can you solve this conundrum?

[geordiekid]

I'd really appreciate some help with this TMC query. It's driving me round the bend!

I've got a Nissan Pathfinder, and the sat-nav shows a TMC icon which should light up when it picks up TMC info. I've had the car for over 6 months now, live in central London, yet the icon has only ever lit up twice - once when driving near Bristol, once when driving around Gateshead. And despite both these times, it has NEVER downloaded and travel or weather information like the system says it should.

From background reading on TMC, I understand it can depend on reception, and the car model - or even - the disc having a subscription to the TMC info.

Well I know I have good reception. I've checked the stations that TMC broadcasts on, and can pick up a really good, strong signal with these through the car radio.

I bought the car used, but the disc is the official '05/'06 sat-nav disc, and should be enabled for TMC, so I believe I should be able to receive TMC information. Even if I wasn't, it wouldn't explain why the TMC icon had only lit up twice in all this time - surely it should light up much more regularly, but just not download the information?

Here is the DVD disc for the most recent version of the sat-nav:

http://www.navigation.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/Navteq-NavteqEurope-Site/en_GB/-/GBP/ViewStandardCatalog-Browse?CatalogCategoryID=FiEKCghBB90AAAEi8g0J8RHL&ShowAllProducts=YES&PersistNavigationMenu=YES

So my two questions are:
1. Why am I not seeing TMC info on my car sat nav?
2. Even if it's to do with not having a valid subscription, or access to the data, my car seems to have been able to detect a signal twice previously (even though it didn't download any info either time). This would suggest it can still pick up a signal, even if it is not letting me see the data. So why doesn't it do this all the time? (I live in an area where I can pick up stations with a good signal that are broadcasting TMC information)

Thanks hopefully in advance.
gk

[jonnyprice]

I have a Nissan X-Trail, which I believe has a similar sat nav system? On my vehicle the TMC logo stays in the top corner of the screen, and various icons appear on the display regarding traffic info - for example I get a road-sign "road narrow" sign for narrow lanes, and the roadworks sign for - you guessed it - roadworks! For heavy traffic the road is outlined in red, and sometimes this flashes, although ive not worked out what this means yet!

Do you see any of that on your display?

[Darren]

TMC is only available as a premium service in the UK and so requires a licence, and that is stored on the map disc.

In other EU countries they have both public service free TMC and premium (paid for ) TMC.

If your system lacks the licence then it will ignore any available TMC signal and the TMC indicator may not light at all.

The two occasions on which it has lit may simply be red herrings or it may have picked up a free TMC service by some fluke of atmospheric conditions.

The Navteq link you provide makes no mention of TMC Pro or Premium TMC (or indeed of TMK at all) so it's difficult to advise further.
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Darren Griffin

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