FM Traffic service myths...lets stop propagating them.

 

ok...ive seen a few people with completely WRONG impressions of the traffic services. heres a few CORRECT notes on traffic service. if you think different - youre WRONG. stfu.

1. FM Traffic is a paid service.
NO ITS NOT. its free like GPS and BROADCAST TO EVERY CAR ON THE ROAD. You pay because GARMIN/TOMTOM/YOUR GPS MAKER whoever it may be has decided to make you pay for it. Because THEY PAID for the SPECS to build the FM RECEIVER. the FM signal is completely unencrypted. This applies to US/Canada/Europe or anywhere else where FM TRAFFIC services are available.
Note: This does NOT apply to the MSN service which is ENCRYPTED data. you have to pay for that. this does not apply to the XM Service which is encrypted. you have to pay for that. This also does not apply to garmin traffic on the GMXT which is FREE but not provided to everyone in a broadcast service (one on one rather than broadcast).

2. The GTM-20 requires a subscription.
NO IT DOES NOT. The Traffic Receiver receives the signal. It passes the data to the GPS. its dumb. The GPS firmware enforces restrictions preventing GTM receivers from pairing without a key. The key has a date code built in after which it refuses to read the data.

3. You need ADS for lifetime service/there is lifetime service.
THERE IS NO LIFETIME SERVICE. THERE ARE NO ADS TO MAKE IT FREE. the adverts are in the firmware of the nuvi. This can be proven by taking a nuvi 760 and adding a "lifetime" code. No ads, free traffic.
Also there is NO LIFETIME SERVICE. Because the firmware enforces a date code, it must exist. Garmin sets a code of 4097 for lifetime or 4097 days from when you activate. So in 10+ yrs your LIFETIME SERVICE EXPIRES.

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GPS Models : 60CSX w/2GB Kingston (stolen), 32GB Samsung INNOV8 with Garmin Mobile XT(8GB), NUVI 760 w/16GB PSF16GSDHC6 (DIED in 30 days), V (died), Nokia N8 with Garmin Mobile XT(48GB), Blackberry Torch with Google Maps.

Ok

Ok you seem alittle ticked shock , as I read your thread I would agree but as a consumer what do we do since we have to have the code to put in the gps to recieve the single!!!!

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><-><-><-><-><-><-><-><-><-><-><-><-><-><-><-><-><-><-><-><- 4-Garmin Nuvi 760>>>> Owner: Sunrise Mechanical A/C & Heating,, Peoria, Arizona

A problem with your definitions

Zurk, I have a problem with your definitions. It appears that you are using the "encrypted" status as part of your definition of whether the service is "free" or not. Perhaps I am misreading your post.

Encryption has nothing to do with whether a service can be considered free or not. It just makes it easier to receive it without paying.

Cable TV was a pay-for-service model from it's inception. It was never a free service. But because it was unencrypted, it was fairly easy to receive the service as well as the extra-fee "premium" channels like HBO. That ease did not change the legal status of "free", as many found out when they were convicted of theft of service by the courts.

Are you sure you're not confusing TTN lifetime traffic service with Navteq lifetime service? My understanding is that only the Navteq traffic service has the embedded advertising. I had never considered that the ads might actually be embedded in the POI data in the maps versus being transmitted through the traffic service. Are we sure that's the case?

...

ok you can make the argument GPS is NOT FREE because it takes a $200K ASIC to decode and you pay a portion of that ($1.50 usually) to decode the signal by buying an ASIC (SIRF/MT etc). im sorry...thats just silly. Besides te fact that your radio can display station ID and name of the song played using a similar RDS decoder should tell you something. if your ordinary car stereo can decode it, it should NOT be illegal to decode on a GPSr.
The criteria is that its specifically restricted to one receiver. In the case of cable, if it was broadcast over the air and you built a decoder (i.e. bought a TV set) to receive it, no judge would tell you that its illegal. The fact that it only comes to you and not to everyone on the street through a cable is what determines the status. the encryption on broadcast services is the same principle -- it goes only to YOU because only you have a valid key which decodes that part meant for you (actually a rolling key but thats irrelevant).
The way traffic works is that its transmitted as an TMC message. The message consists of an event code and a location code in addition to time details. The message is coded according to the Alert C standard. It contains a list of max 2048 events (1402 used) which can be translated by a TMC receiver into the language of the user. There is no advertising by definition because TMC messages are limited to the Alert C standard. Navteq adds extra events (i.e. if they want to advertise mcdonalds they will add 2047 for example - unused/junk event and location code/date) All recvrs following the Alert C standard would reject messages they are unable to decode. Instead Garmin GPSes on receiving this non standard message search thru the poi database for location and business (mcdonalds) and pop up that silly dialog with the text of the TMC message attached (eat healthy at mcdonalds!). This allows you to click on it and get spammed rather than ignoring it, which they are supposed to do.

