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GTM21 traffic issues
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swing
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 8:31 am    Post subject: GTM21 traffic issues Reply with quote

So, having been involved in an over 30 page thread on the Nuvi - a question has come up - does the GTM21 suffer the same problems?

Please report your experiences of using a GTM21 in the UK, and which unit you have it connected to...
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mwfox
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 4:44 pm    Post subject: GTM21 Reply with quote

I had a reply from Garmin about GTM 21 problems:

"We have not heard of any problems with the GTM21, however we have sent a few suppression kits to these customers for them to try."
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swing
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 7:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for that - this either implies no one is contacting them, or there simply isn't the level of problems that the Nuvi charger has.
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viza
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 5:05 pm    Post subject: GTM 21 Reply with quote

For what it's worth

Upgraded from I3 to C510d in May and generally pleased with performance. Sat acquisition is quick and on home driveway get green TMC led before sat lock. I live on Beds/Herts border close A1M and reception seems OK, only found a couple of small deadspots locally.

Went on holiday in August drove to Dover down A1M, M25 and M2 and only lost signal for a few minutes through tunnels and over the bridge.

Spent 3 weeks touring France and TMC operated virtually without interuption, even picking up on roadworks on D road that was little more than one man and a shovel filling potholes. Only in deepest rural France well off the beaten track did signal go and then only for a few miles entering Loire valley.

Mapping worked very well in France with only 2 or 3 instances of having to use the hard drive between the ears to avoid possible problems with road widths ( I tow a caravan). French speed camera database was also faultless picking up all the cameras I came across.

Based on all the posts on this site about Garmin & TMC there do seem to be UK problems with TMC although only few posts about C510D. For what I paid for the unit I think it does what I want of it and it does it well. For the most part I find TMC a bonus as I don't use GPS daily, living only 10 mins from work. Maybe I have been lucky as an infrequent user of the system, I bought it to show me how to get from A to B when away from home area and to avoid cameras. I do appreciate other folk may have different expectations of what GPS can do for them.
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swing
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 5:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I also live on the Beds/Herts border near the A1M, and it's only very recently that I've seen any traffic info in the area, so it's nice to see the Nuvi replacement car charger brings the unit up to the quality of the GTM21.
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len73
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 8:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a c550 with aGTM21 and have been getting the same traffic problems as the guys with the Nuvi/GTM11 & 12. On several trips from Portsmouth to London, Malvern and the New Forrest Traffic info was virtually nil, once it said traffic ahead, I had been stuck in for 30 mins by then.

A couple of months ago spoke to a seemingly knowledgable guy at Garmin who said that there were problems with traffic in the UK, the 2 reasons being low transmitter output in the UK and noise being induced to the units from the power supply. He sent me a couple of ferrite rings to try ( no good) and put my name on the list to receive a new GTM21 when the States had diagnosed the full extent of the problem.

Last week I chased Garmin, spoke to a lady who sent me a new lead. When it arrived it was for a Nuvi so I rang again and spoke to a guy called Tom. He said that I'd mistaken the GTM for the 12, there were no problems on the 21. In my best Gehngis Khan diplomacy I assured him that I'd done nothing of the sort, he then suggested that my 21 could be faulty and a replacement would be sent; not here yet.

I then asked him as the Nuvi 6XX range now uses the GTM21, did the GTM21 supplied with that model have the same part no as the 550 one( 10R-023487). At that point he got stroppy and said that he could not divulge that information. My logic being if there were no problems with the current unit Garmin would have not spent R&D on a new 21 for the Nuvi. Seems I'll have to wait for the 6XX to be released and try and see if the 21 has a new part no.

Not impressed with Garmin support so far, seems the left hand has no clue what the left hand is doing!
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swing
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think Garmin made the mistake - I've not heard of any plans to redesign the GTM21, as it does not suffer the same problems as the GTM12 (which they also aren't redesigning).

The problems with the GTM21 do seem to relate to the low signal reception in the UK - certainly the odd diagnostic test I've heard about has shown that the GTM21 receives a similar reception level as a "fixed" GTM12.

I've also not heard of an updated part number shipping with the 660 - Garmin probably didn't have one to hand to be able to confirm it's the same part number. This should be confirmed in the next two weeks when they start shipping in the UK.
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JoshT
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

len73 wrote:
I have a c550 with aGTM21 and have been getting the same traffic problems as the guys with the Nuvi/GTM11 & 12. On several trips from Portsmouth to London, Malvern and the New Forrest Traffic info was virtually nil, once it said traffic ahead, I had been stuck in for 30 mins by then.

A couple of months ago spoke to a seemingly knowledgable guy at Garmin who said that there were problems with traffic in the UK, the 2 reasons being low transmitter output in the UK and noise being induced to the units from the power supply. He sent me a couple of ferrite rings to try ( no good) and put my name on the list to receive a new GTM21 when the States had diagnosed the full extent of the problem.

