TMC in Z4 Nav

[Anonymous]

I live in Australia and we have only JUST had the first live TMC service launched and currently available free for limited time.

I have the Sat Nav pro with the 16x9 screen and TV but I can't seem to be able to find TMC anywhere (I have V28 of the Nav firmware). Pressing the Info button only shows "RDS" . "PTY" and "Min Nav volume" . There is no "TP" as suggested by the BMW manual to turn on the TMC.

My question is, where is the problem?
-Does the Nav possibly lack an RDS antenna or do they all have it?
-Is it in the Nav Firmware?
-or is it due to our Maps here not supporting it?

Frustrating to see the AU$5700 system have YET another limitation

 

[pvr]

May be related to the country code setup on your satnav system. On mine, TMC is just available but it is set to Europe.

 

[cj10jeeper]

I'll stand to be corrected here as I'm not going out in the rain to look at teh exact sequences...

The Z4 in the UK has a single channel radio so you either have TMC on or the radio (unless you like to listen to the same channel that TMC happens to be on in the area you are driving, else it's cd's or engine note). Some BM's like the X5 have 2 channel so one gets radio, the other TMC. Maybe later Z's do but not earlier models

Next you need a TMC enable nav disk installed. That's the map not the OS

So duly equiped you go to the set up menu and set it for traffic information and you can select which you want from the drop down menu - road works, closures, diversions, etc.

Centre bottom of the monitor should now be giving you 3 coded messages with the 'TMC' letters: black - not working; red for working but no signal and green for working and receiving a signal

When up and running you'll be able to see a constant stream of road warnings ahead or view message lists of prolems in the region. Actually pretty good and completely free in the UK.

Hope this helps

 

[pvr]

Hmm, mine is green + I don't listen to a TMC radio channel as far as I know ... so guess I have the dual tuner then

 

[cj10jeeper]

pvr - you could well have and I can only speak for my 2003.

What you describe is as I have in the X5 and so have the TMC channel locked in the background all the time but listen to any radio channel.

 

[Anonymous]

Next you need a TMC enable nav disk installed. That's the map not the OS

hmm I think this may be the problem guys. I doubt our Australian Map disc has this enabled given until now no TMC service existed in this country. I recall playing with a disc (from another country which has a different file structure) and the Traffic menus were visible. However our "Carindb" file structure on our map disc seems not to support TMC

Now I doubt I'll ever see this enabled in our current generation systems..

 

[Wondermike]

Actually pretty good and completely free in the UK.

Is it just free for OEM nav systems? I just got a Sony portable nav unit and it has TMC but I had to pay to activate the service - it was only £20 so no big deal but I just wondered. The TMC doesn't seem much good TBH, when I sent to Scotland recently it was still reporting congestion delays that had long since cleared, and it said a road was closed after an accident that had been open for about an hour when I drove through it, with no delay.

 

[cj10jeeper]

Mike - when I say free I believe there is a licence fee paid in the price of the unit or car so for OEM it's paid for the life of the vehicle. No doubt aftermarket does not include it, so keeping the advertised retail price down.

For sure I too have experienced the 'fake' delays but the system has improved a great deal and now in fact several national fleets of vehicles are set up as rolling data sensors. National coaches, RAC, etc so such issues are reducing.

Again as a 'free' service I can't complain and having used many subscribed services felt their data was no better and certainly not value for money.

 

[Wondermike]

cj10jeeper, I've only had it for a month so I probably need to use it a bit more often to see exactly how worthy it is. Also, the fake data comes on the radio traffic broadcasts too, I suppose.