Traffic in Canada

Hi,

I live in Canada (Toronto) and have been trying to figure out the Traffic service available on the unit.

I have the traffic updates working perfectly (although data updates over my non-supported Motorola Q through the non-supported Bell Mobility mess up the phone and stop the voice part from working as it can't do a data and voice call at the same time) but haven't seen any updates of traffic even when I am sitting in it. Do the traffic updates only work with the special receiver right now in Toronto. I was also on a recent trip to Montreal and if you have ever been you know it is like Toronto with traffic guaranteed around 3-5pm. Once again I got no indication of traffic. I know that it might not be faster to get off the highway (thus re-route) but I thought there was suppose to be some kind of indication of a slowdown. I also checked the traffic on route feature and nothing.

I called tech support and they told me they get data from several sources and it is available in Toronto, Montreal and another west coast city (probably Vancouver but I can't remember).

Has anyone seen traffic updates working?

Nathan...

This could be the start of a great thread... I too have been playing with the traffic services here in Canada.

Here are my experiences: (Keeping in mind that I am a GTA to Niagara commuter)

1) Data with phone - total no-go... I got ZERO updates and it never reported anything. This has led me to believe that they are not yet using the data portion for traffic reports here in the GTA.

2) The week I used my phone for data my data bill was HUGE. So be careful. Canadian data rates suck to be blunt and I had about 40MB in data transfer for the week I used my phone with my GPS

Not wanting to give up on Traffic I opted to buy a RDS-TMC antenna.

The one I got was NOT the right one according to the TomTom site but it does work. According to the website I need PN: 9V00.080 The one I ended up getting has a different PN. I think it is 2V00.080 (can't recall 100% as it is in the car right now)

When I started using it the GPS would tune to 100.7 FM and it would only get a green circle for very small portions of my commute from DownTown to Niagara along the QEW. I would have a green circle and traffic updates till about Etobicoke and then pick it back up in Oakville then loose it just after Oakville. (If I had to target a date it would be early October 07)

Just TODAY of all days (Nov 1 07) I had a wicked strong green circle with full signal all the way from my driveway to the parking garage Downtown T.O. with traffic updates (fairly accurate) for the entire commute. I also noticed that it changed FM stations once.

It even recalculated me a new path ONCE during the trip to get me out of an accident. WHOO HOO. this is exactly why I bought the unit in the first place.

Now... I am not sure what to make of this yet... it could have been a fluke or perhaps they have launched the service as of today?

No idea.

One other thing is that I left my house about 60min later than usual so I am trying to determine if it is a time based fluke too.

I am typically on the road about 7am and in my parking garage about 8:45am Today I didn't leave till 8am and arrived at 9:30am so not sure if that shift in time made a difference (do they only broadcast traffic updates during certain hours)

One thing I haven't tried but will later today is to see if weather works over the RDS antenna. I keep forgetting to try that.


I don't think I will go back to using my phone for Data. the price of using it compared to the $120ish I paid for the antenna was a no-brainer.

D.

testing , sorry i lost my long post. testing

tomtom traffic in canada

the short version now,

hi to all, u can use HOME and your internet conn to test the traffic service in diff US cities. use the operate my tomtom for that ,even if you power off the cellphone traffic still works because HOME uses your PC internet conn to download . ONLY ROAD CONDITIONS IN CANADA .

RDS-TMC ONLY FORM 5 AM TO 7 PM MON TO FRI , more info at www.realtimetraffic.net with official maps. Unofficial maps calculated and estimated by me on TMC Coming to Canada topic within the Traffic Inform Serv thread at the www.gpspassion.com forums.

only in Toronto , ottawa and Montreal. TO CHIN 1007.1, Ottawa CHIN siter 97.9 and Montreal unfortunaelly still Clear Channel is Broadcasting their info from one of their FM stations in VErmont, totally useless within the Montreal Isalnd.

