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JoshT Regular Visitor
Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 93 Location: Berks, England
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Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 6:29 pm Post subject: Defected to TT due to TMC |
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I've had numerous Garmin Nuvi devices starting with a 300 and finally with a Nuvi 660 when it first came out. During that period I tried the TT one UK edition and found i didn't like routing and the POI.
During the 4 years how technology has moved on . I bought the top of the range to get decent maps, routing , safety cameras and TMC.
After 4 years TMC has never worked properly and Garmin havn't done anything to fix it - not even offered a permanant aeriel connection. People who have wanted better TMC have had to make their own modifications.
The other issue I have had with the Garmin is lag. The number of times I've taken a wrong exit where 2 turns have been very close together. In France last year I ended up with a 26 mile detour because in heavy rain I took the wrong turn back onto a stretch of motorway - 13 miles to the next junction!
I finally have a solution that works for me. I have purchase TT v 1.3 for the iphone. Admittedly the TT map POI's are still an issue but you have got google local search and can use the iphone contact list.
At last i have traffic that works - admittedly its on subscription and uses GPRS. The benefit is it cover motorways and A/B roads.
IQ routes determines routes for different days and time in the week
No lag! Clear when to take the turning.
One drawback is the size of the iphone screen but the voice instructions are very clear.
sorry Garmin I've defected |
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TerryWalsh Regular Visitor
Joined: Jul 29, 2005 Posts: 147 Location: Shrewsbury, UK
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 8:05 am Post subject: |
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I have the bottom of the range Nuvi 205 plus premium traffic. It has decent maps the TMC has worked for me all over the country (excluding in towns and on minor roads where the problem is that they are not covered by traffic master which Garmin uses for TMC). I dont need MP3 or Bluetooth and I sometimes think this is where the problem is. The high end units have too much overhead on the processor and as a result slow down. I have no issue with lag.
Incidentally the premium traffic receiver does not have (or need) an antenna of any description, so I guess it must be more sensitive than some of the other Garmin offerings. It also includes lifetime licenses for most of Europe and not just UK.
Terry Walsh |
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Allan_whoops Frequent Visitor
Joined: Feb 18, 2006 Posts: 369
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 8:18 am Post subject: |
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Wait for the bill when using TT GPRS traffic in the rest of Europe! I moved to Garmin and upgraded the traffic licence for the UK and France. It proved as effective as TT at dodging autoroute holdups. |
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JoshT Regular Visitor
Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 93 Location: Berks, England
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 12:58 pm Post subject: |
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The TMC that came with the Nuvi includes a FM premium license. The problem it can pick up the signals ok in my back bedroom but not the car - so totally useless. I do pick up signals everynow and again in the car and I might get an alert to problems on route. unfortunatlely signal then drops out so alert after 15 mins goes.
I'm no longer happy to accept the routing given ny my Nuvi. I live in West London and my friends live in west London. The garmin always routes me on congested roads - i have to try and work out before hand best routes ie North circular or through the centre of London.
I'm happy to pay from GPRS roaming charges if it helps me avoid traffic . The updates are small packets and i switch data roaming off until needed using free WiFi in hotels to update my iphone |
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stuart Frequent Visitor
Joined: 20/04/2003 11:51:10 Posts: 405 Location: Dorset, England, Great Britain
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:00 pm Post subject: TMC - No Problems !! |
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I have just completed a non-stop round trip/delivery to Southern Germany neat to the Swiss/Austrian borders over this past weekend. I used both my TomTom 520T and Garmin 765T. The traffic reports were spot on across Europe on the Garmin, right down to temporary road works. Unfortunatly I didn't have my TomTom Traffic running. Using both units, I managed to avoid the French Tolls and got back to the Euro Tunnel two hours earlier than expected. |
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JoshT Regular Visitor
Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 93 Location: Berks, England
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:23 pm Post subject: |
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Stuart
Is it a GTM21 receiver with your model of Garmin?
i hear in Europe TMC signals are stronger - hence fewer problems than the UK |
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stuart Frequent Visitor
Joined: 20/04/2003 11:51:10 Posts: 405 Location: Dorset, England, Great Britain
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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JoshT wrote: | Stuart
Is it a GTM21 receiver with your model of Garmin?
i hear in Europe TMC signals are stronger - hence fewer problems than the UK |
I haven't a clue JoshT...Sorry, it's a standard Nuvi765T that receives Traffic updates via the docking bracket. But having travelled from the south up to NE Scotland and back, I get a green traffic signal about 75% of the time. |
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JoshT Regular Visitor
Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 93 Location: Berks, England
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Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 10:33 am Post subject: |
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Thanks.
I was going to say that I must live in the 25% of the time but the problem is wider spread than that.
I guess Garmin have made the newer receivers more sensitive.
I've been a loyal customer over the years and bought language pack, US maps and lifetime updates to my Nuvi 660. Garmin aren't interested in fixing the TMC problem on my unit.
I won't be buying any more Garmin products in the future.
I wonder how long Garmin will last? With smart phones I think people will move away from PND's (Not all some die hards will remain)
Do Garmin have a smart phone solution? I know they have a Nuvi fone but can it compete with the likes of the iphone... |
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BeatO Regular Visitor
Joined: Feb 11, 2006 Posts: 109 Location: Zurich, Switzerland
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Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Josh
I think one of the bigger problems with the TMC reception is not only the sensitivity of it's receiver itself but the lack of a connector to connect an external areal to the receiver.
I've got a nüvi 765T installed in my Renault Scenic II, 2003. That car has a special windscreen coating which requires me to have an external antenna for GPS reception as well. I don't have any problem with that, as it works very well and I would recommend it any user of a GPS device, regardless of car, to have something like that, as in my experience, the better the reception the better the speed of the GPS device.
But the TMC is, for my situation, very unsatisfactory. I would not mind to connect the receiver to an external antenna, but I don't even have the possibility to do that. It would solve the problem for me here in Switzerland to a great extent, because if I take the receiver out of the car, I've got a perfect signal, back in the car, nothing...
For your comment about combination of phone and gps device, I'm not so sure it'll be the ultimate solution. I don't intend to carry a huge phone with me just because the display should be large for the navigation application. Or would you like a device like the iPad or any other decent sized E-Book reader to be your phone? I don't!
BeatO _________________ nüvi 765T Firmware 4.50 CN Europe NT 2013.30
Quest 2 Firmware 3.10 CN Europe NT 2009 |
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JoshT Regular Visitor
Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 93 Location: Berks, England
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Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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I find the iphone screen adequate as I tend to listen to the voice instructions and them only glance at the screen for clarity |
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Green_ninja Occasional Visitor
Joined: Apr 27, 2006 Posts: 51
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Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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I am just about to go the other way from TT to Garmin, I have a TomTom One (original) that I updated to Western European maps must have had it 5 years or more and it's always worked absolutley fine but, I also have a Garmin Zumo which I bought as I ride bikes as well so for the past 2 or so years I've had both. They both now really need the maps updating but it seems silly to pay to update both units and seeing as only the Garmin can be sensibly used both in the car and on the bike I have been using the Garmin exclusively for about the last 6 weeks. Based on this I am going to keep the Zumo and update it.
I have noticed it can be a little slower/later with the turn instructions but as said this seems to be when I'm on the bike and listening to MP3s as well.
One thing I don't use the traffic info though. I still prefer the TT interface and routing but the Garmin is a better all round device for me. |
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