Anybody actually using TMC data on their PDAs?

swing · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2004 5:42 pm Post subject:

I think I'd agree in principle about the differences between iTIS and TM, however, at this stage, there is no way to get hold of TM data and link that into a PDA-based SatNav solution (although there are ways of getting TM data to mobile phones / PDAs, it's not possible to directly link, which is a nice integration in my opinion)

dejongj · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2004 7:28 pm Post subject:

David,

That is an interesting comparison indeed. I can't wait to get my package through from Navigon as I also have a TrafficMaster in my car. In my review I will look thoroughly into the comparison of the two systems.
Based upon your snapshot I will not yet put my Trafficmaster on eBay ;-) Probably the combination of the two will give me more insight to make a personal decision on whether to take an alternative root. But that is assumptions at this stage.

BTW Looks like we are looking at the same area. I live in Whipsnade and I always get caught up in the South-Beds area on the A5 from Dunstable. Though Navigon never fancies routing me around Dunstable going south on the A5, exit and go through Edlesborough instead and enter Whipsnade up the Chilterns past the Zoo. I am interested to see whether the MBEE version will take that alternative route to avoid the A5.

swing · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2004 10:12 am Post subject:

DavidW · Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2004 12:00 pm Post subject:

It's beginning to look like the Bedfordshire mafia are in this thread - I'm actually in Flitwick, and travel regularly to Dunstable and Milton Keynes.

swing is quite right - at the moment, there is no Pocket PC software that can use the Trafficmaster data, which is a huge shame. There's no problem in principle with using Trafficmaster data on a PDA - Trafficmaster have a standalone application on Palm OS that uses their data. Sadly, they haven't come up with anything for the Pocket PC - standalone or, even better, integrated into a navigation program.

If anyone else fancies trying my comparison, then simply visiting www.trafficmaster.net will show a carousel of some live traffic data. Alternatively, I believe they still offer a free trial of one month - you have to give your credit card details, but if you cancel a few days before the end of your trial period, your credit card won't be charged.

David

dejongj · Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2004 11:48 pm Post subject:

Hmm, no package delivered and no card from a courier. Better get in contact with Navigon to see where it is....And I was so looking forward to my new toy...

dejongj · Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2004 7:04 pm Post subject:

Quick update: As part of the cross upgrade to Navigon MBEE I needed to include my old GPS receiver. I did not send in my old hardware which is the reason why I haven't got my new package yet....Ah well a bit longer to wait...

DavidH · Regular Visitor Joined: Feb 06, 2004 Posts: 78

Any joy yet? (I'm not impatient or anything) Confused

dejongj · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2004 7:40 pm Post subject:

Nope, I can't wait myself!!! I think they must have been very busy with the CEBIT etc...

squarebanana · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 23, 2004 Posts: 7

its a pity that the isisholdings page mentioned above, couldnt be loaded(maybe it could) then at least if your sat in some services you could access it by gprs to take a look further down where your going.

I do agree though it would be an absolute boon to have this sort of traffic data available through say tom tom2, have tom tom never thought of releasing anything like this, i thought it would be a real boon to them commercially speaking

swing · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2004 10:36 am Post subject:

scwheeler · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 14, 2004 Posts: 10

Does any1 have an update to this?

Am really clsoe to purchasing the Leadtek mouse with rds-tmc, but even after massive trawling of to web, i'm still none the wiser where this is a good, workable option for the uk!!!

Dave · Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 8:11 am Post subject:

First of all you would need to check that the Leadtek TMC version does support the frequency scan of Classic FM otherwise you won't get any TMC data out.

Secondly you also need a product that supports it. No PDA product does currently. You'll have to wait to see what TomTom come out with, but if they were to bring out a TMC enabled software I would suspect it would be bundled to work initially with their TMC hardware.

swing · Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 5:33 pm Post subject:

scwheeler · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 14, 2004 Posts: 10

Thanks for your replys. I've never found a subject harder to do any research on! Especially seeing as I would have thought it was top of everybodys wishlist( btw I think its a shame that tt3 went for gprs instead of tmc for its traffic service, but I s'pose its a better commercial option)

Don't know about Navigon but Alturion allows you to set the frequency to recieve the tmc on, I would assume they both work the same. The leadtek lead should be fine as its the software that does the tuning.

For swing : the reason I want to get the lead first is two fold, 1st incase tt3 supported tmc then would look to purchase that instead. 2nd until I have a definative answer on what works in uk and what doesn't - bearing in mind pocketgps hasn't reviewed either alturion or navigon business mobile navigator - i feel its prudent to try before i buy, thats all.

What are the pitfalls of tmc? Is the data unreliable and that is why nobody is to bothered about it?

DavidH · Regular Visitor Joined: Feb 06, 2004 Posts: 78

The more I look inot this, the more confused I have become. IS there a FAQ I can be pointed to?

My "understnding":
I looked at VDO etc, but was advised that the traffic info that comes over the radio (I THINK it's called RDS-TMC) was too inaccurate and slow, somewhat like the news flashes that interrupt on a normal car radio (also using RDS?).

Navigon & Alturion seem to use Traffic-i which I think uses the TrafficMaster data which I am told is much more up-to-the-minute than TMC (unless they're the same thing!), and of course there's the various standalone boxes from TrafficMaster themselves.

I THNK (seem to be doing a lot of this) that TrafficMaster / traffic-i know where you are through the mobile phone system called GPRS rather than the satellite GPS system, hence why they can use the O2 XDAII.

So while we await deJong's review of the Navigon integrated system with bated breath, it seems that for a good realtime system the Navigation (Tom Tom et al) and Traffic (Traffic-i) info have to be separate, either on 2 boxes (PDA + Standalone traffic), PDA + GPRS mobile phone (but you can't make / receive a call at teh same time), or O2 XDAII.

How much of the above is correct? Exclamation

	PocketGPS
	Web