i should also add that as EDUCATED consumers we should avoid silly restrictions by using map id 0 hacks when necessary. smile

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GPS Models : 60CSX w/2GB Kingston (stolen), 32GB Samsung INNOV8 with Garmin Mobile XT(8GB), NUVI 760 w/16GB PSF16GSDHC6 (DIED in 30 days), V (died), Nokia N8 with Garmin Mobile XT(48GB), Blackberry Torch with Google Maps.

RF TV reception ruled theft of service

zurk wrote:

In the case of cable, if it was broadcast over the air and you built a decoder (i.e. bought a TV set) to receive it, no judge would tell you that its illegal.

That is exactly what happened. Chicago and other cities had pay-for-view stations (ours was channel 44). They were broadcast over standard TV broadcast channel airwaves and received by the standard TV antenna. You could buy kits to receive this signal. It was judged to be theft of service by the Supreme Court.

The ability to receive a signal with or without decoding or decryption does not make it free. The laws were changed quite some time ago.

...

johnc wrote:
zurk wrote:

In the case of cable, if it was broadcast over the air and you built a decoder (i.e. bought a TV set) to receive it, no judge would tell you that its illegal.

That is exactly what happened. Chicago and other cities had pay-for-view stations (ours was channel 44). They were broadcast over standard TV broadcast channel airwaves and received by the standard TV antenna. You could buy kits to receive this signal. It was judged to be theft of service by the Supreme Court.

The ability to receive a signal with or without decoding or decryption does not make it free. The laws were changed quite some time ago.

http://www.chicagotelevision.com/pay3.htm
says they were scrambled with a code (narrowcasting). do you have a court case cite ? i find it hard to believe.

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GPS Models : 60CSX w/2GB Kingston (stolen), 32GB Samsung INNOV8 with Garmin Mobile XT(8GB), NUVI 760 w/16GB PSF16GSDHC6 (DIED in 30 days), V (died), Nokia N8 with Garmin Mobile XT(48GB), Blackberry Torch with Google Maps.

Theft it is

johnc wrote:
zurk wrote:

In the case of cable, if it was broadcast over the air and you built a decoder (i.e. bought a TV set) to receive it, no judge would tell you that its illegal.

That is exactly what happened. Chicago and other cities had pay-for-view stations (ours was channel 44). They were broadcast over standard TV broadcast channel airwaves and received by the standard TV antenna. You could buy kits to receive this signal. It was judged to be theft of service by the Supreme Court.

The ability to receive a signal with or without decoding or decryption does not make it free. The laws were changed quite some time ago.

You can receive the signal, but when you process the signal and convert it to one that can be heard/seen on a device, that is where the "theft of service" comes in. It's not illegal to stick the wire in the air and receive, what you do with the signal intercepted by that wire is regulated. Every device that uses radio frequencies must be certified and approved.

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ɐ‾nsǝɹ Just one click away from the end of the Internet

.

a_user wrote:

Every device that uses radio frequencies must be certified and approved.

Uh, no.

Commercial

mike_s wrote:
a_user wrote:

Every device that uses radio frequencies must be certified and approved.

Uh, no.

I would say that every commercially sold radio needs to be fcc certified if used in the US. Could you say examples of why not?

Daniel

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Garmin StreetPilot c580 & Nuvi 760 - Member 32160 - Traveling in Kansas

Still incorrect.

dkeane wrote:

I would say that every commercially sold radio needs to be fcc certified if used in the US.

That is not the claim which was made. But even that statement is incorrect. There are many device types which are subject to "verification," or "Declaration of Conformity," and not "certification." See FCC Part 15.101. Additionally, "Receivers operating above 960 MHz or below 30 MHz, except for radar detectors and CB receivers, are exempt from complying with the technical provisions of {15.101} ..."

Yes

I am sorry to not have been more specific.

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Garmin StreetPilot c580 & Nuvi 760 - Member 32160 - Traveling in Kansas