TomTom RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver
Posted by Notcot on Mar 29, 2010 in Handhelds & PDAs |
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Just upgraded from TomTom Navigator 6 to Go 730 TomTom GO 730, and after reading some good reviews of this latest receiver (and mixed reviews of the earlier TMC traffic receivers), I thought I’d give this a go.
This is the latest receiver TomTom RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver (2008)and has a mini-USB connector in place of the circular plug that earlier receivers use. It is also worth noting that the box says ‘One’ and ‘XL’ (x30 series), but the TomTom website shows it also works with the Go series (520,530,720,730…).
Admittedly, the 730 came with firmware 8.002, and this didn’t recognise the receiver, but after connecting to TomTom Home (and updating to 8.010), the receiver was immediately detected. (Note: the receiver needs to be powered to work, so you always need be connected to the 12V/lighter socket for traffic info)
On startup, the display showed that a TMC information signal had been found and that the data was updating. A minute or two later, and a green circle was showing (indicating the information was up-to date), and showing me a long jam on my normal route to work! The info gives shows you how long the queue is, and the cause (roadworks, lane closure etc), and can reroute automatically if you want.
Have read lots of reviews complaining about difficulty in receiving signals/aerial placement in car (probably with earlier receivers?), and that doesn’t seem to be a problem with this unit, so it looks like TomTom have got it right with this one! Full marks TomTom!
Rating: 5 / 5
Before purchasing this item I read the reviews on this website and was encouraged to read that Tomtom had apparently sorted out the problems with the earlier versions of the TMC traffic reciever. However it just goes to show that you shouldn’t believe everything that you read on the internet.
Where I live I’m in range of two Classic FM transmitters (the radio station that carries the TMC signals in the UK) and have good signal strength. No matter what I tried the unit simply wouldn’t pick up any traffic signal. The Tomtom recognises the receiver and tries to use it but it’s constantly searching for a signal. I tried it on auto-search, tried putting in the frequencies manually, tried driving around, tried different polarisations of the aerial – all to no avail. It was suggested that my Tomtom needed a software upgrade but it still didn’t work on the very latest software version. I even tried it on a colleagues Tomtom with exactly the same result.
If could just be that I had a faulty unit but it sounds suspiciously that the problems with the earlier versions are still apparent with this one too. Having looked into it further there are a lot of people still having problems with this version so I’m not alone. It appears to me to be a bit hit and miss as to whether you get a unit that works ok or not. There seem to be plenty of people who it works fine for but an equal number for whom it doesn’t. It’s your choice really.
Rating: 1 / 5
This is a very easy product to use! It really is simply plug it in and away you go!
Before you use it, you need to make sure that you have all the relevant updates for your TomTom, and that is as easy as turning on your TomTom and connecting it to your pc, after installing the software of course (but that’s a different topic all together).
It may be different for each model, but my TomTom (TomTom One) displays a sidebar on the right hand side. At the top is a little picture of a car. When ever the RDS Receiver picks up any information your TomTom will beep at you, and tell you what kind of delay it is,how long the delay is for (approx) and how far away you are from the delay.
The delay time is then added to your arrival time.
A simple touch of the screen on the traffic bit (well that’s where I touch) and you have the option of re-routing your journey to avoid the delay. I had to do this recently and I was very pleased with the result. Although by going the new route I added half an hour to my journey, I at least didn’t have to spend 45 minutes in the car, not moving any where, and still being an hour away from my destination, which would of course have made me late!!
If one may be allowed a couple of niggles, I live in the middle of nowhere, so sometimes it can take a good half hour until it finds a signal. Either that, or there just arent any traffic issues, but when I’m in the city I get the green light saying it’s located the signal, pretty much instantaneously. The other niggle is that the receiver doesn’t much like the heat, so if you can find a way of protecting it from sunlight I’m sure that will help you.
So, to conclude, a very handy piece of kit. So simple to use and 95% efficient.
Rating: 4 / 5
I drive over 20,000 miles a year around North Wales, Cheshire and Merseyside. I have installed this device on a car with a quick clear windscreen, however it does not appear that the windscreen causes any problems. The signal strenth of the designated radio station is good in most of the areas I cover.
The receiver has a split personality. When starting a journey from the same location (home) it can take a journey of 20 miles before it manages to gain a signal, yet other times it starts within minutes. On occasion it is still searching for a signal when I have completed my journey. However when it has picked up a signal it does provide an accurate reading of the delays ahead. The wiring can be a little untidy across the windscreen or dash. It’s weak point is the time it takes to latch on to the TMC signal, it’s strong point is that when it does it is accurate. I think Tom Tom need to develop a better aerial then it would be worth a 5 star rating. In all it is a fair to good device.
Rating: 3 / 5
As a high mileage road user going to different destinations on a weekly basis I invested in a TomTom GO 740 “LIVE” satnav a year ago which has real-time traffic updates using the built-in TomTom cellular data system (using the Vodafone network I understand) and have been using it without problem for a year – it is quite simply brilliant and well worth the monthly subscription – I’ve saved many hours by avoiding the jams. The TomTom “LIVE” system comes with “HD Traffic” which gives both motorways and A-road live traffic updates which is excellent.
Prior to getting this new “LIVE” system from TomTom I previously had the TomTom GO 720T – which was fine except for the RDS-TMC traffic receiver which rarely worked properly and struggled to get a ‘lock’ on the Classic FM sub band that carries the traffic data. So, I was a little reluctant to get this newly designed TomTom RDS-TMC for my wife’s new TomTom One XL, but after reading the postive reviews here I figured I’d give it a try. Here’s my experience:
1. It worked, first time, instantly (massive improvement on previous TomTom RDS-TMC systems!)
2. The day I tried it was a bad traffic day and it found all the traffic hotspots instantly on the motorways with details of the traffic, delay impact, tailback length etc (again massive improvement on previous RDS-TMC experiences a few years ago with the old 720T satnav)
3. It was easy to “install” to the TomTom GO One XL with no additional software downloads or configuration needed – as soon as I plugged in the new receiver the TomTom recognised the input and did the rest automatically – from a user experience perspective very impressive!
4. The receiver is quite a hassle to keep stuck to the windscreen with a bit of wetting the suckers required but once up it seemed to stay up
5. This Amazon product is the official TomTom product selling for A LOT more if you buy direct from TomTom – buy it from Amazon not direct from TomTom and save youself over £20!!!
Conclusion: if you are a heavy road user and can afford the higher up front cost and monthly / annual subscription costs go for a TomTom “LIVE” system e.g. 550/750/950 with in-built cellular system to deliver TomTom’s exceptional HD Traffic service. However, if you are an occasional road user or budget is tight then this is an excellent 2nd best option which completes the non-LIVE TomTom satnav systems such as TomTom GO One XL to deliver reliable and accurate traffic updates to your TomTom. Well worth the investment.
Rating: 4 / 5