Are FM traffic antenna's worth it?

I use the GTX-20 receiver with my Nuvi 650 and am very pleased. The unit includes a complimentary 15-month subscription and the subsequent renewal is only $60 annually. Worth every penny.

I thought the traffic alert feature would be totally useless where I live - and I was right. However, my job has changed and I've been traveling more. In the past two weeks I've been routed around a major backup due to a highway collision and another major backup due to a freeway construction project. In both instances I was given an easy to follow route that went around the difficulty and added very little to my initial time estimate.

I'm actually considering paying for the service even though it's worthless in the area where I live.

I have 3 questions concerning the traffic subscriptions.

1. Is there a screen I can access that will tell me when my 90 day trial subscription started?

2. I saw a post where someone with a 760 said he was using the MSN traffic subscription. My 760 came with the FM traffic subscription and receiver. Does this mean that, if I purchased the other power cable my unit would utilize the MSN info instead of the less useful FM receiver info?

3. I saw a post where someone was going to purchase a receiver from eBay and it came with the 15 month free trial. Is this correct? I could get the MSN receiver (see question 2 above) and my unit would get the 15 month trial subscription since it had never connected to the MSN service previously?

1 - tools>system?traffic.... TTN will have expiration date....
edit:
2 - If you purchase the msn receiver you can recieve it...

3 - Don't know

I have a Nuvi 760 which came with FM traffic service receiver built into the power cord. Works very well and it is very handy. Just like the GPS, however, it isn't perfect and may lag actual traffic conditions. However, I is worth the price and is accurate enough most of the time to save me time in cities like Chicago or NY with many alternate routes.

Good luck

1. Yes, under settings menu and traffic (when it is plugged in.

2. MSN is optional for 760 at around $100. Includes 1 year of service. Would replace current power cord with built in traffic receiver.

3. Haven't heard of 15 month trial, only 12 with purchase of new, unused receiver. Google MSN GPS receiver and check out latest offers.

I bought my 660 specifically because it came with an FM Traffic receiver. My experience is that its good as an indicator, but not terribly accurate with respect to the roads I travel on. It almost seems that sometimes it calculates delays based on the traffic going the opposite way.

For me any traffic indicators are worth it as the roads I commute on (Philadelphia) are frequently congested.

I live in the Salt Lake City suburbs...and the traffic feature only covers the 3 freeways in the area...2 of which I *rarely* use. If it covered the smaller highways, I might renew the service once it expires. Check http://realtimetraffic.net/ and click on the "Coverage Map" to see if you can even get reception.

However, of all the FM transmitters I've used, the GTM 20 (it came with my nuvi 760) is by far the most powerful. My car doesn't have a line-in port, and I don't like those cassette tape adapters...but because the FM transmission is so clear, I've loaded my 760 full of Mp3s.

Point of clarification. The GTM-20 is an FM traffic receiver only. The FM transmitter which broadcasts through your radio is actually part of the NUVI.

I live 2 hours from Los Angeles, which I visit about once a month. Would it be valuable to pay for Traffic if I only need it 1 day a month?

Ahem

the value is in the eyes of the beholder. you and only you can palce a value on the time and effort possibly saved

I have a NUVI 350 w/ traffic reciever and drive a tour bus - I use it constantly and find the info to be a great advantage when traveling thru meto areas and into canada - have found that some info is sometimes not accurate but understand that the info recieved is only as good as the sender - plan to keep my subscription current as I think this is a great tool for my trade - have a great day

My traffic GTM-12 is worth the investment

I live in Montreal and although there is supposed to be coverage, the FM transmitter is broadcasting at low power which means you can't get the signal. I'm using MSNdirect (on it's 1 year trail) and there's nothing in my area.

On vacation in Boston and the coverage is much better and has actual traffic information that I can use.

So it really depends on where you live and what coverage you will get.

I live in NW Indiana, traveling to Chicago 3 times a week. The traffic seems to work pretty good. It alerts me to the amount of delay time. I will renew the subscription.

I have MSN with my 680, I do not get coverage in much of the suburban area, the updates are slow and not far enough in advance to assist in routing. I have had better luck in other major metro areas (last week I was in Philly, it was a help). I do not use the other features (gas prices and movie times). I will have to think long and hard about it when my subscription comes up for renewal.

according to http://www.realtimetraffic.net/TTN-HD.pdf, the service is available in Toronto, ON; Ottawa,
ON and Montreal, QE in Canada.

James

Yes,
Mine was worth it.

I just renewed my subscription for traffic on my nuvi660. It was quick and easy. Now I have another years worth.