Gadgetguy , coverage should be everyday along QEW from Burlington/Oakville border to DOwntown. Even on weekend you still get the same few construction related messages without updates but it has to show them. Search for some GTM status page or how to get it (in GArmin you have to press for 8 seconds the speedometer) , in there check for signal levels above 30 , errors should be 0 for optimal perform, Message Count should increase at a rate of 1 per second (limitation of the RDS-TMC protocol).

If not, at least do this test while parked within the coverage area unplug the traffic receiver of the unit , the unit should clear all trarrfic events , then plug it back and meassure the time it takes first to lock (green circle) then to download all messages . with Garmin GTM 20 usually 50 trrafic events in less than 2 minutes and 20 seconds to lock to signal. IDK if tomtom RDS shows all messages received in the traffic map, i guess it does though.

I hopre this helps and that the topic gets more new info about the traffic services in canada.

Also Navteq RDS also broadcast using CHUM FM 104.5 for the Magellan , JVC, and Alpine units but Tomtom should not lock not even stay for too long on that frecuency because it broadcasts SID 7 instead of the 6 for Clear Channel TTN. UK users were refering that problem several months ago.

there is a new trarfic receiver part ends in 013 in UK that works better tha the GArmins and everybody elase , check www.pockectgpsworld.com for mor info.

bye now...

Great insight and thanks for popping in and clarifying things.

I would really like to find the proper (i.e. best) RDS-TMC antenna for my Go 720...

Does anyone know where it can be purchased from here in Canada?

D.

Just to be clear......

If I, too, were to buy the antenna for my TomTom 720, I would not have to subscribe (and pay) for the TT Plus traffic service? My unit would just pick up the proper signal from the fm tuner on my radio (I'm in toronto) and I'd be good to go?

If so, do I need to change any preference on the unit regarding traffic? (I do not wish to try to get traffic through a bluetooth phone, just the radio).

Thanks.

p.s. Gadget_guy, I see the antenna on the Canada TomTom site for $140.00 Canadian. Is that the version you bought?

You will have to subscribe to the Traffic Plus service...

If you CALL TomTom Customer Service they will activate it for you and give you a 1 year trial for free.

Also... I have heard that if you buy the antenna it comes with a 1 year subscription code.

I got my antenna off a friend who no longer needed it... but as I said, it is the wrong (old) antenna although it does work.

Once again the Traffic service came through for me today (avoided an accident)..... if this is what I am to expect from the service I will HAPPILY spend the yearly subscription fee for this.

D.

you DO NOT HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE TOMTOM PLUS TRAFFIC SERVICE . tOMTOM PLUS TRAFFIC SERVICE IS DIFFERENT THAT THE fm BASED SERVICE but as gadgetguy says you still have to call tomtom to activate the 1 year free FM RDS-TMC trial subscription that comes with the receiver. tomtom does not have the website for the fm traffic ready yet. as far as i know only garmin units activate their 3 months subscription automatically qhen they get an FM traffic signal from TTN the traffic provider.

By the way , it does not uses your radio!!!! nor you cellphone!!!. the tomtom rds receiver has its own fm receptor and the gps unit software will tune in to the proper fm frecuency to lock to the rds subcarrier.

gadget guy: have you seen the posted maps of coverage??? do they reflect your day to day experiences? , do you get a lock ,green circle, vene as far as burlington/oakville border?. most garmin users find the info useless , late to report events, and only from 5 am to 7pm mon to fri.

the last version of the receiver has 2 ferrites i beleive , there are pictures and posts with the lenght of the cable in the www.pocketgpsworld.com forum.

I am very interested in comparing how both receivers perform here in toronto (tomtom and garmin gtm 20) since they both use the same traffic provider and rds subcarrier. only the sensitivity of the receivers/antena combination will determine a difference. that is exactly why I joined this forum by the way. now I have both units a c550 and a tt 720. So far a like better the tomtom traffic software implementation but the maps and pois still drops the balance favoring the garmin. just my personal opinion. other than that tt 720 is a fine unit at a bargain compared with the garmin.

Hey TrafficInfo,

My Green indicator is on solid for ALL of my journey these days.

