Garmin TMC 11.

[JohnB]

I've been considering buying the TMC11 to use in the cage with a 2720. It looks as if I can use the whip aerial for the car and permanently mount the wire aerial for use on the bike. Does anyone have any experience of using these TMC gadgets, and does the apparent ability to be routed efficiently round traffic hold-ups really work?

(For those who will undoubtedly say that traffic rarely holds a bike up, I must admit that my plans may include finding long Motorway jams on Bank Holidays and riding through them, gloating. )

 

[PanEuropean]

I've been using the GTM 10 and GTM 11 traffic receivers (they receive TMC - Traffic Message Channel) messages for two years now on my motorcycle. They both work just fine. The GTM 11, with the built-in whip antenna, is more convenient for car use.

For moto use, I had a conventional FM antenna on the bike last summer for the GTM 10, but found it to be a PITA. So, I went to a ship chandler, and bought a FM antenna intended for boat use that is a very thin flexible wire about 3 feet long. I attached this to my front brake line with tie-wraps (all the way from the master cylinder to the disc), and this is now my traffic antenna. I used one of the cables (Fakra to standard FM bayonet) that come with the GTM 10 (but not the GTM 11) to adapt the connector.

The TMC function works equally well on a moto or a car. My experience in the UK has been that there is good TMC coverage of the greater London agglomeration, but very little between London and Lands End, once you are about 40 miles outside of London. That is based on a very limited testing period of 4 days this past December, though.

Michael

 

[PanEuropean]

PS: Keep in mind that the GTM traffic recievers are not waterproof - but, unlike the remote controls (which Garmin says are not waterproof but, in fact, are totally unaffected by water), the GTM 10 is genuinely allergic to water. So, this means you have to put a small sandwich bag around it, then tie a knot in the sandwich bag at each end. You also cannot leave the sandwich bag on it all the time or you get condensation problems.

Or - just do what I did, which was to locate the GTM 10 under the seat of the motorcycle, where it is very unlikely to get wet. It is a very small thing, exactly the same size as a Zippo lighter.

Michael

 

[JohnB]

Many thanks for the information. I had just about given up on getting a reply, but should have realised that the legendary Pan-European would have the answers

 

[PanEuropean]

Here's a few pictures of the device. These were taken last summer when I first started fooling around with it. The mounting shown (exposed to the weather, on the handlebar) is just temporary - the device cannot be left there if there is any risk of rain.

Michael

GTM 10 Traffic Message Receiver
(note the standard FM whip antenna mounted on the handlebar)

 

[JohnB]

Thanks again for the advice. One of the deciding factors is that in the UK these cost an arm and a leg due to the subscription to Trafficmaster. I'm therefore planning to move the unit on a regular basis between the bike and the cage. Should be delivered tomorrow and I expect I'll spend the whole day setting it up and tracking down those traffic jams.
John.