Quote Originally Posted by Jiffer View Post
I have a Garmin Premium Soft Heart Rate Strap. It worked when I got it, but no longer registers correct numbers, or not consistently anyway.

What are your experiences with any soft straps after long term use?

I have had three Garmin heart rate monitor straps; a 'hard one' (no longer use) a soft / premium that went wacky with readings after about six months. I contacted Garmin, and after trying all of their suggestions - to no avail, they graciously replaced it. I had to send mine in and they sent me a new one. I have had no problems with this one. That was in November of last year; I use it almost daily.

Here are their suggestions for troubleshooting:

There can be various causes for the erratic data. Please try one or more of the following solutions to resolve this issue.

Make sure the heart rate monitor is snug against your body.
Warm up for 5–10 minutes.
Synthetic fabrics that rub or flap against the heart rate monitor can create static electricity that interferes with heart rate signals. Wear a cotton shirt or wet your shirt if suitable for your activity.
Position the heart rate monitor on your back instead of your chest.
Strong electromagnetic fields and some 2.4 GHz wireless sensors can interfere with your heart rate monitor. Sources of interference may include very high voltage power lines, electric motors, microwave ovens, 2.4 GHz cordless phones, and wireless LAN access points. After you move away from the source of interference, your heart rate data should return to normal.
I would also like to make sure that you left the battery out for a full five minutes when changing it. (This process allows the heart rate monitor to reset.)

As I said, none of this changed things for me, but I did try them - for as much as it was practical, so my strap was replaced by Garmin. Apparently they became aware of issues with the original premium and there is a newer / improved version now.

Also, my son found the premium straps on Amazon for $35 so I bought a back up, as well. I'm too 'addicted' to using it to go without it!

Hope that helps.
MaTadams