TomTom RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver

The product worked straight out of the box. Simple connection to the Satnav and smart connection to 12V plug too. Note: traffic needs your in-car charger connected to your 12V plug. It does not work if you don't plug it in! Traffic info displayed after some delay (1 or 2 minutes) after switching on, then updates are fast and effective. No subscription needed, so no extra money to pay, ACE! Only one nag: the little window suckers are a pure nuisance! the keep falling off...so just ignore what TomTom says and hide it behind the upholstery around your front window. Just make sure the tip is left outside. For me worked a treat and now it looks very neat and almost invisible from outside (good for those creeps at night...). My opinion? Simply great, 4 1/2 out of 5 stars!

Although not perfect, this device does what it advertises - however you have to be aware of what it can and can't do. First, it's never going to be able to respond instantly to every traffic jam, and secondly it's not going to be able to pull in a signal in a low-signal area, or inside the sealed metal box of some cars. It connects simply, is detected quickly (but you might need to wait for a GPS signal to arrive before the TomTom software shows the interface for it) and works quite well. In the UK it tunes to Classic FM (so if you can get Classic FM along your route to work, you'll get a signal with this), but it doesn't *need* to be connected to that signal all the time. Once it's had the "green circle" once, then it'll have picked up the information for the majority of your journey - RDS updates aren't that fast, even for big incidents, so don't panic about having a strong signal all the time Like any FM signal, it's harder for it to pick up inside the car - either lay the cable somewhere good or realise that before you start - a lot of cars have heated windscreens and that can really interfere with any signal (even the GPS signal itself) coming into the car. Around London, from inside a Ford Mondeo with heated screens, I get a full signal in most areas - the same as my radio tuning to Classic FM or any other big station - at times my radio will lose stereo signal, or switch to a nearby station, and this device works on the same principles. It does recognise many types of incident, and the software on the TomTom allows you to route around them, but it doesn't cover minor roads or very recent incidents. That said, it does a great job. I turn it on at the start of each day, plan my route, and it keeps me informed of any major traffic on the roads that involves (including, this winter, a lot of "Road Narrows - Burst Water Main"). It gets traffic information all day long but it's rare that you see it update except for the first time it gets a signal - that's just the way RDS works. It knows about longer-term works which even the most up-to-date TomTom maps don't (e.g. a large stretch of 50mph restrictions along the M25 which have been there for almost a year). It tells you where the traffic/congestion is and how long it'll add to your journey. The software on the TomTom does a good job of routing around the traffic, or just keeping you informed. It's not perfect but it does exactly what these devices are supposed to do. If you need real-time, always-on, constant updates, then you need the much more expensive subscription data services for your TomTom. If you're just going to work or on holiday and want an idea if anything major has happened today that you might want to drive around, this is ideal, and it's a one-off payment with no subscription. You get what you pay for though.

Before purchasing this item I read the reviews on this website and was encouraged to read that Tomtom had apparently sorted out the problems with the earlier versions of the TMC traffic reciever. However it just goes to show that you shouldn't believe everything that you read on the internet. Where I live I'm in range of two Classic FM transmitters (the radio station that carries the TMC signals in the UK) and have good signal strength. No matter what I tried the unit simply wouldn't pick up any traffic signal. The Tomtom recognises the receiver and tries to use it but it's constantly searching for a signal. I tried it on auto-search, tried putting in the frequencies manually, tried driving around, tried different polarisations of the aerial - all to no avail. It was suggested that my Tomtom needed a software upgrade but it still didn't work on the very latest software version. I even tried it on a colleagues Tomtom with exactly the same result. If could just be that I had a faulty unit but it sounds suspiciously that the problems with the earlier versions are still apparent with this one too. Having looked into it further there are a lot of people still having problems with this version so I'm not alone. It appears to me to be a bit hit and miss as to whether you get a unit that works ok or not. There seem to be plenty of people who it works fine for but an equal number for whom it doesn't. It's your choice really.

VERY GOOD PRODUCT.

