TT Traffic and Extra Phone Costs

keithmillar · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 2:58 pm Post subject: TT Traffic and Extra Phone Costs

Can someone help me out with some information please.
I've just bought a TT530 T. I'm thinking about using TT Traffic, and as i understand my unit would have to link into/with my mobile phone.
Apart from the cost TT would charge, would my mobile phone supplier charge as well?

Cheers

Keith

perussell · Frequent Visitor Joined: May 12, 2006 Posts: 292

Guess it depends upon your phone contract and whether it includes GPRS content. I have been using TT Traffic for 8 months now, never seen a penny for it on my bill and generally found reception and data to be far more reliable than using any TMC antenna,

theripper · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 3:01 pm Post subject:

That depends on your supplier I pay a flat fee of £7.50 to T-Mobile for up to 3 GB per month.
If I use my TT for a whole days work set up to check every 2 minutes it takes about 200kb a day

theripper

keithmillar · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 3:09 pm Post subject:

I'm with Virgin Mobile which i think has something to do with T-Mobile.
I'm just trying to get arounderbout figure of what the costs could be.

Cheers

Keith

mikealder · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 6:56 pm Post subject:

Keith, IF you have purchased the (T) version it will have been supplied with the RDS-TMC receiver, this requires no further subscription and neither does it require a data connection from your phone.

Simply plug the receiver in and run the aerial up the side of the windscreen (at least 2"/ 5CM away from the vehicles structure), reception around the Fylde used to be pathetic, but these days we are served with a signal from Winter Hill using 105,4FM (Century FM) this is very effective and a welcome improvement to the signal reception around here - Mike

keithmillar · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 7:57 pm Post subject:

Hi Mike,
Thanks for you help and input. What i'm looking to find out is more about the TT Traffic, as from what i've read about the RDS-TMC receiver its not the most up to item on the market.

Jate
Below is the reply i've just had back from Virgin Mobile -
Hi Keith,

Thanks for your email to Virgin Mobile about connecting your phone to your sat nav. We'd like to offer assistance.

If you're connecting your phone to your sat-nav via GPRS whilst in the UK, our standard GPRS charges will apply. This means you'll be charged £2 per mega-byte if you pay via a monthly direct debit, or £5 per mega-byte if you're on our standard Pay As You Go tariff.

Alternatively, you may be connecting to your sat-nav via bluetooth, in which case there's no charge for the service. However, if you're connecting to get traffic updates, we're assuming you're using GPRS.

I'll have a play with my mobile phone - a Nokia 6021 - and see what i can do.

Cheers

Keith

mikealder · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 8:07 pm Post subject:

I would try the RDS-TMC though for at least a week or two then decide IF the GPRS additional subscription charge and running costs are worth it. You should also be aware the RDS-TMC AND GPRS delivered traffic information come from the same place so there is little difference in content/ quality.

The GPRS system offers full country coverage where the RDS-TMC delivers regional based data, that said as I head out on the M55 I can see incidents as far South as Birmingham and North as far up as Glasgow, East To West coverage is coast to coast.

As you drive into a different area the device updates from a different radio station thus offering newer data centred around your true location. You will have at least two hours driving time before you hit the end of the regional feed, by which time the data has been updated offering newer information further along your trip.

I don't want to put you off trying the subscription service, but you need to be aware of the above, and the fact that the data is the same, all the GPRS system offers differently to the RDS based service is better reception at higher cost - you have the RDS-TMC receiver which is free to use so at least give it a trial, you have nothing to loose - Mike

keithmillar · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 8:57 pm Post subject:

Hello Mike,
Thanks again for your help and guidance.
I always thought the the TT Traffic was better than the RDS-TMC as the information sent to the driver, was more up to date - the info was sent in real time and not after the event, so to speak.
I did have the RDS-TMC with my old TT One XL but i sold that last week to raise the funds to buy the 530, and i have to say that for the short time i had the RDS-TMC (less than 2 months) it did ok.
As i've already wrote, i was always under the impression that the TT Traffic was a better set up to have.

Cheers

Keith

mikealder · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:04 pm Post subject:

iTIS Holdings provide the data irrespective of method of delivery (RDS/ GPRS)

For RDS-TMC iTIS send the data to the FM Radio stations within the UK for broadcast.

For GPRS iTIS send the data to TomTom's server for information to be downloaded at a time interval defined by the subscriber, 10 or 15 minutes is usually a good setting to avoid excessive costs.

Your first post mentioned purchasing the 530T which should have been supplied with the RDS-TMC Receiver, is this the case? - Mike

keithmillar · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 10:02 pm Post subject:

mcqueen · Lifetime Member Joined: Jan 17, 2007 Posts: 19

I get TomTom traffic through my Virgin mobile. I’m on the Pay as you Go tarriff. My traffic updates are not restricted to specified intervals, so I get the updates as and when they’re available. 1hour 45 min commute round the M25 costs me between 8 – 15p for the updates.

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