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TMC in VW Golf Sat Nav - anyone have it working?


oxfordlad
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Hi oxfordlad, I looked into buying the teleatlas disc last year but apparantly it doesn't help the TMC situation. Although the other day the unit tuned itself automatically to the TMC channel. This has happened a couple of times since... has anyone else had this? (see attachment)

post-14460-137914405965_thumb.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

The OEM sat nav is a Blaupunkt TravelPilot Ex - Teleatlas do sell a Europe 2007 map DVD for this at £179 but this does not include the TMC codes for the UK. To get the TMC codes for the UK, map companies have to pay and when I spoke to TeleAtlas they indicated that it was VW responsibility to do this. In most European countries TMC codes are free.

Audi had a similar issue with their Sat Nav units which they eventually solved by paying ITIS or Itmc in the UK for the codes at which point the map provider could provide TMC enabled map discs.

The new VW touch screen sat nav units are not produced by Blaupunkt so the chances of the map disc from them working in older DVD MFD units are slim to non-existent.

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  • 1 month later...

Bad news I'm afraid chaps!

I contacted Traffic Master a few days ago.

I got this useful but disappointing reply:

"Dear xxxx,

Thank you for your email below (not attached for Tyresmoke folks) and I apologise for the delay in getting back to you but I needed to get advice from another department which I now have and is as follows:

Phaeton, Touran Build date W22 2007 onwards

Touareg, Tiguan Build date W31 2007 onwards

Golf, Golf Plus, Passat, EON Build date W45 2007 onwards

The service requires no subscription as it comes pre-installed on these models.

My understanding from VW is that there is no retrofit option to older models, but you are best advised to check with your VW dealer to confirm whether this is correct. "

If you need any further help please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,

Jane

Jane Rajamets

Customer Service Executive

TRAFFICMASTER PLC

MARTELL HOUSE/UNIVERSITY WAY

CRANFIELD/BEDFORDSHIRE/MK43OTR "

I will check with my dealer but it does not look good, right?

If anybody finds out more please let us know.

Should we expect a retrofit after paying around £1845 for the system a year ago. I think the answer is, yes.

Ludwig

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The older systems were built by Blaupunkt with maps by TeleAtlas. TeleAtlas have not produced a DVD map containing the TMC codes for the UK because someone needs to pay a licence to TrafficMaster for these. VW or Blaupunkt should pay.

Siemens VDO already have pre-existing systems either OEM or standalone that have TMC data on CD or DVD so I guess did not need to worry about TMC licences. (and I presume VW would not have to pay for a licence)

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It's not a case of retro-fitting, just a case of someone paying the license. TMC does work on the system you have, but only abroad.

Until Teleatlas produce a DVD for the Blaupunkt system with the UK TMC codes on it, you'll NEVER get it to work.

What's really stupid, is that as far as I know, Blaupunkt HAVE paid the licence fee for all their other products/platforms, so I can't see why that hasn't filtered over to the EX-V platform. smashfreakB.gif

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Froggy, thanks for this. It's becoming a bit clearer to me how it works now.

<TMC does work on the system you have, but only abroad.>

Yes that's right.

It worked fine for me when I took the GTI over to Germany last May.

It looks like we'll never get it.

But I'll check with VW UK just in case.

Ludwig frown.gif

Ludwig

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Although my sat nav is after-market (Alpine), TMC works and works very well.

I leave mine in a dual-display mode, LHS is c. 200m range, RHS is c.2500m range including TMC and Points of Interest. I get warning triangles and flashing red routes for traffic, plus details on individual roads including reasons for delays etc. It works very well.

I have the re-routing set to manual, as I once took TMC's advise at Bangor, North Wales. The resulting 4 hour detour with wife and 2 sleeping children wasn't the most intelligent move ever, but the Alpine was new and I thought TMC was flawless at that point!

I now use the info, but make my own routing decisions! 169144-ok.gif

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[ QUOTE ]

fresco1, thanks for this.

Can you or others explain to me please (simply) why TMC works on the Alpine and not our factory Blaupunkt kit?

Have Alpine paid TrafficMaster for the licence to receive the TMC information?

Thanks, ludwig confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

The software (DVD mapping) simply doesn't have the TMC codes for GB on it. Blaupunkt HAVE paid for the license, but for some reason (Probably political, that no one can explain) the TMC info has never made it onto the DVD software. Other Blaupunkt systems both portable and CD based DO have working TMC in the UK. suicide.gif

The Alpine software (Different manufacturer - Navtech) DOES have the UK TMC coding and hence works.

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[ QUOTE ]

perhaps it was working because you tuned to the right radio station?????

Radio1 must have TMC info.

I think classicfm does too.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope BBC Radio 1 doesn't transmit TMC. At the moment there are two sets of codes in use. One provided by Traffic Master, and another provided by ITIS Holdings.

ITIS codes are broadcast on the back of Classic FM.

Traffic Master codes are transmitted on the back of a number of the larger independent station groups, GWR and Fox, if memory serves me correctly. Your TMC tuner will automatically only look for the appropriate broadcast.

If you really want to see how this all works, and get boringly geeky at parties, and never chat another women up in your life, here Boring geeky stuff is where you need to waste a couple of hours... SPericani2.gif

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I sometimes 'lose' TMC depending on how I have the FM station pickup set. That is, you can set the Alpine to auto-search, but I've noticed it needs the occasional 'poke' on longer trips to manual search, just to keep up with TMC.

Have also once been updating TMC manually (i.e. no active warnings) in the middle of 20-mile tail-back on the M6 near Stoke .. !

Interestingly, Mrs. Fresco has a new Freelander 2 HSE with latest generation Alpine sat nav as standard fit, and the TMC in that won't move off Classic FM ... ! May need to read the manual. smashfreakB.gif

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Scilly Isles, <Have Alpine paid TrafficMaster for the licence to receive the TMC information?>

And the codes are on the DVD, right?

But they are no codes on the Blaupunkt DVD for UK, right?

And of course, even if they were, Blaupunkt/VW have not paid TeleAtlas for the licence, right ...?

Sorry to go on.

But I'd like to fully understand it. crazy.gif

Ludwig

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