Willem.Minten@telenet.be

Creation date: June 15, 2005 

Last revision date: October 12, 2006 (covers Suunto Training Manager 1.3.4. and 2.1.., the latest STraM can be found here)

You want to buy a t6? Click on the banner below (http://www.cardio-systems.com/nl/dept_582.html )

 

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You want to download the t6 manual in your specific language? Click here.

 

Fora on SUUNTO t6:

        Yahoo WriststopTrainers forum: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/WriststopTrainers/

        SUUNTO Training world discussion forum: www.suunto.com/training

        T6 Usergroup forum in SuuntoSports (becoming obsolete for obvious reasons): http://suuntosports.com/Default.asp

 

WHAT ABOUT the new release of STraM?

SUUNTO launched a new release of STraM (version 2).  In the ReadMe.txt the main improvements w.r.t. version 1.3.4 are enlisted:

·         Automatic data conversion from previous version while installing the new version.

·         Automatic full / update version detection. One installation file for both cases.

·         New improved analyzing module (FirstBeat body model) with very fast analyzing.

·         Increased startup time.

·         Support for new activity levels

·         Automatic activity level. Algorithm changes slowly, but should adjust every users activity level into correct status within a few week or month. Depending on the starting level.

·         New printing layout. Multiple graphs available.

·         New XML export. Several logs may be included in the same file.

·         New R-R graph.

·         Log splitting. Splits logs to two or three separate logs and removes the original to keep the summary values correct.

·         Downloading wizard. Optional downloading interface to your device.

·         Compare your plans and logs from a calendar with analyze view.

·         Calculate Day / Week / Year summaries of the values your desire with the analyze tool.

·         Online summary calculations from a single log using a graph with movable selectors.

·         Internal architectural improvements.

·         Support for Suunto Monitor

Unfortunately, STraM2 is overwhelmed with bugs, of which some are considered as critical (damaging your log data) or as of high importance (useability is highly affected) . 

 

Therefore I decided to pool all the bug reports in a separate excel sheet ‘STraM version 2 (update month day, year).xls’. You will find it here (Files section, folder ‘STraM version 2, what about it? ‘).

In that excel sheet you will find 4 TABS:

·         BUGS: all the bugs reported are described and assigned to an impact level (critical, functional High, functional Middle, functional Low, cosmetic). Advices (workarounds) and bug status are reported as well;

·         IMPROVEMENTS: a description of the noticeable improvements are enlisted as well;

·         OTHER CHANGES: a list of other changes is also given;

·         WISHLIST: a list (of most wanted) new features is reported as well.

People are encouraged to post new bugs, improvements, other changes or whishes in one of these two user groups.

 

As long as STraM2.0.  is not considered by its users as sufficient stable and functional, STraM2.0. is to be considered as a beta release (i.e. use it at own risk).  Therefore, for the time being,  this compendium will stay reporting on the only available functional STraM software version1.3.4.

 

 

 

 

Table of contents

 

