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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 5:42 pm Post subject: RDS-TMC
Hi, I have just come upon this discussion late in its life. I purchased a TT730 about 6 weeks ago and am struggling with its more advanced features.
To add in my context, I live about 7 miles outside Cambridge with no classified road in the village. When I first installed the RDS-TMC antenna, I drove for several miles round the local villages wihout any signal being received.
However, I then carried out a journey from Barrington to Lichfield on the M11/A14/M6/A38. As soon as I joined the M11 signals were received and I was informed of two traffic hold-ups on my route. These were frequently updated (and indeed resolved before I reached the locations) - very impressive. The same for my return, instant acquisition in Lichfield and all OK to Huntingdon where I turned south off the A14. The no further signals were received and the green signal turned grey in 90deg sectors as time passed.
So I tried a journey to Stevenage. On outward journey, no signal until I joined A1(M) then all OK. On return immediate acquisition in Stevenage, progressive loss after I turned off motorway onto A505.
Conclusion: system only works on routes where there is known monitoring of traffic by Highways Agency (the source of the data) elsewhere there is no current data and the RDS-TMC antenna will not pick up signal.
Joined: Jan 04, 2007 Posts: 2789 Location: Hampshire, UK
Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 7:43 pm Post subject:
How have you got the receiver configured?
If it's too close to the car bodywork, this will impede its performance.
The RDS-TMC is transmitted with the radio signal for the local station carrying the signal and shouldn't be road specific.
When I first installed my receiver, I had perfect reception on my driveway and thought I'd installed it well. A few days later, I ventured a few miles from home and had no reception whilst the car immediately next to mine in a car park had good reception.
The result of this was that I decided to re-install the receiver down the centre of the windscreen instead of up the side and it now works exceptionally well - including places where it hadn't worked previously. _________________ Andy
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My aerial wire runs along the bottom of the windscreen for it's whole length and reception so far has been constant. This when travelling down to the south coast and up as far as Humberside in the north.
I have restrung the aerial twice (up centre and along to left; and from RH corner of screen along base and up LH edge) taking care to avoid being close to car shell. Hence delay in responding whilst I experimented. Visits to Lakeside and N London both showed some reluctance to connect in the Cambridge area but instant connection in the London area. A local sortie on lesser roads to St Neots and St Ives the signal activated in about 15 mins after each stop and switch-off but was clearly not dependent on being on a trunk road.
Repositioning the aerial doesn't seem to have made a lot of difference but I do now get a signal within approx 10-15 mins of journey start. Since most of this time is taken reaching any long distance route, this isn't a problem. I am sort of convinced that signal pickup is not a function of being on the primary road network but, in my case, whenever I do join such roads, the service instantly appears. Perhaps my area only receives a weak Classic FM signal (though my car radio is OK) and signal strength is an issue.
Joined: Nov 24, 2006 Posts: 77 Location: Worcester, UK
Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:18 pm Post subject:
I have had an RDS-TMC receiver for almost 2 years now. the receiver originally supplied was hopeless and, eventually, it was replaced free of charge by Tom Tom with the version ending .013. However, my car has an athermic windscreen and it was barely possible to get a signal even parked next to a Classic FM transmitter!
I solved the problem by routing the antenna out around the door seal and cable-tying it it my roof rail! Excellent reception at all times now.
However, having solved that problem (and why the hell TT can't produce a device that can be spliced into the car ariel system i'll never know, given that many people on here have shown conclusively that it works well when you DIY it!), I have to say that the actual information is almost completely pants.
I have been aware recently of a number of long term road closures for road works on major routes (A449, A450) where no mention at all was made by the ITIS supplied traffic information. I asked ITIS why this is and they told me that the locations were not in the database. they knew about the road works but they simply did not have the ability to mark those locations. Now i thought one of the points about having information from ITIS rather that Traffic master was that Traffic Master could only cover roads with their sensors on whereas ITIS is supposed to cover all roads because of the different way they collect information.
Also, recent road works on the A491 in Stourbridge have cloased that road entirely over a distance of about half a mile for 6 weeks. (Now open again). Whilst it was closed, the traffic information merely showed roadworks with minimal delays! ITIS insist that the information they broadcast referred to the road being closed. So one wonders whether their broadcast information was faulty or whether the Tom Tom (GO 710) misinterprets it.
I have also noticed that, frequently, traffic james are shown to be in the opposite direction to what they actually are and, on dual carriageways, the symbols seem to indicate that we in Britain drive on the right.
I can't say that the information is always wrong but, I seriously doubt that it is ever right more than 5% of the time.
All in all, the system is completely unreliable and, in terms of planning and deciding whether to re-route or not, is next to completely useless.
