RDS-TMC or Tom Tom Traffic

Is there any difference in the quality of information provided by the
two?

Also, typically I will be just using it for 2x1 hour journey's per day,
so does anyone know how much traffic data this would download. I am
thinking of moving to O2 PAYG, where I think you get a free allowance of
GRPS data per month?

Cheers
--
Mike

Don't know, mine never picked anything up so I sent it back! Only
Classic FM carries data compatible with TomTom, other radio stations
carry data compatible with other sat nav systems, there are competing
TMC standards. Unfortunately tomtom haven't seen fit to restrict the
software to only tuning into classic FM so it'll happily tune into a
local radio station and ignore classic FM and so receive no data.
It also has no external aerial connection and isn't very sensitive, so
if you are in a poor signal area, e.g. anywhere in the south west of
england, then you'll be lucky to even pick up an incompatible
station. I tried putting the aerial in various different positions
and even tried upstairs in the house on various windows, and also
outside of the car, but it still didn't like picking anything up. It
did occasionally lock onto a station but never classic FM so it never
picked up any traffic data. You might get it working, depending on
where you live, it does work in some parts of the country but it
doesn't have total coverage, none at all in my area.

If GPRS data rates aren't too bad then you'll probably find it's
cheaper, you get a 1-month trial of tomtom traffic via GPRS to try it
out. I restrict it to updating once every 15 mins and it seems to
work quite well, but obviously not 100% accurate.

--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!

wrote
Ah - right thanks for that. I'm up North where Classic is available,
but it would be nice to have something that works nationwide

Cheers
--
Mike

Classic is available here too on a normal radio, it's just that tomtom
reception is so poor that it needs to be a very strong signal. It was
really designed to lock on to local radio stations, I'm told it works
much better on the continent where their local radio stations actually
do carry TMC data.

You could buy one mail order and if it doesn't work for you, you have
the right under the distance selling regulations to send it back and
receive a full refund, including your postage costs. Easydevices did
this for me, although they kicked up a bit of a fuss and tried to
pretend that they could charge a restocking fee and even tried to tell
me that I found it satisfactory. I've not received the refund yet but
they told me they would "let me have one".

--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!

The regulations don't force suppliers to refund your postage costs
(though many suppliers will cover the costs of returning / collecting
the goods). If it is stipulated as such in the supplier's terms and
conditions the cost of returning the goods can legally be the
responsibility of the consumer:

http://www.oft.gov.uk/Business/Legal/DSR/distance+selling+regs+cancellati
on+periods.htm

--

Dominic Sexton