TMC goes red when on FM and AM.

churchwa

Member
I have the Professional Navi installed in my Z4M Coupe but it only seems to have a single tuner, because i can only pic up TMC when listening to CD's, AUX or classic FM. If i have it on AM or any other FM station TMC goes red.

I also have the HI-FI DSP, but as it only has one tuner it would suggest that i only have the business headunit. Can this be right and is this the norm, as the professional headunit has two tuners?
 
Not in the X3 they dont apparently, and that is pretty much the same setup as ours.

Apparently it could have either headunit
 
Hmm, I think for sure the Z4 only has one tuner, it was posted before, either here on on Z4um about it. You can tell if you have the DSP headunit by the DSP settings. Someone else with Nav will be able to let you know for definite.

Oh, and it's a bit pointless if it does only have one, especially if other models have two :(
 
churchwa said:
I have the Professional Navi installed in my Z4M Coupe but it only seems to have a single tuner, because i can only pic up TMC when listening to CD's, AUX or classic FM. If i have it on AM or any other FM station TMC goes red.

I also have the HI-FI DSP, but as it only has one tuner it would suggest that i only have the business headunit. Can this be right and is this the norm, as the professional headunit has two tuners?

Mines the same, I think Z4s only have the one tuner.
 
My Z4 also appears to have only one tuner as you describe. I raised it as a board question when I fist got the Z as my X5 has twin tuners and can therefore pick up any radio station and TMC together.

It's a pretty lame system or cost reduction that only lets you listen to the TMC radio channel, or cd, etc. if you want o benefit from TMC
 
Wikepedia answers it better than I can:

Traffic Message Channel (TMC) is a technology for delivering traffic and travel information to drivers. It is typically digitally coded using the FM-RDS system on conventional FM radio broadcasts. It can also be transmitted on DAB or satellite radio. It allows silent delivery of high quality accurate, timely and relevant information, in the language chosen by the user and without interrupting normal services. Services, both public and commercial, are now operational in many European countries. When data is integrated directly into a navigation system, this gives the driver the option to take alternative routes to avoid traffic incidents.

In practical terms it overlays information on the sat nav map (and in lists) of travel information as selected by the user. Accidents, delays, road closure, weather, etc. It's handy and a free service (well probably built into the initial price of the sat nav/car/maps)
 
i would struggle without it.. it even told me which roads were closed in the recent flooding - handy when you live in Worcestershire...

a good clue is when you see all the BMW's dive off at a junction on the motorway.. ;)
 
Not sure re the single tuner issue. My TMC is working all the time, no matter which station I listen to - or even when I listen to the ipod when I am abroad (why do they always have such terrible radio in France ...).

The messages just pop on the screen as and when required. Wether I use them is another thing (when it tells me the delay is 1 minute, I am really going to do the diversion ...)
 
I have noticed on certain fm radio stations TMC text will turn red, im assuming not picking anything up as when its green, but if you search for TMC channels in the menu it will find more but not what you necessarily want to listen too. !
 
Elliot said:
I have noticed on certain fm radio stations TMC text will turn red, im assuming not picking anything up as when its green, but if you search for TMC channels in the menu it will find more but not what you necessarily want to listen too. !

Correct the red indicates TMC is active but no signal, green that its receiving correclty. On the Z4 system it has a single tuner, so you either select a radio station you want to listen to, or one of the TMC channels

Other models have a twin tuner ( I can speak for X5 for certain) that one channel is to listen to, while the other locks onto TMC.

The unit can easily be swapped out as a search on the X5 forum will show. It's all a case of how much do you want a certain radio station and TMC, against costs to do it.
 
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