Heart Rate Sensor (XL2 Model Only)
In order to display heart rate on the SpeedCoach XL2 display unit, you must have a sensor attached the the unit and
mounted on your boat, and you must be wearing a chest strap. Most coded or non-coded chest straps will work with the
XL. To attach the sensor to the XL, simply insert the plug and twist. Then run the wire along the side of the boat, securing
it with the included cable ties inbetween the track and the gunwale.The ideal location to mount the sensor is on the side
of the boat, in line with the stroke rate sensor and oriented perpendicular to the stroke rate sensor. If the sensor is mount-
ed inbetween the tracks, the seat magnet can potentially cause inconsistent heart rate readings. Try to mount the sensor
so that the chest strap always remains within 3 feet of the sensor.
At present, NK can only guarantee interference-free readings for XL heart rate monitors when there is only ONE chest-belt
transmitter within a 6-foot range of the heart rate sensor at any time. As a result, it is possible to use two monitors in most
pairs or doubles by placing the stroke seat sensor close to the stern end of the seat deck, and the bow-seat sensor close
to the bow end of the deck. In larger shells, the monitors and sensors will need to be at least two seats apart (i.e. at 2 and
4 seats, not at 2 and 3 seats). In larger team boats, it is likely that heart rate systems in adjacent seats will interfere with
each other. (This includes having a rower wear a personal heart rate monitor in a seat adjacent to a rower using an XL2.)
Batteries
The SpeedCoach XL uses a lithium-ion battery, similar to the one used in cell phones. These batteries are both
rechargeable and user-replaceable.To charge your XL, simply slide it into the charging station.The screen will indicate that
the unit is charging and what percent of the battery is charged. A dead battery requires 5 to 7 hours to fully charge. It is
not necessary to let the battery completely drain between charging - frequent charging will not diminish the battery’s life.
The XL will power off when the charge is complete.
The battery indicator can be used as a guide to estimate how much battery life remains on your SpeedCoach XL. When
the battery is fully charged, there are five bars comprised of 5 pixels each on the battery indicator.
Daily battery life is diminished faster with frequent backlight use. Each pixel represents approximately the following
amount of time:
Backlight off
92 hours
1 pixel = 3.6 hours
Backlight on
39 hours
1 pixel = 1.6 hours
The battery in the XL should last 3 to 5 years before it needs to be replaced (depending on use.) Replacement batteries
are user-installable. Contact NK to purchase a new battery.
When your battery is completely drained or replaced, or following a full system reset, the battery indication will be esti-
mated until the unit has been fully charged. The battery icon will be a solid battery rather than an outline to indicate the
estimate mode. When the battery has been fully charged, the battery indicator will be calculated exactly again.
The memory and settings (except date and time) will be saved during a battery drain or replacement.
It is highly recommended that users DO NOT open the battery door unnecessarily. Once the battery door is open, the
Speedcoach is not waterproof. The battery door must be reinstalled (with the battery door's o-ring) for the unit to be
waterproof again. Instructions are supplied with replacement battery packs or online: www.nkhome.com.
NK Rowing Electronics Warranty & Service
NK does not believe in "disposable electronics." We know our products don't lead a pampered life, and we design them
for years of performance in tough conditions. We guarantee every NK product to be free of defects in materials and
workmanship for a period of TWO YEARS from your date of purchase. We will repair or replace any defective product or
part when notified within the warranty period, and will return the product via domestic ground shipping at no charge.The
following issues do not result from a manufacturing defect and are not covered under this warranty: damage due to
improper use or neglect, including corrosion; impact damage; modifications or attempted repairs by someone other than
an authorized NK repair agent; normal wear and tear; failed batteries.
Please register your product at
www.nkhome.comto ensure your full 2years of warranty!
NK wants you to be an NK customer for life, so we take care of you even beyond the terms of the normal product
warranty with our Customer Care Program. Trade-in any NK display unit, no matter the age or condition, and receive a
generous discount on the replacement product.
9
Ten years ago, Nielsen-Kellerman introduced its
first speed computer, aptly named the
"PaceCoach." I was the cox for the U.S. women's
eight under head coach Hartmut Buschacher, and
NK generously sent us a unit to use for training.We
embraced it immediately. For the first time,
coxswains and rowers were able to see their 500m
splits instantaneously. The PaceCoach also gave
speed in meters per second, stroke rate, distance
traveled, and you could program the unit for timed
and distance pieces. Because the technology was
so new to the rowing world, USRowing asked me
to write an article for American Rowing magazine.
We named it, "Demystifying the Pace Coach”,and it
detailed how coaches and teams could truly use
the unit to optimize training.
Now, a decade later, NK continues to show why
they are the leaders in developing on-the-water
rowing feedback equipment.When they asked me
to test-drive the new Speed Coach XL and write a
piece on how to make the most of it, of course I
couldn't resist. A lot has changed since the
introduction of the PaceCoach-most significantly
the XL3 and XL4's ability to transmit the speed
readings from the in-shell unit to the coach's
motorboat. No longer does the coach have to rely
on asking a cox to shout out readings during a
piece, or have to wait until after the piece to find
out the split average from the rowers.
Install it and GO!
As soon as the XL wiring and impeller are installed
you can slide the XL unit onto its mount and
immediately start watching your splits. My advice:
Don't stop there!
The unit is so easy to use that all of us who test
drove it did so without receiving instructions. The
menu is virtually self-explanatory. A few things I'd
advise you to check out and take advantage of:
- Go ahead and name your unit something
"speedy," and plug in the "Group Name" & "Private
ID." This allows your coach to know which boat he
or she is monitoring, and also ensures that no one
else can intercept your readings. (XL3 or 4 models)
- Notice that the "time of day" is displayed in the
lower right hand corner. If you're at a regatta, plug
in "regatta time." And it even has military time for
those international races. No worries about
getting to the starting line on time now!
Really Using the Features
Now that you've got all of this instantaneous
feedback, how do you use it? Odds are you bought
this unit because you're on a competitive team
and/or you want to truly monitor your training
program. That's exactly why we embraced the XL's
predecessors on the National Team. Here are a few
ways to truly use the SpeedCoach XL's information:
Steady State/Aerobic Base training:
Back in my
day, we would actively use the "pace" reading with
the goal of maintaining a certain split range for the
entire workout. I'll use some of these examples as
we monitored everything that we did. Our split
goal for 4 x 20 minutes at stroke rate 20 was 1:50-
1:52 (/500). With the XL, the heart rate feature is
very handy for this workout. A typical heart rate for
most of our rowers was 140-148. But if someone's
heart rate was soaring by the end of the workout,
we knew that they were either working too hard to
maintain the target, or maybe they were feeling
under the weather. Now with the XL2, you can
monitor pace, distance traveled, elapsed time and
heart rate simultaneously.*
Technique evaluation:
With instantaneous
feedback literally at your fingertips throughout
the workout--the XL seriously advances how you
can implement technical improvements. Now
when you try different technical changes - like
quicker leg drive at the catch, unified body swing
timing, or even just cleaning up the finishes - you
can see how it affects the speed immediately. A
really cool thing to witness is how a technical
improvement by ONE person in an eight can often
improve the splits a couple of seconds.
Race Level:
The things you can do here are pretty
amazing. Because the unit is so versatile, you can
do racing pieces and interval work using meters,
strokes, and/or time. You can even combine all of
those measurements in one workout. For a race
prep workout of 4 x 500m, for example, I can
Training with the SpeedCoach XL
by Yaz Farooq
10
