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Nuvi 660 TMC ?

 
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constantine
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Joined: Oct 07, 2005
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:35 pm    Post subject: Nuvi 660 TMC ? Reply with quote

Hi all,

I am considering the Garmin Nuvi 660, which i understand has built in TMC/Reciever?

How does this work on this system please?
I.E. Hardware, Does it have one of those horrible wires that you trace around the edge of your windscreen?(Ariel)...

Or is it self contained....?

How well does it work.

I really like everything else i have heard about it, Bluetooth, etc...
But the TMC feature is a major buying concern for me..

Kind Regards.
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GJF
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

constantine wrote:
Quote:
I am considering the Garmin Nuvi 660, which i understand has built in TMC/Reciever?

How does this work on this system please?
I.E. Hardware, Does it have one of those horrible wires that you trace around the edge of your windscreen?(Ariel)...

Or is it self contained....?

How well does it work.

I really like everything else i have heard about it, Bluetooth, etc...
But the TMC feature is a major buying concern for me..


Yes I'm afraid it does have one of those horrible wires which protrudes out of a long junction box, on the main feed into the unit.

The wire has two suckers attached, I'm still playing with the best position, which seems to be (yes you've guessed it) right up the middle of the screen vertically. This changes from car to car, depending on the type of screen.

I found this thread which might be of help HERE.
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Drive-Smart GPS with Loader v1.4.16
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constantine
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you for taking the time to reply...

Smile
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Hamie
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Joined: Dec 30, 2003
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 2:41 pm    Post subject: Re: Nuvi 660 TMC ? Reply with quote

constantine wrote:
Hi all,

I am considering the Garmin Nuvi 660, which i understand has built in TMC/Reciever?

[deleted]

I really like everything else i have heard about it, Bluetooth, etc...
But the TMC feature is a major buying concern for me..



If TMC is the major concern, I'd not recommend a Garmin with the GTM-21 TMC receiver (e.g. The Nuvi 6x0 range). The GTM-21 doesn't seem to work on the M4 corridor, nor the M25 around heathrow (Certainly down to J9 it doesn't work).
Given that's two major stretches of some of the busiest roads in the UK, you'd have to consider that at the moment the GTM-21 is a bust & not the sort of thing you want to be relying on for data...

Having said that I don't know if there are any good TMC units you can get here either...
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Darren
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 2:49 pm    Post subject: Re: Nuvi 660 TMC ? Reply with quote

Hamie wrote:
Having said that I don't know if there are any good TMC units you can get here either...

It seems to be a complaint across the board where TMC is concerned. The poor signal strength for the radio stations chosen in the UK combined with the limitations of the antenna on the portable units seems to be to blame. Certainly TomTom's TMC-FM solution is having exactly the same issue using the alternative iTIS provider and a recent road test with Navigon using RAC-TrafficMaster (the same as Garmin) was just as poor Sad
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Hamie
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:44 pm    Post subject: Re: Nuvi 660 TMC ? Reply with quote

Darren wrote:
Hamie wrote:
Having said that I don't know if there are any good TMC units you can get here either...

It seems to be a complaint across the board where TMC is concerned. The poor signal strength for the radio stations chosen in the UK combined with the limitations of the antenna on the portable units seems to be to blame. Sad


With my consumers hat on, I can't help but be thinking that this is the responsibility of the manufacturer... Advertising their devices as being TMC compatible in the UK, means to me that it should work something approaching 99% of the time. Not 99% of the time fails to work. That's just false advertising.

Perhaps if the manufacturer put an amp on their own aerial... Or provided a means to connect up an external aerial, it might be OK, but it borders on fraud to try & claim that TMC works with these units in the UK AFAICS.
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Darren
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And playing devils advocate here, when you buy a radio they don't make any claims for reception. The issues are almost unique to the UK, Europe enjoy many more options for TMC including some public access services and the signal simply isn't an issue across the Channel.

In that case the issue lies with the TMC infrastructure IMHO.
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Hamie
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Darren wrote:
And playing devils advocate here, when you buy a radio they don't make any claims for reception. The issues are almost unique to the UK, Europe enjoy many more options for TMC including some public access services and the signal simply isn't an issue across the Channel.

In that case the issue lies with the TMC infrastructure IMHO.


That's fine... I often like to play Devils advocate myself.

Now if someone were selling HD-TV receivers (HD-TV means DTV's capable of decoding HD freeview broadcasts), and I bought one & couldn't get a signal, I'd say fair enough, it's only provided for a few people inside the north & south circular (Or who are close enough to Crystal palace to pick it up). Plus you can check where the signal SHOULD be able to be picked up. And make an informed decision.

However Garmin are advertising a specific feature of their GPS to the people of the UK, for use across the UK. They're licensing the use of the service direct from the people who provide it. And they are providing NO information as to WHERE you can pickup the signal (Even barring things like shielding from car windscreens etc). Thus I believe they have a responsibility to make sure the damn thing works in at least 90+% of the locations that cars travel...
(After all where a feature can't be used in the UK they've removed it. e.g. FM transmitter in the Nuvi-660).

I've seen posts (And had emails in fact) where Garmin stated you need to use a GTM-10 instead... Well if a GTM-10 is required, why doesn't it ship instead of the GTM-21?

Heck, when was the last time a mobile phone company was allowed to get away with something like this?

FWIW I don't want to even consider returning my 660... It's a lovely GPS, even without tracklogs and speed etc on the map screen. I'd like the vendor to supply what they sold... A working TMC solution that is fit for use.

H
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swing
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hamie wrote:
Well if a GTM-10 is required, why doesn't it ship instead of the GTM-21?
Or why don't they offer it as a free exchange? Or why don't they connect the aerial via a connector allowing non-warranty breaking setups to be created by the user (they could even sell the car aerial splitter cable too).

It's a shame - when TMC works, it's very good.
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Hamie
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anyone know if the GTM-10 works with the Nuvi? It's not listed as a supported accessory, but the garmin tech droid just emailed me to say I might need to BUY a GTM-10 if I have a shielded windscreen (I don't, it's the same level inside & outside the car).

I did reply asking if that was a free upgrade... (No answer yet). And was also told to ensure I'm using it on a 'good route'. I asked what a 'good route' was...

On another aside I did find a Garmin map on the garmin website saying the whole of southern england had full coverage of TMC...
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