SatNav & TMC Experiences?

Post by **PaulR** » Mon Mar 29, 2004 7:47 pm

I've just upgraded my 2001 DX SatNav CD to the 2004 DX version with TMC. (I have SatNav Plus.) It arrived Saturday morning just in time for a trip from High Wycombe to Suffolk. It plotted the quickest route, or so it said, allowing for traffic delays. Not too challenging at weekends. Impressively I got a verbal warning of an M25 tailback about a mile before the onset of brakelights ahead.

Setting off this morning from deepest Suffolk I was looking forward to seeing it cope with the A12/A14 decision, M25 & M40, etc., but instead all I got was a "no radio signal" status after activating the tailback function

On Saturday the TMC lettering on the display was in red font, today it was white. I assume the red means that there are delays ahead. Is this correct? White could also be taken to mean not working, based on today's experience as on Sat it stayed red even when I'd passed the last delay.

Also, it appears that the only radio channel it can see broadcasting the TMC channel is Classic. Are there more? How are they selected, or should I say found; I can see in the manual how to select them from there? Are they regional? Were all the broadcasts off the air this morning between Suffolk & Bucks?

I'd appreciate any feedback especially to know if this is a common feature. Especially as I've just been out to the car again, this time with the manual, and its still doing nothing as far as TMC is concerned.

Thanks, and regards, ... Paul.

Post by **Paul-RS** » Mon Mar 29, 2004 7:56 pm

if i could have a copy for testing purposes i could try for you

I also have sat nav Plus. I hav no idea how the TMC integrates, or if it even works.

Post by **Bushy** » Mon Mar 29, 2004 7:57 pm

I have an Alpine TMC set up and find the signal is more pot luck than anything so it is a bit of a lottery if it wors, IMHO

I am thinking of installing a seperate boosted aerial for the TMc as I am sure sharing one aerial is loosing some of the channel

Good luck withyour quest

I have found that in certain areas you get good signal, but usually miles from no where where there is no traffic

Post by **sitas3** » Mon Mar 29, 2004 8:29 pm

PaulR, which version of the Sat Nav Plus unit do you have? is it a E or F version? If you have Vag-com, you can tell by looking at the 'Vag Number' field on the 'Navigation' controller.

I have the E version (also upgraded the firmware as suggested elsewhere!) which is also telling me I have a TMC version (but isn't supposed to work!!), and I'd like to 'Try' a TMC enabled disc - any volunteers who live near Surrey?

Post by **PaulR** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 7:02 am

I'm not sure how to address the Navigation Controller to find the VAG number. Is it in a hidden menu or one of the normal ones?

Post by **peterb** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 9:39 am

PaulR wrote:Also, it appears that the only radio channel it can see broadcasting the TMC channel is Classic.

I am pretty sure that ClassicFM is the only carrier of the TMC data. ClassicFM is supposed to have nationwide coverage, so there shouldn't really be any reception problems. Try listening to ClassicFM and see how good the signal is to the main radio.

I haven't been aware of any reception problems, but then I don't regularly go to check the status.

Post by **ChrisB** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 2:52 pm

Peter is right, Classic is the only currently broadcasting station but this isn't a big problem as it is a national station with 85%+ coverage. Each regional cell transmits it's own "local" traffic data, so you shouldn't get alerts about the motorways in Glasgow when in London (or vice versa!).

I don't know why you got a "no signal" message - local transmitter fault?

My TMC text has always been red, so I assume that means it has a signal. Youshould also get a D in the guidance arrow in DIS while route guidance is active if Dynamic routing is turned on.

In my experience, the 2004 disc has one big failing - villages have been grouped into postcode areas, which makes it impossible to navigate directly to a particular village without having to find it by scrolling randomly round a postcode region on the map. For example, trying to find Towcester village near Silverstone, I entered Towcester and it changed to a postcode area. I didn't know the street the hotel I was looking for was on, and it wasn't listed under Hotels. I wanted to drive to the centre of Towcester and then find it form there, but to get there without knowing road names I had to use the map and scroll about until I found it and then lock a position in. This is a backward step IMHO. I expect it's been done to preserve space for the new postcode and TMC data, but it's annoying all the same.

Post by **PaulR** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 10:41 pm

Interesting feedback thanks. I was getting the D in the guidance arrow regardless of the "white TMC" and no radio signal. I also tuned in to Classic and listened for a good half hour yesterday (good audio signal) when I first noticed tha lack of TMC signal. During the entire 200 mile journey I must have passed through several transmitter regions and depite all of that nothing on the TMC channel. (A bit like RS246 earlier this evening!)

It does seem to work this evening, though the car hasn't moved since getting back from Suffolk yesterday. Most bizarre. Will see how it goes now for a few days.

I also noticed the postcode grouping function, and agree it's pretty annoying. However, if you do want to go to the region centre (eg Towcester) select the city centre option after keying in Towcester and it seems to go there directly. The town centre option doesn't seem to be programmed and returns a beep.

Thanks for the feedback, ... Paul.

Post by **peterb** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 9:47 am

ChrisB wrote:You should also get a D in the guidance arrow in DIS while route guidance is active if Dynamic routing is turned on.

Others have reported the D in the guidance arrow with the 2003/2004 interim disc (NO TMC), so I'm pretty sure that the D has nothing to do with TMC being active!

Post by **peterb** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 9:58 am

ChrisB wrote:In my experience, the 2004 disc has one big failing - villages have been grouped into postcode areas, which makes it impossible to navigate directly to a particular village without having to find it by scrolling randomly round a postcode region on the map.

Not just villages. I was trying to get to Ally Pally last Saturday. It took me an age to find Ally Pally Way in the streets list. Also, on Monday, trying to get to a road in Chandlers Ford/Eastleigh, I couldn't find the road on any streets list - ended up scrolling around the map, starting from Eastleigh, to locate the road.

Streets used to be available over a much wider regional area in previous discs - but this did, occasionally, result in navigating to the correct street in the wrong town.

With the current disc, it is always best to find the postcode for the area/street you're looking for - I have an oldish copy of the PO Postcode database database on my computer so, provided that I look up before I leave home, I'm okay.

Post by **Paul-RS** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 3:54 pm

peterb wrote:
ChrisB wrote:You should also get a D in the guidance arrow in DIS while route guidance is active if Dynamic routing is turned on.
Others have reported the D in the guidance arrow with the 2003/2004 interim disc (NO TMC), so I'm pretty sure that the D has nothing to do with TMC being active!

yep that was me with that disk.

I have TMC ready (apparently) but no TMC disk.

2001/ and 2003 disks didnt have the D on the addow in the DIS

RS246.com Forum :: The World's #1 Audi R, S and RS Enthusiast Community

SatNav & TMC Experiences?

SatNav & TMC Experiences?

Re: SatNav & TMC Experiences?

Who is online