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Modern Technology Defeated by the snow

 
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Darren
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Joined: 11/07/2002 14:36:40
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Location: Hampshire, UK

PostPosted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 3:07 pm    Post subject: Modern Technology Defeated by the snow Reply with quote

Speed Cameras, GPS, SatNavsTop marks to TomTom for seizing this weeks snow and ice as a PR opportunity. The snowflakes had barely settled early on Monday morning when a PR email from TomTom UK landed in our inboxes proclaiming the benefits of HD Traffic which was reporting 1,086 miles of traffic during the morning not so rush hour.

However what they omitted to mention was that many of the UK's mobile phone networks (inc Vodafone used by the x40's) were struggling under the weight of additional call traffic as commuters called their offices and the train and other help lines. Although I was sat tight at home on Monday my 940 stubbornly refused to connect to the data network and so was unable to display any traffic data until 11am.

One website even claimed that sat-nav systems were refusing to function because snow was blocking the signal! On a brighter note the snow did result in many speed cameras not being able to operate owing to snow on their lenses and radar speed measurements systems and measurement markings on the carriageways being obscured, not that many motorists were speeding even if they had been able to. Congratulations to Boris Johnson, London Mayor who scrapped the Congestion Charge for the day on Monday but did anyone even know about this at the time??
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gem
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Joined: Feb 06, 2004
Posts: 90
Location: Scotland

PostPosted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 9:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Likewise my Trafficmaster item was not picking up the data from the mobile network.

And also agree that folk in London did not know the congestion tax was abolished for the day.

However I heard from a (inner) London driver friend that it was a bliss day. No busses and the roads were clear and moved well as a result. Very Happy

Here's a useful observation however on TMC messages. Garmin shows you with a VERY useful little arrow where the traffic alert is. i.e. if ahead, to the right or if behind, etc. And the approx distance from you. Arrow

Navman gives no indication of whereabouts in relation to you the problem is. If there were a little arrow pointing to the problem then this would be great.

I took this for granted and wonder if other users had noticed this flaw. I guess not as you only miss if you had that facility in the past.
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Darren
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Joined: 11/07/2002 14:36:40
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Location: Hampshire, UK

PostPosted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 9:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

gem wrote:
Here's a useful observation however on TMC messages. Garmin shows you with a VERY useful little arrow where the traffic alert is. i.e. if ahead, to the right or if behind, etc. And the approx distance from you. Arrow

Nice, I've never managed to pick up anything with the TMC on my 765! On my TomTom the TMC data is shown only for your route so no scope for confusion.
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Darren Griffin
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mrsmith76
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Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 1:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I used my 940 between 7am and 1130 am during the snow mayhem without any operational issues to HD Traffic, even rerouted me 3 times to avoid accidents and road closures!
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technik
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Joined: Mar 18, 2004
Posts: 788
Location: Midlands UK

PostPosted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 9:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No problems here with GPRS Traffic sub on my 720.

I am on Orange network though, and have the benefit of HSDPA.

Does the TomTom x40 series use HSDPA or just normal GPRS?

The phone networks handled 4x normal traffic volumes on the big snow days this week, so that would show up the areas where network capacity upgrades are required.
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Darren
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 9:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

technik wrote:
Does the TomTom x40 series use HSDPA or just normal GPRS?

GPRS
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mikealder
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Joined: Jan 14, 2005
Posts: 19638
Location: Blackpool , Lancs

PostPosted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 9:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

technik wrote:
Does the TomTom x40 series use HSDPA or just normal GPRS?
GPRS is what the x40 uses, the data packets are quite small although I would like to see faster returns from Google based location searches - Mike
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