I travel all over the GTA and I have found it to be quite good lately. Like I said things got better Nov 1 for some strange reason. Before then it was really bad but now it is solid.

The updates are a little on the slow side I agree but I believe this is an evolving technology and service and it is just going to get better as time goes on.

I am a real adopter of early technology so I am patient for things to "work"

I want to get my hands on the proper antenna though. I am sure that if I had the right one things would be even better.

No one seems to be able to get one of these antennas though.... the GPS store here in Toronto didn't even believe me when I told them that the FM Traffic thing was working for me and they say they can't even order the antenna for me.

The hours cover my commute so they 5am-7pm is just fine by me. Those are the times when you would want the service anyways I figure.

So far I am a fan.

If you would like me to do any testing for you just say the word... I am finding this experience to be quite fun.


Just for curiosity sake... are you officially with the RDS service people?

D.

thanks for the offer to run some tests in the future. I am acctually better than being from the rds people lol lol lol because I am officially a TeleCommunications Engineer at least back in Cuba I can claim that, but like every other immigrant in Canada I am still moping the floors in every washroom in this country lol lol lol lol (not really anymore after 5 years "living" here, I acctually work for the Alarm industry). So therefore I am totally unbiased. That is why I know how the technology works and how should properly work and also combined with my personal experience using this GPS devices for almost the last 2 years. I have been emailing the traffic provider, the chief engineers at the radio stations, getting info from the FCC website, in other words, doing things imposible and illegal to do back in Cuba , all thanks to the powerful internet.

I am glad to hear that since Nov 1 st (maybe a recent frimware update helped) you have a solid green indicator all the time. On the Garmin side their have not been any improvement lately, nor the FM station has made any changes that I am aware of , that is why I assume is either favorable FM propagation due to weather or better reception /error correction at the receiver due to a software update. It could also be that you routed and placed in the porper location within your car the receiver lately.

I agree with you that the technology is inmature yet, barely 2 years only here in NorthAmerica (10 years old in France and GErmany, the pioneers). It will improve in the future. it has, so far, since it started. But unlike you I am very impatient and I want it to work and work properly especially after paying 60 USD for a 1 year subscription to TTN the traffic provider via GArmin and knowing that with the exception of UK and France , this traffic service is FREE all over Europe!!!! and they have had it like i said for 10 years now. At the beginning they were using text messages in the display of their RDS-enabled in-car radios, no navigational maps.

It is beyond me to understand why it happens but you are right, usually authorized dealers get the info first from users like us rather than directly from the GPS manufacturers or even the traffic providers. I have called Garmin since July !st and ,even before ,several times and they had no idea that there were traffic services yet , I had to insist and even told then names and emails from Clear Channel the traffic provider to make them aware that I knew very well what I was talking about. Even after several firmware updates that supposedly fixed the reception in Toronto and did not, almost every time I called I was the first one to let them know it still was not working. I agree I am spending way too much time on this matters , lol lol lol , but at least as a hobby , I can still keep my brain busy doing something related to my profession.

Traffic services in the GTA area are 1 year old now by the way. it all started back in October 2006, when Navteq RDS using CHUM FM 104.5 as the RDS subcarrier launched their services for Magellan , JVC and Alpine units among others probably. Recently their major competitor Clear Channel TTN started in July 1 st , 2007 broadcasting in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal (this last one from Vermont , therefore useless) for TomTom , Garmin , MIO , BMW USA, among others.

Did you see the maps on the TTN website? , what is your opinion?, Do you consider that the coverage area extends only up to the burlington / Oakville border? or you Do think it goes farther?

Unfortunaelly , the reality and this 5 years in Canada , have shown me that ONE thing is what companies claim in their websites and tell you over the phone and their ads , and the OTHER what real life is!!!. That is why it has become almost my personal crusade to study, field test, and document how this technology works with the purpose of helping the consumer get more updated info and be better informed when making a purchase decision related to this traffic services. As an engineer I also want this technology to improve and evolve and therefore telling the service providers and gps manufacturers wher it fails it pushes them to fix it, I guess ... , and more importantly this is a free country and that is why I left Cuba in the first place , lol lol lol lol.