The Tom Tom / ITIS RDS-TMC package is completely pants. A total waste of money.
Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 407 Location: Alconbury - UK
Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 11:56 am Post subject:
@ Southcourt I can confirm for you that within a 20 mile radius of Cambridge you will not get a signal. When I travel in other parts of the country, it works, but get near home and it's had it. _________________ TT Go 720 (T)
Firmware 9.430. Map: Western Europe V 875.3613
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One thing you can do to determine whether it is iTIS or your TT that is wrong is to go to the AA's traffic page and "compare notes" so to speak. I tested this once and discovered that the messages on their website were exactly the same as those displayed on my NavMan unit, hence any inaccuracies surely were due to duff data from iTIS.
With respect to roadworks information, I guess iTIS are utterly reliant on information being given to them by local councils. A case in point recently was some roadworks near me for which the council had put up warning signs that they were due to start on January 8th. Sure enough I started getting a warning on my NavMan from midnight on that very date - excellent service!... unfortunately the council postponed the work for a week but clearly didn't notify iTIS of this. The works were gone by the end of January but iTIS kept broadcasting the warning well into Feb, so I'm guessing that the council had forgotten to inform iTIS when the works had finished.
What iTIS need to do is start accepting information from "trusted sources".
Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 407 Location: Alconbury - UK
Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 1:29 pm Post subject:
I was travelling up the A1 a few months ago and as normal would have exited at Wetherby, however there were roadworks and the slip road was closed. TMC - RDS did not warn me about this.
I sent an e.mail to iTIS asking if they knew about the closure. They responded, via TomTom Customer Support for some reason, that the slip road was going to be closed permanently and that they do not broadcast that type of information!
I have whined at length on this site previously about TMC - RDS, but it appears that it is as good as it's gonna get, so take it or leave it.
I use it like festoon lighting down the side of my TomTom. Whoever said that it is neither use nor ornament was lying. _________________ TT Go 720 (T)
Firmware 9.430. Map: Western Europe V 875.3613
TT iPhone app
V 1.23 Map: Western and Central Europe 2 GB V 965.7286
TT iOS Go Mobile
V 1.1 Map: Western Europe 965.7248
Thanks for the flurry of comments and help. I am somewhat reassured to hear that another Cambridge user can't receive the signal, though I have certainly done so inside 20 miles.
The issue of accuracy of data is another ball game. I am content to have all means of reporting traffic difficulties available even though I can't rely on them in an absolute sense. Even poor/bad info is, on the whole, better than none.
Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 407 Location: Alconbury - UK
Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 5:16 pm Post subject:
I do not get a signal until I've gone past Huntingdon - Promise!
Apparently, the TMC system in Europe is much more accurate and meaningful. I am just waiting to see if it somehow improves. _________________ TT Go 720 (T)
Firmware 9.430. Map: Western Europe V 875.3613
TT iPhone app
V 1.23 Map: Western and Central Europe 2 GB V 965.7286
TT iOS Go Mobile
V 1.1 Map: Western Europe 965.7248
Joined: Jun 27, 2008 Posts: 23 Location: Ramsgate Kent UK
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 7:58 pm Post subject:
Bought a Go 730T 3 weeks ago and paid the extra for the rds traffic unit, it worked a couple of times and then nothing i have tried all of the members sugesstions to try and get it working. this problem seems to have happend when the operating system on the unit was upgraded to 8.10, this system has the hd traffic incorperated into it could there be a conflict ? , would this effect the rds system ? As i travel the country for my work i was hoping the rds would be a valuble asset, no such luck looking forward to Tom Tom sorting this issue out.
Joined: Jan 14, 2005 Posts: 19638 Location: Blackpool , Lancs
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 8:12 pm Post subject:
Welcome to the forum, the 730T does not have the HD Traffic receiver built in, you cannot purchase a HD Traffic receiver as an accessory or even built in to a device as yet in the UK as they don't exist.
If it used to work prior to a software update stick with it, I have often found post an update the device takes longer to acquire the signal, more so if you are located in an area of weak radio signal coverage. Once the unit has achieved a signal subsequent lock on time for the RDS signal should be considerably less - Mike
After complaining to TomTom for 12 months regarding the TMC operations on my 910, they have finally given in.
I threatened legal action as the fault is classed as 'an inherent fault' which is covered under the various Consumer Protection Acts. TomTom are now sending me a new TT920T free of charge.
I know the problem lies with the software as I've tried V8.010 on the 910 and everything works fine. The 920 has V8 software available so this should now solve the problems.
At long last I'll have a system that works as advertised (well nearly!!).
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