I just renewed my subscription for traffic on my nuvi660. It was quick and easy. Now I have another years worth.

I ended up buying the traffic receiver on ebay for my Magellan 760, and it did include 15 months of service. It is 15 months from time of activation, so as long as it hasn't been activated yet, you will still get the introductory offer. By the way, it works great here in Minneapolis.

# 1,
not sure
#2 and #3
no, don't bother, if it didn't come with it I'm pretty sure this will not work ..another way to get ya..
G

I've been wanting to hear how well this works inside and around the Dallas area.

Works great in Cleveland.

I just used the FM traffic on a trip to New England. Worked great and avoided traffic on the George Washington Bridge. Told me to take local and did it, just after exit the express lane came to a stop. The local was moving at a steady pace. Also worked well around Boston 495 to avoid back up.

appartently it is just starting in the east, like toronto, i live about 100 km from vancouver and theere is not even a time given when they are coming here

I have the Nuvi 680 that I use in the Los Angeles area. As I near the end of my subscription period, I will also have to think about renewal. Even when I get information about traffic and the Nuvi redirects me off the freeway. Rather than face the unknown street traffic, I often decide to stay on my usual route. The one time I would have left the freeway would be in a serious freeway blockage for a prolonged period of time.

Henry

I live in the Detroit environs and I hate to be on the road during rush hours.
An example:
I've seen a person asleep in a car in the middle of a freakin' four lane freeway in late afternoon!!!!
Traffic was backed-up'd and had to go around him, while he was drooling behind the wheel..., how stupid is that?
Hey, maybe that's a new civil offense...dbtw....,huh?
Seriously.., I usually wake in the morning, turn on the traffic station, chuckle at the dumbs____t stuff, rollover, and go back to sleep.
Oh yeah, on the subject of travelling with a traffic antenna, it depends on the city area.
You have to go to the provider sites to see what area is covered for the plan you choose.
Detroit's good with TMC for now.
Not sure about MSN and any quirks.

I had never even heard of this option. Thanks for all the info...something for us to think about getting now!

I have the 760 with TMC and while the service is pretty good, the reception in western Chicago is disappointing. I live and work in the west to far west suburbs. I find that the western edge of my traffic reception area stops right around Route 53 or so. The actual data covers roads far west of that, but the reception dies off right around Rte 53. I can get close to 10 more miles of reception by looping the cord over the rear view mirror, but I am not inclined to drive that way. As for the actual usefulness in reporting traffic and providing useful avoidance, it has worked quite well. Just last night I used the traffic avoidance on a drive from Oak Brook to Navy Pier and it nicely routed me around a 30 minute backup on I-290 near Wolf Road.

I would be interested in comparing the Chicago coverage and reception area compared to MSN.

Otherwise might not be worth the price.

Ray

My gps is a 660. I just renewed my subscription for traffic. On a trip through Atlanta, it routed me one way on the was through and another way on the way back. Saved time my avoiding traffic. I love it.

The times I drove around Chicago (parents live in Lake County and I am headed back to TN), the MSN did not provide me with any information as I drive down I294 (rt 53)then down I294 to I94.

If I "add" the subscription before the trial period runs out will it add onto the existing trial or will it cancel the rest of the trial period and start the 1 year subscription from that date?

Here is why I am reluctant to purchase the FM traffic receiver.

I don't know if the FM Traffic receiver understands "speed" or "simplicity" or "efficiency". Example:
I'm driving down the interstate and it reports there is traffic ahead but redirects me to a "regular" (non hwy) road where the speed limit is obviously much lower than the freeways speed limit. Does it make sense for me to exit the hwy and avoid the 30mph traffic jam and use regular roads at 35mph with red lights and just as much traffic? Unless the speed limits and amount of red lights you must drive through are programmed into the GPS, I highly doubt this thing would really save me time. Sometimes, the best option is to just stay in the traffic. Not to mention, I don't need a device to run up my fuel bill.

I already have this problem with my Garmin GPS as it is. It routes me directly to where I'm trying to go but it doesn't seem to understand that, while one route may be the most logical or closest route to take - it's not the most fuel efficient or the 'easiest' to drive. Sure, I may save myself from having to drive an extra mile if I sit through countless red lights first but I'd rather take the freeway and save the fuel and make my commute much easier and cheaper. I'm constantly having to hit the "detour" button.

I was warned prior to the purchase of my GPS that no map or GPS can hold a candle to local knowledge of the city you drive in and I don't expect perfect results.

So, why buy a traffic detector? I know when the traffic is bad just like everyone who lives in a big city knows. RUSH HOUR! I dodge traffic without losing my money. Until I know that these variables are programmed into the device then I'll trust my watch to tell me the traffic ahead.

