Mio C710 TMC filter installation?

[Retty]

I posted a request for advice to the TMC forum but I figure I may get more luck here. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I've bought a TMC iso/din filter from Cartft.com:

http://www.cartft.com/catalog/il/539

It come with an extension cable which adapts the 2.5 mm plug to a 3.5 mm plug. Physically then it fits the Mio C710's 3.5 mm TMC socket. So far so good.

I haven't installed the filter yet. But when I plug the uninstalled filter in to the 3.5 mm jack of the C710 I get no response from the C710. This may be usual given that there is almost certainly no radio signal being received through the shielded cable of the extension lead. But should I expect to see some of the usual pausing on particular frequencies (during the TMC search) if the cable is connected to the correct pin (the first pin) of the 3.5 mm plug? The C710 TMC search pauses like this even when the shoe string aerial is unable to receive a signal (even a signal it isn't subscribed to).

I also notice that GNS now sells 2 very similar TMC filter products with different device compatibility lists: a "T5" model and an "M" model:

http://www.gns-gmbh.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=138

The 2 models look identical and I assume that the only difference between them is which pin the cable is soldered to in the 3.5 mm jack. Mio devices are nowhere to be seen on the compat lists of either the Cartft device (which is Navilock branded) or the GNS device. GNS makes the Mio chipset so it's a bit odd that GNS doesn't list Mio devices in its compatibility list.

I think that for the C710 I may have to re-solder the cable to the first pin of the 4 pole 3.5 mm jack if the cable isn't already connected to that pin.

Could anyone advise on whether or not this sounds like a reasonable understanding of the potential problem?

Also is it possible to buy a 2.5 mm jack to 3.5mm jack (4 pole) cable or is it likely that I will have to make/hack my own cable by buying a new 4 pole 3.5 mm jack and soldering it to the hacked cable that came with the TMC filter?

It's becoming a bit complicated but I would, if possible, really want to avoid the cost of asking a car audio centre to do the job for me.

[Retty]

I thought I would post the results here in case anyone is interested.

I had the device installed professionally in the end - it cost a little less than £30 (took the guy about 20 minutes - maybe less) and saved me a lot of headache.

First off: the Cartft device at the following link is compatible out of the box with the Mio C710 - no rewiring of anything needed; it works with an iso/din connector aerial:

http://www.cartft.com/catalog/il/539

If you have a FAKRA connection in your car then you will have to look elsewhere.

The improvement offered by the device is dramatic - I can now receive a TMC signal (almost) anywhere and in all the main urban and motorway areas where the shoe string was unable to receive anything at all. The signal strength is usually 100% (more often than not). Rural reception is excellent as well - at least on the Hampshire/Surrey borders.

Signal drop out is apparent - the signal can drop out when in motion and the space of a few feet can make a difference. The problem isn't quite as common as I initially thought and the signal is usually re-established pretty quickly although the device does often re-scan and in doing so goes through the whole FM range "testing" various frequencies (i.e. Traffic Master transmissions).

I notice however that the device does sometimes provide relatively low signal strength (say between 20% to 60%) in areas where the shoe string was always unable to receive anything. Having said that for a large part of the time it still manages 100%. Still, I think the iTIS transmissions are, in large parts of the south of England, basically impossible to receive without a hard wired splitter solution. It's a shame because when the device, using Miomap 3.1 and early 3.2, was using TM I could usually pick up a usable signal in areas where the iTIS signal can't be picked up on shoe string.

I would certainly recommend the Cartft filter/splitter. It works perfectly with the C710 out of the box and if you can install it yourself (I can confirm that it is basically plug and play with no rewiring needed) then it shouldn't be too costly.

The Cartft delivery service is also pretty good - the splitter was with me in less than 24 hours from Germany.

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