TomTom TMC - Areas of Service / No Service

tonygamble · Regular Visitor Joined: Jan 23, 2007 Posts: 186

Report 4.

Installed the new version of the 910 software.

Not a jot of improvement to the TMC.

Spoke to TT this morning who are escalating my request for help to someone more experienced.

Sadly I realised that all the Help Desk are based in Holland and thus have no working experience of trying to get a signal from Classic FM. I remember as a youngster listening to Hilversum radio from Holland - and it was clearer than the BBC !!

Tony

Pritch · Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:06 pm Post subject:

I thought I'd have a go at getting sense from the TomTom support and asked them about the signal quality. Here's the response:

"We suggest setting up your TomTom and TMC receiver outside your car. Do you receive a signal, does it lock on to a frequency?
it should show you which frequency you are locked onto in the traffic menu.

TMC broadcasts can vary in how often a signal is transmitted, it may take upto an hour to receive a signal or any data.

Please let us know if you are able to receive a signal outside the car."

OK, so apart from holding the TMC receiver outside the car, you have to wait an hour for a signal. Apart from my arm aching within that time, 1 hours wait is a bit too much for me!!

If I understand the previous posts correctly, a standard internal window antenna like I have in my Audi is powered and therefore could kill my TT if I connect the TMC to it?
I would therefore need to use a second antenna, like the Hirschmann one...having given up on TomTom recalling all their TMC receivers and replacing them with working devices...

manicminer · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 22, 2007 Posts: 3

Hi I may have a solution for those people that require the tmc receiver to be used in more than one vehicle. I have completed the tmc receiver mod as earlier in the thread and than attached a uhf/vhf receivers see link below
http://cgi.ebay.com/UHF-VHF-FM-Small-Portable-Compact-Amplified-Aerial_W0QQitemZ140059826951QQihZ004QQcategoryZ73383QQcmdZViewItem

I have the uhf/vhf receiver mounted on Velcro pads, just above the rear view mirror. The cable then goes across the top of the windscreen and down the left-hand door pillar (all hidden) with the tmc receiver stuck to the bottom left hand corner of the screen- tmc cable runs at the back of the dash again all hidden. I am now getting vast improvement over just using a length of coax. I regularly travel between Barnsley and Birmingham and can now do the whole trip with a solid lock on classic fm

Hope this help

Manic

tonygamble · Regular Visitor Joined: Jan 23, 2007 Posts: 186

Manic,

Did you try to see if that aerial worked if placed near the TT?

It would have saved that long cable run if it did.

I'm guessing that you found that it didn't - but feel compelled to ask!

Tony

Nixxrite · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 20, 2007 Posts: 2

tonygamble · Regular Visitor Joined: Jan 23, 2007 Posts: 186

If you touch the vertical bar under the rotating orange disk you should get into a menu page where this 'tune' option will appear.

You can then force the device on to a CFM frequency such as 100.6

Snag is that it will only stay there for a few seconds and then start ploughing up and down all the frequencies where CFM does not transmit.

Clearly TT have not properly programmed the software where you select the country of use - or not for the UK anyway.

So it's actually a waste of time.

Tony

m623d · Regular Visitor Joined: Apr 05, 2005 Posts: 191

manicminer · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 22, 2007 Posts: 3

Tony

You guessed right, it worked about the same as coax with the uhf/vhf receiver mounted low on the dash. But I found a dead spot for classic fm and started playing around with the position of the uhf/vhf receiver. I found that the optimum position was central at the top of the windscreen. – Strange thing the boost button does not seen to make any difference to reception

Manic

Nixxrite · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 20, 2007 Posts: 2

tonygamble · Regular Visitor Joined: Jan 23, 2007 Posts: 186

If you can't see the orange disk your TT cannot see your TMC receiver.

Have you pushed the receiver plug well into the docking station? It has a spring loaded element to the plug and, when you have made contact with the TT it will put up a message at the top right of the screen.

Then you'll see the disk.

Look around this thread. I know it is long but it's got several images and I am sure there will be one showing what the disk looks like.

Tony

eurodat · Occasional Visitor Joined: Dec 15, 2006 Posts: 12

I have just 'won' one on EBay. I think I should have read this thread before I bid for it. Now i have to decide if I put it straight back on EBay or open it up and mod it. I need to be able to transfer this between vehicles so its not the straight forward mod.

tonygamble · Regular Visitor Joined: Jan 23, 2007 Posts: 186

"Now i have to decide if I put it straight back on EBay or open it up and mod it."

If you put it back on Ebay you will be selling something that is 'not fit for the purpose for which it is being sold'. And there is evidence here that it was not a mistake. You knew. Not your fault that you found out too late - simply bad luck.

If you open it up you destroy the warranty and if (flying pigs I feel) TomTom withdraw them all and replace them with something that works you will miss out as you've tampered with yours.

The mods are seeming to work. But whether you want all the hassle depends on your spirit of adventure.

I'd be inclined to get the person who sold it to you to take it back and refund your money. Then keep an eye on this thread because you can be sure that the first time anyone gets one to work straight from the packet there will be a big celebration.

Tony

mikealder · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:14 pm Post subject:

stefantapp · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:37 am Post subject:

I've just sent mine back to Amazon (Avides Media AG). On a journey from Portsmouth to Mitcheldean (Forest Of Dean) twice, it picked up a signal briefly around Swindon for 15 minutes and that was it.

Avides were more than happy to take it back, let's hope the postal service doesn't lose it, otherwise I'll have to claim on the postal insurance!

IMHO Tomtom should withdraw them, they are not fit for purpose, especially if the only way to get any decent reception is to open it up and mod it!

Stef

m623d · Regular Visitor Joined: Apr 05, 2005 Posts: 191

Used my modded (just a long peice of wire) receiver on a long run today
M180/M18/M1/A38/Stafford/West Birmingham/M5-Bristol and back

Got a signal 90% of the time and even routed me around a queue!

I have a glass mount amp aerial, but havent gotten around to fixing it yet.
_________________
Garmin Emap, Ipaq 2210 with TomTom Navigator 5, TomTom One, Pioneer AVIC-X1R, TomTom 910 (stolen). TomTom 520, TomTom 6100 (Faulty, replaced under warranty), Currently got a TomTom 6200

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