Polar RS200

[Deleted User]

Thinking of buying one of these (Polar RS200). Friend has the S625x but I'm not sure I need the distance info (use web for this).

Has anyone used this yet. What like is it?

cheers

[Deleted User]

I would recommend the Polar RS200SD. It is a great tool. It is easy to use and has some very useful features. Unlike GPS it works reliably in built-up areas, woods and indoors.

I think the review in the Runners World article of Dec 2005 was a little misleading: you press the red button once to pick up heart rate/footpod and then press it again when you start running/racing to start the stopwatch and record speed/distance/pace/HR. I don't think there is any lag in measuring the first few yards.

I like the way it stores data from several runs on the watch. It also lets you upload your run data to the online Polar Running Coach to give a running log that automatically totals your mileage/time/calories.

The only niggles I have with the RS200SD are:

1. it only records one set of speed and HR data (avg and max) for each lap. This means it can only give a crude HR profile for a race e.g. avg and max HR for each mile. This compares poorly to sampling every few seconds from say the Polar S410, which can upload and print a HR graph on your PC.

2. The watch and strap are made from one single plastic moulding, so when the strap breaks you presumably have to replace the whole thing.

straitjacket

t&s, I was going to start a thread on the rs200 but I came across this and thought that you may be able to help on a few questions.

my wife bought me on for xmas and I seem to have problems getting my ead round a couple of things. Two of my favourite runs compare well with a garmin 201 but a run I did yesterday 15 miles)seemed to be adrift by half a mile and a run tonight(5 miles) by 2 tenths.

How does the speed reading compare to a GPS?
My GPS reading fluctuated wildly when running and I thought that the footpod would be more accurate.I set a pace yesterday of max 7.50 and min 8.30 and couldn't keep in between (even on the flat) the limits.It would beep that I was going too fast and with hardly any swlowing down it would beep that I was going too slow.With nary an increase it would beep again I was going too fast. wass all that about then eh?

Also (and more important) I did an out and back run using two zones. zone 1 I set max heart rate 140 and zone 2 max 144(no specific reason for difference, I am still trying it out). NOW...when I checked the summary I averaged 138bpm yet the watch said i spent 1.08 minutes in zone 1 and 21 minutes over and 0 time in zone 2 but 24 minutes over.Are these the zones I set are are they polar sports zones? If I averaged 138 then I must have sent most of the time in the zones.Computer says no.

Any ideas?Thanks for any help in advance.

Kanga M

Doing the same £177 625x -v- £139 RS200SD comparison at the mo. Like the bike and infrared features on the 625, and more detailed logging for if/when I need it, but apparently it's much bigger at the backlight is poo ... leaning toward the 625 though ...

[Deleted User]

The urge to get a SDM is growing on me too, the more I think about needing one. I'm a runner who is constantly aiming to break my own times, run harder etc, and while a HRM SHOWS me how hard I'm pushing myself, it's not exactly taking down speed and distance which as I improve, is beginning to become equally important to me.

I'll probably make some changes with regard to equipment used this year.

Carrot

I'm still debating the S625X or the RS200SD. Few qustions for owners of the RS200SD:

Can you use it at the gym/in boxercise classes to monitor heart rate?

Can you use it without the footpod, for example in races, and press a lap button every time your pass the mile markers?

Does the 20hour battery life of the footpod mean you get through alot of batteries?!

Thanks

[Deleted User]

Carrot...
The Answer to your 3 questions are YES ( the battery life is not so much an issue if you buy a set of high capacity rechargeables for about £10 ) .
I bought the RS200 without the footpod as a pure HRM . It is exactly the same watch/function as the RS200SD ( so much so the manual tells you so and you can add the footpod later ).

Carrot

Great, I appreciate the quick reply thanks!

straitjacket

I had a reply from Polar regarding the problem I mentioned earlier. The reply I got was:

"Dear John,

Thank you for your email.

You have actually discovered an error in target zone calculation. Time in
zone values are not calculated correctly during a pre-programmed Basic or
Interval Type exercise. Miscalculation may take place if the heart rate is
first within the heart rate zone, then goes over, or under, the heart rate
zone, and then goes back to the target zone. Polar has acknowledged this
problem and has taken corrective actions towards it."

There response was for me to contact Polar uk and they advised me to return the unit to them> I am not happy to do this as it is only a couple of weeks old. If it is a fult within the production then I think I am justified in asking for a refund(then I might go a 625 he he he).

[Deleted User]

Have had the RS200sd, since it came out in September. Had 2 previous Polar HRM's without speed/distance and the RS200sd has made and is making a huge difference to my training. Biggest benefit has been in tracking the running data over the past 4 months, where you can see changes each month.

Use the footpod on three different pairs/makes of shoes, with mostly road running and its pretty consistent.

Battery life of the footpod is fine.

Didn't consider a GPS system, as always had Polar and liked the look of the RS200sd.

Both GPS and FootPod systems have their good points, but would highly recommend the Polar.

[Deleted User]

Wanna get the Polar but I can't shake the fact it could vary with distancing, and ultimately be wrong often. Assuming you ran a 10k - how far do you think it would be out?

[Deleted User]

SG88. Used my uncalibrated polar on a 10k last month. It read 9.75 on the finish line, so that's 2.5% variation, assuming the course measurement was true.

straitjacket

My one was out by just over a mile on a 15 mile run. I did 13 laps round a track and calibrated it. I ran a 6 mile with a GPS yesterday and the difference between a garmin 201 and my 200 was just 4 hundreths of a mile.

[Deleted User]

Right, I've had enough. I've had my 200 for 4 months and I love it when it works BUT... 2 months ago the watch died on me in the middle of a run. I sent it back to Polar who changed the battery. Fine. Yesterday night, the same happened again and I am not a happy bunny!

