TMC on Acer N35 with Destinator PN

[petetobin]

Hi,

I have just upgraded to Destinator PN and apart from the dodgy UK maps with a load of streets missing over Destinator 3, the software looks pretty good.

Can someone help me in terms of how I get the TMC working. Tried enabling the TMC settings in Destinator PN but the GPS antenna doesn't support it. Any ideas how I go about getting a TMC feed for when it's installed in the car. I had a look on the comwave website and they seem to have some sort of TMC unit you can plug into the bottom but my German ist nicht sehr gut.

Thanks

Pete

[Spudson]

Pete,

From what I've read up on Destinator, although it supports TMC, I don't believe it is supported in the UK - as the suppliers of TMC data charge for the privilege (rip-off Britain???).

If you're still interested, take a look at the website of GNS, the manufacturer of a receiver that (I presume) uses your serial port to plug into your PDA. They also make a combined bluetooth/TMC receiver but if I remember correctly, the n35 doesn't support bluetooth.

Hope this helps.

S

[petetobin]

Thanks, yet another factor to consider! If Trafficmaster are the provider of the TMC data in the UK and TMC is a worldwide standard, how do they restrict access to their data to licensed units. I wondered if the restriction might be around selling TMC kit in the UK (i.e. providers need to be contracted with Trafficmaster to seel units in the UK) rather than being built into the unit in some way? The TMC Forum website certainly implies that free alert services are available in the UK.

Pete

[petetobin]

Looks like there is something built into the unit as you said. Got this off the TMC forum website.

In some areas, such as the United Kingdom, only commercial TMC services are broadcast. In these areas, you will only be able to receive TMC messages if the manufacturer of your navigation system (or of your vehicle, for those with original-equipment navigation systems) has made an agreement with the service provider to receive TMC information.

[Spudson]

Pete,

To my knowledge, there are two suppliers of TMC data in the UK - Trafficmaster and ITIS. Apologies if what's detailed below is wrong - but this is my current u/s of how TMC works within the UK.

Trafficmaster make use of their blue-camera devices that you see over motorway bridges. Where there is little progress, it reports back.
ITIS make use of Floating Vehicle Data - that is, Eddie Stobart lorries/National Express coaches fitted with GPS transmitters that tell them of their progress and when a collection of vehicles build up in a certain area/slow down.

When they transmit this signal to TMC users, the transmission of the signal uses VHF - also known as FM - radio signals. In order to do this, you have to have a licence from the Government (ie not Radio Caroline etc.) - which costs money. ITIS/Trafficmaster try to recover this cost through agreements with users.

Manufacturers of some in-built car systems have an agreement with either ITIS or Trafficmaster to use their data feed. Sat-Nav software providers generally don't. TomTom do (and use ITIS) but they take the data feed from ITIS, and then transmit the info via the internet. You have to subscribe to the service (fee) and then when out-and-about, you need a GPRS connection (data cost). Navigon used to support TMC through v4, but posts in that forum suggest that v5 is no longer supported.

So, direct TMC feeds appear to be a non-starter for a PDA user in the UK.

Cheers

S

[dio]

[quote="petetobin"]Hi,

I have just upgraded to Destinator PN and apart from the dodgy UK maps with a load of streets missing over Destinator 3, the software looks pretty good.

Petetobin

I thought PN was using Q4 maps and with the potential for working TMC I was considering swapping from Navigon, are they really that bad ?

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