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Traffic Info in the UK

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Old 12-05-2006, 04:41 AM
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RDS-TMC (Traffic Message Channel) - an international RDS FM radio standard. The e60 nav has NOTHING to do with TrafficMaster. The data for the e60 UK TMC service is provided by iTMC, a subsidiary of ITS Holdings.

The older BMW Navs used Siemens VDO technology which DOES use TrafficMaster data. I know someone with this nav on his (lastgen) 330d and he says that my e60 nav TMC provides many more quality TMC incident reports than his.

Go figure.
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Old 12-05-2006, 05:46 AM
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TMC or trafficmaster they are all c r a p IMO - we need REAL TIME traffic info - maybe another 5-10 years and we'll get there - but then everyone else will have access to these systems too (just like nearly everyones got a tom tom!) and then what - the inner roads will get clogged up too

No respite i'm afraid...

If anyone finds TMC and Professional Nav useful do let me know the routes you use as I'd love to come and try mine out to see if it actually does the job
Old 12-05-2006, 06:31 AM
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Originally Posted by 535dMAN' post='363829
If anyone finds TMC and Professional Nav useful do let me know the routes you use as I'd love to come and try mine out to see if it actually does the job
There's going to be a 1 hour delay on the A322 at Bagshot tomorrow moning at 1043.

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Old 12-05-2006, 07:26 AM
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Originally Posted by aybeesea' post='363847' date='Dec 5 2006, 10:31 AM
TMC is a system which relies on data. Where the data is better (eg France), TMC works better.

TrafficMaster is a Data Provider which is nothing to do our e60s BUT I have a "AA TrafficMaster" battery-powered gizmo which does give a REALTIME display of up to 15 miles or 3 motorway junctions ahead showing blockages.

Works for me.

Are you serious ABC> Where can I get this AA gadget from????
Old 12-05-2006, 07:48 AM
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Originally Posted by 535dMAN' post='363874' date='Dec 5 2006, 04:26 PM
Are you serious ABC> Where can I get this AA gadget from????
Some years back, it was possible to buy a small in-car unit to place on your car's dashboard. These picked up signals from the Trafficmaster sensors on motorways and some 'A' roads, and gave advance warning of upcoming slowdowns in traffic flow. It would give a countdown of 15, 10 and 5 miles before the slowdown, and an eggtimer icon to represent how serious the slowdown was. What it didn't give, was a reason for the holdup, which was when it was handy to call one of the dialup automated services.

* The 'AA Roadwatch 1800' was sold in Vodafone stores, online at the Vodafone website, and by the AA. As far as we know, these little gadgets (or anything similar) aren't available these days. If you happen to know of a source for the original 'AA Roadwatch 1800', which we got for about ?20 from Vodafone, please let us know and we'll include the information on this site.
It's the only reference I can find. Glad I bought it at the time.

http://www.filesaveas.com/travel.html (Dial-up travel news

http://search.ebay.co.uk/trafficmast...0_W0QQfromZR40

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Old 12-05-2006, 10:20 AM
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Thanks - will check it out
Old 12-05-2006, 11:36 PM
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Originally Posted by 535dMAN' post='363829' date='Dec 5 2006, 02:46 PM
If anyone finds TMC and Professional Nav useful do let me know the routes you use as I'd love to come and try mine out to see if it actually does the job
From memeory here - it's worked for me in diverting around problems on the A1, A14, and A40 several times in the past six months, as can be read no motorways! I agree once your into a M road problem there's often no escape! There's more opportunities on A roads.

Also I recall I had warning of a M5 hold-up whereby I turned off without guidance thereafter, also other A roads too where I knew where to go without help - I could see from the information available that there where no hold ups on my evasion route too! TMC and Pro Nav do have some useful/redeeming features.
Old 12-06-2006, 12:09 AM
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Thanks for all the feedback,

I agree that the TMC info needs to be better, but its still better than nothing ?, but the BMW software is the thing that effects the order of display, and where the cursor starts is definitely software specific.

I am interested in whether there are software updates or settings that:

1. Change where the cursor starts, as mine is in the middle of the list of all traffic problems in the country.
2. Some one said the problems on their route were at the top of the list !!!, how old is your car ?, and do you know what software version you have. Is anyone elses i-drive working this way ?, if so do you know what sw version you have ?

I would really like to get the problems on my route at the top, and the cursor starting at the top of the list, which is the obvious place.

Can anyone figure out if this is a setting or a software version ?
Old 12-06-2006, 01:22 AM
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Unless you have a different system you don't get ALL the TMC incidents for the whole country though it may seem like it.

As I said before, my cursor position seems to be influenced by the lat/long of the last traffic incident inspected rather than "in the middle of the list".

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Old 12-06-2006, 01:41 AM
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Originally Posted by MrTrilby' post='363816' date='Dec 5 2006, 01:40 PM
I used to use TomTom before I got the E60. That definitely displays traffic information for local roads in addition to motorways and A roads. I'm not sure, but I get the feeling that the E60 displays much less traffic information. I *think* TomTom and BMW use the same data provider, implying the fault is with BMW's maps or software.
TomTom provides two different services: TomTom Traffic and TomTom RDS-TMC.

http://www.tomtom.com/page.php?Page=rds-tmc

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