One more test , Gadgetguy. With the gps on ,unplug the rds traffic receiver, it should erase and loose all the traffic info in your area , then after a few seconds plug it in back and meassure the time it takes first to lock to the rds subcarrier (green solid circle) and also meassure the time it takes to download or receive completly all the traffic events in your area. FOR A PROPERLY WORKING RECEIVER WITHIN THE COVERAGE AREA (EVEN WITH SOME ERRORS IN RECEPTION) IT SHOULD LOCK IN 20 SECONDS OR FAST AND SHOULD DISPLAY ALL TRAFFIC EVENTS IN AROUND 2 MINUTES.

Other than that enjoy your drive wthout traffic and your weekend,

First Traffic Report in the GTA using TomTom Plus Traffic

Now at around 5:30 , 6 pm my 720 is reporting several red triangles in the Hamilton Area. you even see that even in the main nav scrn if you plan a route or simulate nav to hamilton from mississauga. The traffic along route feature does not show any delay for that route but if you click on show map under traffic submenu you will see like 6 red triangles covering the hamilton area. Red Triangles with small paralel lines inside? What does it mean? Flood? , Heavy Rain? . As per local weather reports it is cloudy in Hamilton but no rain at all. I guess is a mistake entering the data in the tomtom plus traffic system but anywas Anyone knows what does triangles mean?

I know they have been closing the burlington skyway down at night for maintenance.

I wonder if that is what it is

I will spark up the TomTom now and see if I recognize the area. (I am a hop skip and jump from hamilton)

D.

this is an image of the new version 3 of the tomtom rds-tmc receiver. other receiver than that will not perform as well as this one. Part # here in North America 9VOO.080.

I hope the image shows now.

wow this tomtom 720 and the HOME app allows me to run several tests on the traffic service from the confort of my house!!!!!. Before I had to travel closer to the US border to test all this. Because there is no list of which cities have or do not have FLOW INFO provided by Total Traffic Network (Navteq RDS on the contrary provides FLOW info in all 50 cities but Toronto) I will be able to get that info by downloading and checking via HOME for a few minutes every city where TTN has service , 68 in total. It will take a while though but my girlfriend is in Vancouver for a month so I have nothing better to do I guess lol lol lol lol.

YUP 9VOO.080 That's the one I have been trying to get my hands on but no luck so far.

I have a very old version of the antenna... it works but I suspect the new antenna will be better.


Can you let me know HOW you are able to update traffic etc from the docking station?

I have connected to the unit, use the option to control it remotely but it won't let me choose the traffic stuff.

I don't think mine is able to do what you are doing. Did you make a setting change?


D.

lol, trafficinfo, good to see you are here now....i told you the tomtom was better

maybe garmin will learn from their poor service after enough people leave them...the garmin traffic topic must be lonely without you and i posting there anymore!

now if only i could get an rds receiver for my 720....guys, pm me if you know where (local preferred)

What do you consider "local"


I am starting to get really cheesed off that these antennas are no where to be found.

The best I could do was a local GPS store was willing to TRY and order it, they said it would take 3 weeks and they wanted the order pre-paid.

D'oh.... I don't think so.


I have searched e-bay and froogle.... nothing seems to come up.



D.

well, local is preferred (in Toronto), but I can't even find them anywhere! I actually have one here that I ordered from eBay, only to find out it was the EU version and it doesnt work here (although I thought FM stations would be the same in EU and here in NA!) If anyone has a workaround for this, that would be amazing!

TomTom's website says out of stock, but upon calling them, they said it WAS available (not sure if I trust them)...eBay - nothing....

You guys talking about the proper receiver are getting me interested ... and I don't even need traffic info in Toronto based upon my use of the TomTom 720

Please post here when & where you do get the proper version.

After all, what's another toy I don't need?