Starting today, TomTom's RDS/TMC receiver for the GO 510, 710 and 910 is available for purchase in several European countries, particularly in Benelux and in Germany. It's also expected to pop up in British (online) shops any time now. Of course, this nifty little accessory needs no introduction: it enables the owners of TomTom PND units to pull free traffic information from the airwaves and calculate alternative routes in case of a traffic-jam. Many have longed for this accessory. The RDS/TMC receiver can be bought in Benelux for a recommended price of ¤ 99.95 (£ 67). We're not quite sure yet how much the advisory price will be in the UK, but we do know that it will be a tad higher. But the price is the lowest in Germany: there the introduction price is oddly enough only a mere ¤ 69.00 (£ 46)!
A
recently conducted poll on this site told us that almost 70% of the respondents want this feature. The use of this free traffic info on traffic-jams, road-accidents and road-works seems to be very popular with customers, and all big PND manufacturers already offer such a RDS/TMC accessory. TomTom is the last manufacturer to do so.
Suction cup
TomTom's TMC receiver uses a very simple suction cup-installation on the windshield. The receiver is connected to a 120 centimeter long cable with on the other end a 2.5 millimeter plug, which needs to be plugged into the TomTom GO car mount. This means that, while TMC is in use, the iPod connect cable cannot be used. The aerial receives FM radio (RDS) signals. The software searches for a radio channel which broadcasts traffic info by means of a TMC signal. This info is then used by the GO and showed to the user. The user can then decide whether he or she chooses to re-calculate the plotted route around a traffic-jam or road-works or not.
Thirteen countries
TMC is available in thirteer countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, The United Kingdom and Switzerland. In a few countries (eg. the UK and France), basic information is free, but there are also paid subscriptions which offer extra information.
TomTom also continues to offer their own 'Traffic'-PLUS service. With a European Traffic subscription (¤ 39.95 annually) traffic info can be received via mobile phone and a GPRS network. Besides basic traffic info, Traffic also offers warnings for hazardous weather conditions and special driving conditions. For a comparision table between TMC and Traffic, see
here.
Should you want to use a TMC module with your GO, you have to keep in mind that you need to have firmware 6.51 installed, which became available last week. Older software versions don't support the TMC aerial. Click
here for info on TomTom firmware 6.51.
Other news:
Posted on: September 27, 2006 - 00:11 hour
By:
Pedro2NR
It doesn't mention anything about the States.
Posted on: September 27, 2006 - 02:53 hour
By:
Tony Hoyle
Looking at the comparison I get the impression TT don't want to sell TMC at all:
Traffic: "Most accurate and up to date information"
TMC: "Basic traffic information"
"TomTom is able to provide more accurate information than the TMC"
etc.
Given that traffic is quite frankly useless unless you're on a motorway, the idea that TT are saying TMC is *worse* than Traffic boggles the mind.
TMC should in theory should be a lot better as it's picking up the signal directly...
Traffic has to be feed into a server then bounced back out to your mobile provider who then has to pass it on as GPRS traffic...lots of room for an outage there!
Posted on: September 27, 2006 - 08:51 hour
By:
psyclix
I've got a 9-month-old TomTom One and a subscription to TT Traffic. I don't suppose there's any chance that TomTom are going to provide a software update that will bring my (nearly new) device into a state where I can use a TMC module..
.. it wouldn't make financial sense to them, to move people like me off the annual subscription route we've taken.
Mind you I'm usually brand-loyal if I like the product and it's not troublesome, but it's very likely to mean that my loyalty is not to TomTom when I next update my device - I keep them 24 months. Reciprocation is required for that to happen - if TT look after me (and, of course, their other loyal customers) I see no reason to stray away from them..
Posted on: September 27, 2006 - 09:11 hour
By:
GoLeft
the problem with the ONE is it doesn't have the connector for the TMC module I think
Posted on: September 27, 2006 - 09:37 hour
By:
Paul A
So there has to be a healthy market in some German entrepreneur offering TMC antenna for sale on, say, eBay given the reduced cost in Germany? I assume there is no technical reason why not?
Paul
I've just fainted.......
Posted on: September 27, 2006 - 12:58 hour
By:
Tony Hoyle
QUOTE (Paul A @ Sep 27 2006, 08:37) 
So there has to be a healthy market in some German entrepreneur offering TMC antenna for sale on, say, eBay given the reduced cost in Germany? I assume there is no technical reason why not?
Paul
Nothing to stop you buying in germany, provided you get a good deal on shipping.. common market rules make importing a lot cheaper than from the US - it's actually a good way to get cheap hardware (got my KVM for about half the UK price before it was even release here).
Posted on: September 27, 2006 - 18:31 hour
By:
garyparson
why couldn't they use the usb slot on the one?
Does the TMC module need to be placed on the windscreen or could if be hidden away?
As it's an FM signal I assume it could be placed under the seat and it would still get the signal?
BTW - I've got the TMC on reserve by txt from Argos but it lists it as a Tom Tom GO Aerial....
Posted on: September 27, 2006 - 18:57 hour
By:
rpcm
Posted on: September 27, 2006 - 19:16 hour
By:
Geoff C
Just heard my TMC module has at last been dispatched today! (From Easy Devices)
16-05
September 26, 2006 - 20:57 h