Just upgraded from TomTom Navigator 6 to Go 730 TomTom GO 730 , and after reading some good reviews of this latest receiver (and mixed reviews of the earlier TMC traffic receivers), I thought I'd give this a go. This is the latest receiver TomTom RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver (2008) and has a mini-USB connector in place of the circular plug that earlier receivers use. It is also worth noting that the box says 'One' and 'XL' (x30 series), but the TomTom website shows it also works with the Go series (520,530,720,730...). Admittedly, the 730 came with firmware 8.002, and this didn't recognise the receiver, but after connecting to TomTom Home (and updating to 8.010), the receiver was immediately detected. (Note: the receiver needs to be powered to work, so you always need be connected to the 12V/lighter socket for traffic info) On startup, the display showed that a TMC information signal had been found and that the data was updating. A minute or two later, and a green circle was showing (indicating the information was up-to date), and showing me a long jam on my normal route to work! The info gives shows you how long the queue is, and the cause (roadworks, lane closure etc), and can reroute automatically if you want. Have read lots of reviews complaining about difficulty in receiving signals/aerial placement in car (probably with earlier receivers?), and that doesn't seem to be a problem with this unit, so it looks like TomTom have got it right with this one! Full marks TomTom!

Ich habe mein TomTom Go 730 (refurbished) mit dem TMC RDS-Empfänger (USB) nachgerüstet. Das Gerät erkannte den Empfänger auf Anhieb, auch das diskrete Verlegen des TMC-Antennenkabels war problemlos möglich. TMC-Infos werden schnell und zuverlässig abgerufen (Hinweis: der Empfänger muss jedoch per Ladekabel mit Strom versorgt werden!). Dass der TMC-Dienst gelegentlich nicht aktuell ist, liegt nicht in der Zuständigkeit von TomTom. Wer auf Nummer sicher gehen will, sollte sich dann doch die viel detaillierteren Infos per Abo kostenpflichtig dazubuchen. Für die folgekostenfreie Basisausstattung in Sachen "Stauvermeidung" ist der TMC-Empfänger aber absolut empfehlenswert.

Trotz Update funktionierte der TMC-Verkehrsinfo-Empfänger an der Klinkerbuchse unseres Tomtom One XL T nicht mehr. Wie wir der Web-Seite von Tomtom entnehmen konnten, waren wir mit diesem Problem nicht allein. Andere Geschädigte empfahlen im Chat wegen den Störungen ersatzweise den Tomtom RDS TMC Receiver mit USB-Anschluss zu verwenden. Dies haben wir auch gemacht. Jetzt läuft alles prima. Amazon bot das gesuchte Stück sehr preiswert an. Bestellt, geliefert und angesteckt - und es klappt bis heute! Jetzt war unsere defekte Klinkenbuchse am Navigationsgerät schnell vergessen. Staus und Radarfallen werden umgehend sicher angezeigt. Empfehlung: Wegen Zubehör für Navigationsgeräte sollten Interessenten gleich bei Amazon vorbeischauen. Es schlägt sich im Kaufpreis deutlich nieder.

Der TCM Receiver ist ein vollwertiger Ersatz für das Originalteil. Einziger kleiner Nachteil: Das Antennenkabel ist relativ starr. Hier wäre ein etwas flexibleres Kabel besser.

J'ai utilisé cette antenne cette année pour mes vacances en France et j'ai été ravie des propositions qu'elle ma données afin d'éviter les bouchons sur les routes. S'utilise dans tous les pays ! Superbe !

Ich habe den TMC Receiver als Ergänzung zu meinem alten Navi (One XL) gekauft. Im Internet findet man eine Vergleichsseite, die den Empfänger als relativ langsam beschreibt. Das kann ich absolut nicht bestätigen. Er wird sofort erkannt und fängt innerhalb der ersten Minuten an Verkehrsinformationen zu empfangen. Ich konnte die Funktion bislang in Deutschland, Österreich und Italien testen und bin zufrieden.