XXL 550 giving me hell again....

[metalman1221]

This morning, my TomTom wouldnt recognize the traffic cable attached.....again.......I had this problem months ago and removed the application and installed a new one and it worked. This morning, the RDMS cable conected message never came up. Traffic monitoring is important for my commute as the parkway I take is traffic heavy and re-routing is really important. Knowing in advance if there is traffic really helps my ride.
I touched the screen and it said cable disconnected(even though it was plugged in),then 2 secs later, it would say connected. There would be no traffic bar, or no Traffic on Route icon. :rant:
I am going to try an update tonight. This XXL 550 had had many quirks since I got it.Sometimes I would be sitting in heavy traffic and it has not recognized it. Is there a better TomTom with real time traffic I should look into?
Any ideas?

 

[dhn]

Did you try resetting the unit by holding the power button for about 10 seconds till you hear the drum roll? (I'm not sure if that model has a dedicated reset hole on the bottom to do the job).

There is a 2535 LIVE model with more accurate traffic than that provided by the rds-tmc antenna you are using. But, the cost for the LIVE subscription is $60/year after the first year and, honestly, there are other issues with the 2X models at this time......

Anyway, try the unit reset.

 

[Andy_P]

Isn't there a limited subscription time for RDS-TMC aerials purchased in the US?

Seems odd to me as a non-American user, but I thought I'd read that on the forums.

 

[metalman1221]

I'll try to reset it and see.

Isn't there a limited subscription time for RDS-TMC aerials purchased in the US?

Seems odd to me as a non-American user, but I thought I'd read that on the forums.

I hope not....I've only had it since January......I am pretty sure when I got it, it said, real time traffic for life. My main use is for the traffic updates.

 

[metalman1221]

I tried resetting it, got the drum roll, and once I turned it on, it said the antenna was connected....however still no "Show Traffic" icon. Also, it kept saying antenna connected and then it would say antenna disconnected right after. It kept repeating that. How can you tell if the cable or the unit is bad. Its not an old unit......had it since January.

 

[dhn]

When it says 'antenna disconnected', do you see a battery appear on the navigation screen?

First of all, is this a combo rds-tmc/car charger you're using or just a rds-tmc antenna that plugs into the usb port on the unit and the car charger plugs into the antenna?

I mean, it could be a faulty antenna, regardless of type used. Or, it could be a fault with the car charger itself.

 

[metalman1221]

When you turn the unit on, after a few seconds, the Traffic antenna connected comes on in the uper right. Then right after ,it says disconnected. No battery comes up......though last month, I had turned the unit on to use it and after a few seconds of planning my route, the screen went black and a big sideways battery appeared.....over and over. Eventually, it went away and all was well.
I am using the rds-tmc antenna that plugs into the usb port on the unit and the car charger plugs into the antenna. Thats the one that came with it.
I do plug my phone charger into the port when not using the GPS and it works fine. :roll:

 

[dhn]

I don't know if the information in this thread is relevant to your situation but have a look anyway:

https://www.tomtomforums.com/tomtom...tomtom-730t-totally-refuses-get-tmc-data.html

 

[metalman1221]

Read it just now. Not the issues I am having though. We live in a high traffic area and it worked fine up until yesterday. I dont know why overnight it would decide to stop working. I just ordered a new cable on Ebay. If that does not work when I get it, I am just going to buy a new,possibily a Garmin, unit......unless the TomTom 2535 is a good choice?