TomTom Go550 Live Mount

clay · Occasional Visitor Joined: Nov 18, 2006 Posts: 45

I have the older version Go550 live & the suction mount snapped a few weeks back & has been replaced by one from Amazon, The issue is the replacement doesn't have the extra black wire & I've lost live services, should this one work ??

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TomTom-LIVE-Active-Dock-Mount/dp/B001JFBEBO

AliOnHols · Pocket GPS Verifier Joined: Oct 15, 2008 Posts: 1940

It looks exactly like the one I use for my Go940 Live so it should do. The Q&A's on the Amazon page seem to support this also.

However, I am confused by your comment

clay · Occasional Visitor Joined: Nov 18, 2006 Posts: 45

This picture is with the new amazon mount

Original mount with traffic info on the right.

old mount with the extra thin black wire

AliOnHols · Pocket GPS Verifier Joined: Oct 15, 2008 Posts: 1940

Thanks for the pictures. I understand your "missing black cable" comment now.
I've not got one of those on my Live mount so, until somebody with a 550 comments, it's probably best to ignore my previous comments about the mount being suitable.
_________________
Garmin Nuvi 2599
Android with CamerAlert, OsmAnd+, Waze & TT Europe.
TomTom GO 730, GO 930, GO 940 & Rider2.
SatMap Active 10 & 20.

DennisN · Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 11:50 pm Post subject:

That extra black wire was the aerial for RDS-TMC Traffic. It did NOT do Live Traffic, which as Ali said, was via the built in SIM and required subscription. Only later mounts had that wire, my first one didn't, my second one did. The 550 would automatically use RDS-TMC service if the LIVE service didn't connect. Because I consider RDS-TMC to be vastly inferior to LIVE Traffic, I did my utmost to disable it, because mine only connected to it by default.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

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clay · Occasional Visitor Joined: Nov 18, 2006 Posts: 45

Thanks both of you for your reply's, so the answer most likely is then that the new mount is faulty in some way..

Talking of the traffic & subscriptions Dennis mine expired about two years ago & I still get info... very odd.

AliOnHols · Pocket GPS Verifier Joined: Oct 15, 2008 Posts: 1940

Do you know for sure that it is HD traffic you are receiving and not RDS traffic supplied by that little black cable which is now missing and possibly why your " HD" traffic has stopped?
_________________
Garmin Nuvi 2599
Android with CamerAlert, OsmAnd+, Waze & TT Europe.
TomTom GO 730, GO 930, GO 940 & Rider2.
SatMap Active 10 & 20.

DennisN · Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 8:41 am Post subject:

You have a First Edition mount. The 550 is capable of receiving RDS-TMC Traffic via an aerial. Owners of the early one had a separate aerial. The later edition had an aerial fitted to the mount - it was the short black wire which also had a small windscreen sucker.

When first purchased, the 550 had a short period of free HD Traffic. It also had/has the capability to receive RDS-TMC traffic through an aerial. If it had an aerial, the 550 would pick up either HD Traffic if you had a valid subscription AND if it was getting the HD signal via its built in SIM. If the SIM connection failed (no Vodafone phone signal) it would default to using RDS-TMC traffic through its radio aerial. The traffic bar on the TT did not indicate which traffic service it was receiving, merely that it was receiving traffic. For early edition 550s, you had to buy the aerial. For later editions it came already fitted in the mount. You cannot buy that aerial to fit to the mount. You can buy the mount or you can buy a mount without the aerial (which you have done) and then also buy the separate aerial. IF you can find them for these old TTs.

Obviously, you have been sold a First Edition mount and if you don't want to subscribe for HD Traffic, you have to buy a separate aerial. This is a minefield as there were several different aerials for several different TT models. It is a perfect demonstration of the hazards of buying from e-bay (and Amazon in this instance).
_________________
Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

DennisN · Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 8:52 am Post subject:

DennisN · Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 10:18 am Post subject:

Here is an aerial option you can buy from TomTom.

http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/drive/accessories/chargers-cables/drive-easy-traffic-receiver/

Note the price, £49.99. You'd be better off spending the money on renewing the HD Traffic subscription, £47.50 for one year.

Incidentally, have you thought about possibly contacting the Amazon seller telling them you need the one with the included aerial, not that one which hasn't got it? But I have googled and searched and all the mounts I can find don't have the extra built in RDS-TMC aerial.
_________________
Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

clay · Occasional Visitor Joined: Nov 18, 2006 Posts: 45

Thanks for the link Dennis as you say its a bit expensive for that cable.

Your correct in saying that my original mount with the extra cable had a sucker to attach it to the screen of the car.

I also was unable to find a mount with the extra wire hence why I purchased this one, I might as well keep it at least the sat nav works.

I'm a little confused as to which traffic service I'm receiving its only basic stuff like road works info & on the odd occasion will ask if I would like to take a faster route.

AliOnHols · Pocket GPS Verifier Joined: Oct 15, 2008 Posts: 1940

If you are no longer getting traffic data with the new mount you were getting RDS traffic supplied by the little black cable on the old mount.
_________________
Garmin Nuvi 2599
Android with CamerAlert, OsmAnd+, Waze & TT Europe.
TomTom GO 730, GO 930, GO 940 & Rider2.
SatMap Active 10 & 20.

DennisN · Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 7:27 pm Post subject:

clay · Occasional Visitor Joined: Nov 18, 2006 Posts: 45

Dennis the information I receive on the vertical bar on my second picture is that from RDS of HD traffic ?

DennisN · Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 10:08 pm Post subject:

You describe that picture as "Original mount with traffic info on the right."

If you didn't have a HD Traffic subscription, it cannot have been HD Traffic, so by default it must be RDS-TMC Traffic. HD comes via Vodafone 2G signal, to a SIM card in the TomTom and if you don't have a contract (subscription) you don't get service. RDS-TMC comes via a radio aerial and is broadcast by a radio station (somebody other than TomTom). Get an aerial and you can listen to the radio programme free for as long as the radio broadcasts. When I had only RDS-TMC I decided that I could get just as good a service by listening to BBC Radio 5 Live on my car radio - traffic info read out by them every 15 and 45 minutes past the hour and as such, not much use.

You haven't said, so I am guessing that you took the picture with your previous mount attached - so although it was busted, the cable aerial was still attached and working.

Both HD and RDS traffic show the same sidebar.
_________________
Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

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