FM Transmitter

DennisN · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 3:34 pm Post subject:

Does this mean I can no longer use these which I bought only last weekend to call Vera to bring me a cold beer down the new summerhouse?

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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

mikealder · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:04 pm Post subject:

Dennis, the radio units you have purchased are PMR446 devices by the looks of them, they are set to operate around 446MHz which is an area in the radio spectrum devoid of requiring a transmission license whereas the car radio (and the TomTom transmitter) operate between 88MHz and 108MHz where more restrictions apply.

It is only relatively recently OFCOM even permitted the use of low power CE marked transmitters for use in the UK within the main FM commercial band. You won't get in trouble using the PMR sets, and to be honest the FM transmitter built in to the TomTom is of such low power (due to the regulations) it would be very hard for the authorities to detect anyone using such a system.

The answer to the problem is to dual boot the device with 8.010 on the SD card (which will alow the full use of the FM TX for all functons, but you lose out on IQ2 assuming you have the newer v815 map) and the newer 8.3 release on the internal memory, take the SD card out to use IQ2 or put it in to use the FM TX - Mike

dhn · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:10 pm Post subject:

mikealder · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:15 pm Post subject:

I can see this being another guide to write, fortunatly it is already on the PC as others might benefit from using this method, and with the new software supporting 8GB and higher capacity this is even easier - Mike

DennisN · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:49 pm Post subject:

mikealder · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:07 pm Post subject:

Doing this would require two maps and two applications the newer app and map on the card, the older app and map on the device - if you want to use the FM Tx simply pop the card out and switch the device on, if you want IQ2 put the card in and switch the device on - Mike

DennisN · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:51 pm Post subject:

I'm beginning to wonder whether I want the new application and the new map (8.300 and 815). I'd wager a small sum that I'll not notice any real differences between the 815 map on my 920 and the 810 on my 720 when I go out on my merry travels - certainly the roundabout is still at the crossroads at 51.45229, -2.41844, so they still haven't taken any notice of my constant reports that there is not and never has been a roundabout there. Frankly, if I find in the future that map 810 on my GO720 is as accurate as 815 on my GO920, I don't want 815 if it means I've got to put up with the degraded application - let TomTom get map corrections from the other poor suckers.

I always considered that the FM transmitter made the computer voice extremely accurate and just as good as the recorded voice - indeed, far better because of the TTS street names and other TTS features. And with a remote (steering wheel) control for my radio, I had a very good way of controlling volume at my fingertips.

What on earth are TomTom doing these days? Each new device and each new application seem to have been degraded in order to be able to insert extra functions for them to crow about. Why don't they realise that eventually it's all going to catch up with them? They'll end up with a bunch of features which are buggy and don't work as expected. I speak three foreign languages well enough to get by, but you wouldn't want to pay me to give you driving directions in any of them! TomTom are approaching that.
_________________
Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

JimmyTheHand · Frequent Visitor Joined: Apr 16, 2005 Posts: 386

GPS_fan · Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:01 pm Post subject:

This might raise a few eyebrows - RNLI VHF license fees are set to increase from £40,000/yr to a staggering £260,000/yr under OFCOM pricing proposals - here
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Darren · Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:12 pm Post subject:

GPS_fan · Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:48 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the update, Darren
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carl_the_cobbler · Frequent Visitor Joined: Jul 22, 2007 Posts: 251

It's still pretty appalling they have to pay £40,000, when they are a charity, and their sole aim is to save people.

GPS_fan · Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:58 pm Post subject:

I couldn't agree more
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dgreensuperhoops · Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:06 pm Post subject:

The FM Transmitter for the instructions was one of the reasons that I bought the 730. I have been totally unhappy with it since I bought it and now this is just the icing on the cake. If a product is advertised, as it was, that it has a certain feature can they just remove it without any notice to people that have bought it? They have our email addresses don't they? When I change my sat nav next year it most certainly won't be a Tomtom.

Andy_P · Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:25 pm Post subject:

While I don't often stand up for TT's decisions; on this one, look at it from their point of view.
If they honestly believe that they (or you?!?) would be breaking the law by leaving things as they were, they *couldn't* leave the software as it was, could they?

If the FM transmission is really important to you, you could either just stay on your existing software (I admit that means no more map updates) or maybe buy one of the cheap transmitters intended for iPods etc, and use that with the line out of the TomTom.

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