't get, and I'm used to reading technical literature. Is there a better book out there for learning to use all the features of this tool?

Thanks for any help,

Mel

rollers

Send it to me and I'll see if I can figure it out for you.

Seriously, I have a 620 (or is it a 610?) I bought when I was a runner and I don't think I'll ever fully understand how to use that thing. I have it all dialed in for kcal, duration, and HR when I hit 'go' and that's about all my brain can handle.

It's not the turning it on when I get going that's the issue here, mind you. It's the pausing and split timing and lap timing and turning it off when I'm finished and REALLY tired and can't think straight part that I have "issues" with.

__________________
"It's a dog eat dog world Sammy, and I'm wearing milkbone underwear." - Norm Peterson

melvyng

Yup, precisely what I'm having trouble with.

rollers

My advice, spend lots of time playing around with the software that came with it. Nothing really explains very well what that software does. (Well not in my case anyway, so unless they've changed the documentation...) All those setups in the "Using your Monitor" manual are in the software. When you find them and start changing the watch setup from the IR link some if these functions will begin to click for you.

The 720 has lots more functions and cycling-specific features than my unit does so I'm sure you will want to get more of a "minimum level of functionality" out of yours than I have mine. Just the same though, you'll probably end up getting to know the features you want to make use of and not using the rest until you see a need for the data collected.

I'm not a believer in collecting data for data's sake. You could probably already tell that. !

__________________
"It's a dog eat dog world Sammy, and I'm wearing milkbone underwear." - Norm Peterson

melvyng

One thing I really like is getting a visual representation of the ride on my computer and being able to compare it with previous similar rides. It's a great motivational tool, especially for doing intervals on my trainer, which I used to find boring but not anymore. I actually enjoy doing them now and comparing the charts to similar efforts from previous weeks. Kinda cool.

Markster

I work with jet fighter test pilots, and their general rule is that if you need a load of instructions to work out how to use something then it ain't designed right.

I bought a Polar S720i for the times when I'm racing without using SRM Cranks, and frankly I'm considering selling it because I haven't got the time or the inclination to work out how to use it properly. I think the designers should take a serious look at the SRM hard and software (which took me 10minutes to be able to use effectively), and then give the 720i a serious dose of userfriendlyness. I want to train effectively, not learn 50+ page manuals.

I feel better now I've got that out of my system! Cheers.

Sidney03

Well, I'd have to agree with the "if it's too hard to figure out, how can it be helpful" theory, to an extent. I have an S510, and there's stuff it can do that I just don't get. I just use what I know for now. Of course, when I first got my Flight deck on our tandem, I had to make sure I was looking where I was going...the wife didn't liket that too much But now I know just how to get where I want, and it's really not that complicated. And the directions for the flight deck were practically worthless. I just hacked my way around, and now I actually like the thing.

So just keep playing with it, and have a goal of knowing what you want it to do....and good luck!

Ssushi

I have a 710 and agree wholeheartedly that the watch and SW are very difficult to get to grips with.

I'd say just ask on the boards if you want to know. There's enough of us with the Polars to assist.

Cletus75

Agree with Ssushi. I also have a 720i and am happy to assist with specific questions. I haven't found it too hard to deal with, but maybe that's because I had a Polar Coach beforehand and I was so glad to get away from SonicLink that I have forgiven its many shortcomings (size, screen rainbows, aversion to overhead power lines, cadence sensors that work about one stroke in three etc)... :-)