Last week I chased Garmin, spoke to a lady who sent me a new lead. When it arrived it was for a Nuvi so I rang again and spoke to a guy called Tom. He said that I'd mistaken the GTM for the 12, there were no problems on the 21. In my best Gehngis Khan diplomacy I assured him that I'd done nothing of the sort, he then suggested that my 21 could be faulty and a replacement would be sent; not here yet.

I then asked him as the Nuvi 6XX range now uses the GTM21, did the GTM21 supplied with that model have the same part no as the 550 one( 10R-023487). At that point he got stroppy and said that he could not divulge that information. My logic being if there were no problems with the current unit Garmin would have not spent R&D on a new 21 for the Nuvi. Seems I'll have to wait for the 6XX to be released and try and see if the 21 has a new part no.

Not impressed with Garmin support so far, seems the left hand has no clue what the left hand is doing!


I've now own a Nuvi 660. I'm having similar problems with the GTM 21 as I did on the GTM 12 (310D). The GTM 21 charger has a LED which tells you whats happening. I'm finding I cannot pick up a signal in the car. Open the door and extend the aerial horizontally and the LED goes green and picks up traffic. Close the door and reposition aerial horizonally, vertically or diagonally and signal is lost.

I've raised an online support request with Garmin.

FYI - The GTM 21 P/N is 10R-023487 (same as Len73's GTM 21 on the c550)
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mwfox
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 10:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Viza has your GTM 21 got the same part number as the others who are having problems?
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HughGW
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 9:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm afraid the C510D and GTM 21 seems to suffer from the reception issue in UK. I usually get a signal round the Gloucestershire area but a recent rip to Cornwall lost signal south of Bristol on the M% and didn't get it back till I came back.

I guess it comes from TrafficMaster using local commercial radio stations and not in all areas.

Hugh
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mwfox
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:18 pm    Post subject: Devon/Cornwall Reply with quote

In theory there should be some reception in the South West area:

http://www.gcapmedia.com/index.php?id=27

But obviously either they have a problem with the TMC service or the GTM 21 can't pick it up.
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viza
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My 510 power lead has part number 10R-023487 which appears to be the same as other GTM21's.

My home is just west of A1M on Herts/Beds border and I get green TMC led on driveway generally before sat lock is achieved from cold start. Yesterday (Sunday) travelled from J9 A1M south to M25 (J22) and then anticlockwise round the M25 to J10 (which I reckon is about half the M25) and then north up A3 towards London.

Lost signal for about 3-4 miles around St Albans and again past the Heathrow section. Can't swear to having signal all the time as did not stare continuously at LED whilst travelling at motorway speeds.

C510 is mounted on a Brodit pro clip and adaptor over central air vent of 2005 Mondeo with heated screen. GTM aerial lead goes straight to bottom of screen over dash and then 90 degrees left to nearside.

As stated in previous post I regard myself as a casual user and wanted the C510 to get from A to B when away from home, European maps were also a priority and TMC is a bonus.

Returning home last night TMC showed major problem on A3 which helped and lost signal around St Albans again.

Not sure this adds much but am still pleased with unit.
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swing
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

HughGW wrote:
I'm afraid the C510D and GTM 21 seems to suffer from the reception issue in UK.
Indeed it will - the reception issue is with the signal strength of the radio transmitter, not with the unit's ability to receive the signal.

Quote:
I guess it comes from TrafficMaster using local commercial radio stations and not in all areas.
Not true - the iTIS Holdings TMC signal suffers from similar problems despite using a "single" national radio station (which of course, also uses lots of low strength transmitters up and down the country on slightly different frequencies...)
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JoshT
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If there is a known problem with low TMC transmission levels in the UK why do Garmin sell the GTM 12 and GTM 21 with their products (or even separately)?.

Whilst on my drive I can only pick up TMC with the drivers door open and the GTM aerial extended horizontally. Shut the door and signal is lost.

I'd have thought a more robust solution would be to have a external aerial option. Then using a Y cable it could be connected into the car's radio.
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

They sell it for two reasons:

1. It works in many places (just not enough places) - and they do advertise it as "where service available". However, people don't realise that they can only get a radio signal in many places because of the external aerial on the car, and without that, the signal simply isn't strong enough to work. Many people have taken the previous GTM unit, the GTM11, and discovered once connected to their car external aerial they got good signal coverage over most of the country.

2. Even Garmin got caught out. The signal level in the States is much higher. The signal level in every other European country with TMC is much higher. They simply didn't realise the low signal would be such a problem in the UK.

For example - the signal strength meter for my Nuvi reads approx. 7 most of the time - in Belgium the signal strength meter will be showing 111 (and that's not a typo - that's nearly 16 times stronger).
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