1     About this document 6

2     After sales support 9

3     General speed and distance aspects 9

3.1     Hardware connection_ 9

3.1.1       footPOD_ 9

3.1.2       bikePOD_ 11

3.2     Transmission of measured data 12

3.2.1       Pairing_ 13

3.2.2       Connect and Searching_ 13

3.2.3       Recording data and stopping a data record_ 14

3.2.4       Searching indicator 14

3.2.5       Power management during a device searching process 15

3.2.6       Data recording during a device searching process 15

3.2.6.1     No manual re-Connect (t6 is still searching) 16

3.2.6.2     Manual Re-Connect (t6 stopped searching) 16

3.3     t6 Memory usage_ 19

3.3.1       Data recording principles 19

3.3.2       Some practical examples 20

3.3.2.1     Memory consumption per hour for a Rec.Rate of 2 sec 20

3.3.2.2     Memory consumption per hour for a Rec.Rate of 10 sec 21

3.3.2.3     Entire day recordings 21

3.3.3       Correct memory allocation of the measured data 22

3.4     Displaying the speed and distance data 23

3.4.1       Instant S/D report on the t6 display_ 24

3.4.2       t6 settings 25

3.4.3       S/D report in the STraM_ 26

3.4.3.1     Visible and .sdf data 26

3.4.3.2     Speed graphs 28

3.5     Over-all robustness and consistency of the measurement signals 29

3.5.1       Robustness of HR data chain / HR data consistency_ 29

3.5.2       Robustness of  SPD-DST data chain /  SPD-DST data consistency_ 29

3.5.3       Consistency of the data throughout the measurement chain_ 31

4     Cycling_ 31

4.1     Measurement principle and data management 32

4.2     Accuracy of the recorded distances 33

4.2.1       Calibration of the bikePOD_ 33

4.2.1.1     The most accurate method_ 33

4.2.1.2     Second best method_ 34

4.2.2       Measured accuracy of the distances 34

4.3     Execution of the cycling speed profile_ 36

5     Running_ 37

5.1     Speed crack response_ 37

5.1.1       On the display of the t6 37

5.1.2       In the STraM_ 38

5.2     Accuracy of the running distance_ 40

5.2.1       Calibration of the footPOD_ 40

5.2.1.1     Most accurate and informative method_ 40

5.2.1.2     Another accurate method_ 41

5.2.2       Measured accuracy of the distances 41

5.3     Speed and contact surface dependency 42

5.3.1       REMARK on relative accuracy_ 44

5.3.2       REMARK on the size of the slope 44

5.4     Execution of the running speed profile_ 45

6     Duatlon, Triatlon_ 46

6.1     Switching speed devices 46

6.2     Swimming_ 46

6.3     Delayed recording of ANT devices 47

7     Programming, instant training guidance of the t6, and reporting_ 48

7.1     The programming_ 48

7.2     The instant training guidance_ 50

7.2.1       Displayed measurement data 51

7.2.2       Displaying secondary workout data 52

7.2.3       Alerting signals 52

7.2.3.1     Tones 52

7.2.3.2     End-of-State alerts 53

7.2.3.3     off-LIMITS alerts 53

7.3     A real life example_ 54

7.3.1       The programming of the workout profile 54

7.3.2       The instant training guidance: 55

7.3.3       The t6 logbook reporting_ 56

7.3.4       The STraM reporting_ 56

7.3.4.1     Workout graphics 56

7.3.4.2     Workout LOG data 58

7.3.4.2.1     Data TAB_ 59

7.3.4.2.2     Marks TAB_ 59

7.3.4.2.3     Details 2 TAB_ 60

7.3.4.2.4     Details 1 TAB_ 61

7.3.5       Differences between t6 reported data and STraM reported data. 62

7.3.5.1     Differences between the DISTANCE values 62

7.3.5.2     Differences between the SPEED values 62

7.3.5.3     About the reconstruction of the instant speed_ 63

7.3.5.4     Differences between the HR values 70

7.3.5.5     Influence of the MEM SET_ 70

8     Tuning Suunto Training Manager (STraM) 71

8.1     Tuning methods 72

8.2     Preliminaries 74

8.2.1       Importance of  VO2max (aerobic capacity) 74

8.2.2       Importance of EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption) 75

8.2.3       Physiological and mathematical background of VO2 and EPOC_ 76

8.2.4       Listed accuracy of a well tuned STraM_ 77

8.2.5       Physical interpretation of the respiration and ventilation rate data of STraM_ 78

8.2.6       Sports specific tuning of StraM? 80

8.2.7       The parameters to be tuned_ 81

8.3     GENERIC TUNING_ 81

8.3.1       Validation of the accuracy of the automatic tuning process 82

8.4     INDIRECT TUNING_ 84

8.4.1       Example: Cooper test 87

8.4.2       Additional guidelines for this INDIRECT tuning process: 91

8.4.2.1     Are race results useable to tune the body parameters? 91

8.4.2.2     What if there is no 400m track? 91

8.4.2.3     What if running results are not representing your real aerobic fitness. 91

8.4.2.4     What if maximal workouts are not feasible. 92

8.4.2.5     Software support to derive automatically the tuning values 92

8.4.2.6     Is there a physical relevance of the graphs shown? 93

8.4.2.6.1     Staircase HR interval workout 93

8.4.2.6.2     Cooper maximal run_ 95

8.4.2.7     Measuring body parameters 96

8.5     DIRECT TUNING_ 96

8.6     Training Effect 96

8.7     Testing of your global fitness, and benefit of EPOC_ 97

9     Other applications on heart rate variability (HRV) 98

9.1     VisualElbows project of Ken Gamble_ 99

9.2     Other heart rate variability software on the net 101

9.3     What to do if you don’t want to use the STraM export functionality (.sdf Suunto Data File) ?_ 101

10      A Swiss Army Knife for the t6_ 102

10.1       Basic guidelines and TAB structure_ 102

10.1.1      Excel macro settings 102

10.1.2      Windows display settings, excel bars and TAB structure 102

10.1.3      Printing_ 104

10.1.4      Color code 104

10.1.5      t6 SAK TABS_ 104

10.2       Data import and accurate lap extraction_ 105

10.3       calibration chart 107

10.3.1      Calibration chart protocol 107

10.3.2      Further SAK manipulations 108

10.3.2.1       Data import and graphics manipulation_ 108

10.3.2.2       Setting up the accurate CF_ 113

10.3.2.3       Statistical relevance 113

10.4       Interval HR data 115

10.5       Tuning STraM_ 116

10.5.1      Tuning by Indirect measurement of the bodily data 117

10.5.2      Tuning by direct measurement of the bodily data 120

10.5.2.1       Management of the measurements 121

10.5.2.2       An excerpt of the laboratory results 121

10.5.2.3       Avoid comparing apples and oranges 123

10.5.2.4       The tuning process 124

10.5.2.5       Accuracy of the tuning process 128

10.5.2.5.1      A different tuning procedure 130

10.5.2.6       Catching HR.LT and SPD.LT_ 133

10.6       Catching thresholds 135

10.6.1      Preliminaries 135

10.6.2      General form of the upper VE and lower HR edge 138

10.6.3      Catching HR.LT and HR.ST_ 141

10.6.3.1       HR recovery interval test 141

10.6.3.2       Tangents of the edges method_ 142

10.6.3.3       Usefulness of the cross points HR.LT and HR.ST_ 143

10.6.3.4       Why the lower HR edge deviates from linearity at high VO2? 145

10.6.3.5       Equilibrium (steady) edges 147

10.6.3.6       Other concentrations of scatter points 152

10.6.3.7       Scatter diagram of HR, VE and VO2 in 3 dimensions 154

10.6.3.8       What about the effects of the tuning itself? 158

10.6.4      Putting the TANGENTS METHOD into practice 159

10.6.4.1       Preferred running protocol and STraM manipulations 159

10.6.4.2       TAB <fitness thresholds>_ 160

10.6.4.3       TAB <thresholds history>_ 166

11      Unexpected behavior of the t6, and prevention_ 173

11.1       Unmanageable t6 – automatic reset of t6_ 173

11.1.1      How to change correctly the battery? 174

11.2       Unexpected speed and distance measurement results 175

11.2.1      Hardware irregularities