TMC Navigation Traffic info. become useless

[snapdragon]

Is it me, or has there been a recent reduction in the TMC traffic mesaging data service?

I am finding the TMC symbol on the MMI screen is crossed out more often that not and when I go to INFO>SOURCE there is hardly ever any station listed. It used to always have Classic FM, but now just has Capital - and only now and again.

I am wondering if the service is being deprecated?

[M-A8]

Yeah, I've noticed that some time ago.
I'll go and check now actually to see if I get more than usual ...or less.

What is that number 4 next to your reception bars????

[snapdragon]

Originally Posted by M-A8

What is that number 4 next to your reception bars????

Thanks chap. The number is the DAB signal strength. It can be between 0-7 and sometimes has an R next to it. e.g. [3-R] No idea what the R means.
The symbol is activated in the green hidden menu, but no idea where, I found it when messing about a couple of years ago.

[M-A8]

So, right now I've got Heart and Capital, but Capital is available only if I listen Capital FM, other wise on any other station Heart is selected.

[snapdragon]

Thanks M8 - at it must just be weak Capital signal around here and there is no Heart radio in Notts.

[M-A8]

Originally Posted by snapdragon

Thanks M8 - at it must just be weak Capital signal around here and there is no Heart radio in Notts.

No problemo Dragon
I went through top 10 station which had good reception and only Heart and Capital was available.

Marcin

[mannyo]

The system is not being removed, however it does sometimes get updated and the receivers require updates to be fully functional. For the MMI these updates are on the navigation DVD, so you may need to update to a later one.

I've just been on holiday in Norfolk, and because my copy 2014 disc is unreliable I had to resort to using the 2003 one the car had when new. Using the older disc TMC was very intermittent, but with the 2014 disc installed I have almost constant TMC. When I switch between the 2003 and 2014 disc the MMI does a software update of several components, which are downgraded backwards when going to the 2003 disc. Heart has taken over from Classic FM as the national carrier for TMC IIRC.

[snapdragon]

Thanks. That's why I haven't seen Classic, and I will check to see if Heart exists around here. EDIT - no it doesn't.
As part of the troubleshooting, I downgraded to the 2014=>2006 disc as part of the troublshooting and then upgraded back to 2014. Both times it prompted for update and I could see it loaded TMC tables.

The reason I did this was because a couple of months ago I tried two unofficial/'hacked' map DVDs, one that was based on BMW maps and another TOMTOM maps and worried they had buggered the TMC tables and they were not getting put back to normal when the official 2014 DVD was put back in.
I found them to be inferior (out of date maps and weird POIs) but good to know people can do this as they might come up with something good like better POI or speedcams..

http://gpsunderground.com/forum/audi...-database.html

http://gpsunderground.com/forum/audi...ll-europe.html

Incidently, I read a few documents on RDS-TMC yesterday, the government published one in 2011 saying they will phase out TMC in 2016-17 in favour of TPEG over DAB. There are two providers of TMC in the UK - one is ITIS and the other RAC Trafficmaster and the info. for each is from different sources.
Trafficmaster uses the streetside sensors and ITIS uses gps-feedback on thousands of fleet vehicles and each are sourced from one of the two stations that appear on the MMI source (can't remember which is which.

[mannyo]

I think the plan to phase it out was based on the FM switch off that was scheduled originally to happen in 2018 but has now been postponed indefinitely, so I see TMC surviving for a while yet as virtually all factory nav uses this system for traffic info, including the latest models.

[M-A8]

Capital Extra came up yesterday as well, and Heart twice for some reason