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Toll Free LifeSource Health Line 1-888-726-9966
H O W A H E A RT RAT E M O N I T O R W O R K S
Your new LifeSource XC Heart Rate Monitor is a sophisticated athletic training tool that is
capable of measuring your heart rate with 99% accuracy. Top quality heart rate monitors use
a chest strap to pick up the electrical signal caused by the contractions of the heart and trans-
mit the information to the watch.
Every time the heart contracts, a short radio signal is sent from the chest transmitter to the
watch. The watch measures the time between the incoming signals, filters and averages
them and displays a heart rate number on the screen. The heart rate display on the screen
is updated every few seconds to assure you of an accurate measurement.
O P E RAT I N G T I P S
To achieve the most accurate heart rate reading possible, it is important to be aware of
circumstances that can cause false signals to enter the system and make your heart rate
measurement incorrect.
1. Your chest strap should be worn as tightly as possible without being uncomfortable. If the
chest strap is not tight enough, movement between it and your body can cause false
signals to be generated that may be seen as heart beats by the watch. This is especially
true during high impact activities such as running.
2. Environmental factors such as high-tension power lines, home security systems and radio
towers may interfere with the ability of the watch to receive a signal from the transmitter.
A loss of the heart rate signal and the heart rate display showing zero will usually indicate
this. This problem is transient in nature and will stop once you have passed out of the area
of interference.
3. Occasionally, if you are using your heart rate monitor in close proximity to other heart rate
monitors, it is possible for your watch unit to pick up the signal from the other transmitters
as well as yours. This is called cross-talk. When you are experiencing cross-talk, you will see
a very high heart rate or a heart rate of zero, if the combination of heart rates is greater
than 240 beats per minute. If this happens, simply allow a bit more space between you
and the other users.
4. Some clothing fabrics, especially in dry climates, are capable of generating a great deal
of static electricity. This static electricity is capable of significantly interfering with the sig-
nal from the transmitter. This shows up as erratic readings on the display. Over time you
should be able to tell what clothing, if any, you own which cause this problem.
Sometimes spraying the clothing before you workout with a commercially available anti-
static product will help reduce the problem.
5. If you are using your heart rate monitor indoors on an electrically powered piece of exer-
cise equipment it is possible that the power sources found in the equipment may inter-
fere with the heart rate signal in much the same way as in point 2. If you find that your
monitor is not working, try moving it to your other arm, or to another location on the
piece of equipment itself until you find an area where there is no interference.
6. Heart surgery or coronary events may cause changes to the function of the heart that will
make it difficult or impossible for your heart rate monitor to get a proper reading. Contact
your physician to determine whether you have a condition related to the above.
Being aware of these circumstances and knowing how to avoid them will significantly
increase your enjoyment of your new LifeSource Heart Rate Monitor.
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Toll Free LifeSource Health Line 1-888-726-9966
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