[Deleted User]

SG88

All the systems vary.

I;ve run the same course with hy Timex and had between 3.1 and 3.4 miles, though is is usually 3.3 exactly.

My wife runs with the Polar and we have now calibrated it so that it conincides with the Timex almost exactly every time. The only time it seems to get ahead of itself is when she runs up hills on her toes... Otherwise its the same to the beep almost all the time... except when the Timex does it's odd distance thing.

I wouldn't worry about the technical differences between then systems...

[Deleted User]

My RS200SD has 'crashed' twice in about 6 months of running 3-4 runs a week. This has only been an annoyance rather than a real problem as it has only happened at the start or end of running and I have found that you can re-boot it by pressing all four of the buttons (not the red one) for several seconds. Hope this helps.

[Deleted User]

Re calibration, I claibrated over 2 miles using a Garmin GPS. On a 10 mile race I found it to under-read by 4% so adjusted the calibration factor by 0.96 and it is now about 99% accurate compared to official race distances.

Don't run much with both RS200SD and GPS so can't comment on simultaneous comparison with GPS.

[Deleted User]

Do most of you live in cities, and therefore suffer blank spots with GPS? I wouldn't expect it to have so much trouble here because I often run outside of the city for longer runs. Would it re-calcualte how far you had gone if it lost the signal briefly or would it mess up the readings?

straitjacket

I am only running with both the Garmin and the 200 at the mo' just to compare (for instance, this morning I ran 6.94 by the 200 and 6.96 by the 201.That's good enough for me). Before xmas my s120 packed up and the wife bought me a 200 (because she knows what I like (-; ). Now it (200) is fine I am going to put the Garmin on ebay.
By the way, it was calibrated at 1.069 which put me a mile out after what i thought was a 15 miler.

[Deleted User]

SG88 I find Garmin can lose signal under trees when running in the country, but when it gets a signal again it draws a straight line from the last known position to the current one - you can see this if you upload and display the run on a PC. It can therefore cut corners if you've turned a corner without signal.

[Deleted User]

I have been very happy with the RS200sd....calibrated it once on a mile run on a track but it made my runs less accurate (in comparison to web based map/distance programmes) so re-set it back to 1.00. I have found it to be pretty consistent, hitting mile markers at the same point during regular runs (I have mine set to automatically record mile times).

The only problem I have found is fluctuating HR readings, which can get very frustrating. But I think this is more to do with the belt and the problem seems to have disapeared since I made a pint of cleaning the contacts thoroughly after every run.

I would recommend this.

ps...I also noticed the problem with the 'time in zone function' but I don't really use it so it's not (for me) worth sending it back.

d

straitjacket

david,I don't realy need to use that function either,but I can't help think if that is inaccurate then there may be other misreadings. e.g. I too have fluctuating heart rae readings especially at the start of my run(but to be fair I had them with the s120 too).The moment I go over 130 it can jump to 170-180 when I slow down just a bit it will drop down again to 130.This happens for about the first 5 minutes. I have thought about going to the doctor and checking for anarythmia (is that spelt right?), as it is most prominent and more likely to happen when I do early morning runs usualy 6 am. I am also at that age just 2 years away from my fiftieth.

[Deleted User]

straitjacket...I am pretty sure that fluctuations are problems with the unit/belt rather than heart (fingers crossed) as HR sometimes drops to 00 and I think I would have noticed if I had died...or perhaps I wouldn't..

have you tried cleaning the belt with soap after each run?

d

straitjacket

I just rinse it under water.
I have used the conductive gel once or twice on the belt I had with my S120 but still had the same problem. I ran a 18 miler yesterday as a marathon training run and I stopped three times in the first five minutes to spit on the conductors because the reading went up to 178 and was stuck at116 for a while.The rest of the run there was no problem.It is minor but it sure niggles.

[Deleted User]

You mean you haven't mastered the art of spitting on your hands and rubbing on belt whilst still running ;-)

try the soap and water...my readings have been pretty much perfect since I started cleaning the belt thoroughly after each use...before that I had exactly the same problem as you, which, as you say, is very frustrating...

No doubt my HR readings will start to go haywire now that I've said that....

straitjacket

My 200 locked up last night. I was measuring my resting HR and after a minute or two it settled down to 45 and just sat there. When I pressed buttons there was n response. I remembered reading on this thread about it locking up and what to do so I pressed all the buttons at once and it kind of reset.I say kind of because I had to start on the opening screen as when you first start it, I entered alll the questions and reset the time but all the other details and running logs were intact.

[Deleted User]

that's happend to me a couple of times...

[Deleted User]

Think the fluctuating reading is most likely because the electrodes aren't wet enough. You really need to soak them.
Also make sure the transmitter belt is tight to make sure contact stays in place.

Have also had a Polar M51 and an F11 (with a plastic belt and then the cloth belt) before the RS200sd and they both sometimes also had weird measurements at the start of a run if the electrodes weren't fully wet. My RS200sd has needed a total reset after locking up 3 times, since I got it last September (and used pretty much daily). If this happens it still picksup your mileage in the weekly measurement.
It is a pain when you've made the effort to get out running, but don't mind as its such a great piece of kit.

straitjacket

I've started wetting my chest with a flannel as well as doing the usual with the belt.I've done this for a week and have not had a problem yet. Just wondered if maybe the hairs on the chest wicked moisture away before I got out on the road. Because of the contacts are plastic the water runs straight off. It would have been a good idea if Polar put some thin sponge where the contacts are.

Why do I go on about nothing?

[Deleted User]

Had the watch freeze up again in sympathy.
Shouldn't have mentioned it

[Deleted User]

Anyone's strap cracking yet?

djb