Any of this make any sense? :?

you make many good points regarding these traffic receivers. traffic ahead simply could mean slow down. I feel these are just information gatherers and its up to you on if you need to reroute. If I see yellow traffic ahead that is just slow down, I will ignore it. Now if it is red traffic ahead, you better believe I am getting off at the next exit.
I have been saved many times, (including going to the airport) by rerouting after seeing a red traffic ahead. at $60 for lifetime, it is money well spent.

Ragedogg69,

From what I understand, it's $60 a year for this service unless otherwise stated. Also requires a $120-$150 piece of hardware. Now, color coding the traffic alerts is practical but still doesn't provide me with enough confidence to purchase this accessory. Don't get me wrong, I really would like to have this item but first I must justify the expense.

Even if the traffic alert was red, depending on the city and the alternative available routes and accessibility of these alternative routes would have to come into question. Speed limits, traffic and estimated red light waiting time (if applicable) as well as your vehicles MPG would all be contributing factors before deciding to detour. At least that's what intelligent humans do.

I've seen many people talk about how this device has actually saved them time but my question is; How do you know it saved you time? If you weren't in the traffic then how do you know if it saved you time? Was it worth the additional fuel cost if any? I suppose the answer to this could involve many variables which I don't think I have the energy to focus on right now - being that it's 11PM right now.

Nevertheless, with all these variables in mind, it is my belief that such a device doesn't exist...yet. So, I'm back to good old radio, tv and my trusty watch to tell me a little bit about traffic.

In Dallas Texas (where I live) they have giant electric signs above the highway that warn you about upcoming traffic as well as offer crime alerts.

Text, All your observations are valid. The traffic receivers are subject to all the shortcomings and foibles that the GPS is, plus they add some of their own; delayed data and the limitation of only knowing the major routes. You are absolutely correct in assuming that when it tells you there is a 15 minute delay during rush hour and suggests secondary roads as an alternative, they will be just as slow. As with ALL GPS use, this is where your brain comes into play instead of blindly following the device.

I have a 25 mile commute to work, 20 miles of which are on an expressway. EVERY SINGLE DAY when going home, my Nuvi says there is a traffic delay ranging from 5-10 minutes due to slow traffic. And it doesn't matter which roads I take; they will all be slow. So most days I just ignore the warning. A couple times a month, the reported delay will be 20 or more minutes. I have on multiple occasions been warned of a delay in excess of 60 minutes. Any time it tells me the delay is more than 15 minutes or so, I tap the icon and it tells me about the delay. Could still be just slow traffic, or an accident. I make the decision of whether to exit and take an alternative route home. Like the GPS itself, the traffic receiver provides an additional bit of information which can be valuable at times.

There is a "cool" factor to consider. I gave a coworker a ride home 2 weeks ago. She lives 1 block away from my house. She looked at me like I was nuts when I turned on my GPS for the ride home. She teased me a little with "Do you often get lost on the ride home?" 10 seconds later the Traffic Alert spoke and popped up and I tapped the screen to see what was wrong. Slow traffic, construction & lane closure was the answer. She thought that was the coolest thing ever. "Wow! My Magellan doesn't do THAT"! It was worth the entire month's subscription just for that one moment.

JohnC,

LOL. Very cool indeed. That story /almost/ makes me want to just buy one and take the hit to my wallet. I'm still thinking about it.

Buy from another site other than Garmin.
I found a traffic receiver for less from a different site (sorry, crs) that was a lot cheaper.
Btw, nice avatar.

I am thinking of starting trial of traffic info. Does the TT route arounf the co ngested highway when traffic is dense ? Usually TT prefers highway over any local road when 'fastest' is chosen.

Last week our family went into Boston for the day... went in around 10am and the Garmin routed us in on the Pike. Coming back at around 3pm, the route was on 95. I assume the difference was congestion so that the "longer" route was still faster.

Driving in Chicago I think the traffic feature pays for itself quite quickly. We have a lot of logjams around here.

My general advice is that if the radio traffic reports in your area are accurate, then the FM Traffic will have the same info (and thus be good). If your radio stations are way behind actual jams and pile-ups, then the FM traffic won't do any better of a job. It's Clear Channel Communications (I believe) who runs all of the FM Traffic that the Nuvi's get. (MSN Traffic excluded)

This unit is for sale at Costco for $229, and includes the receiver/power cord. The "cost" of the traffic reports is that you sometimes get ads for stores in your area.

I recently used it in Washington, DC, and it did an excellent job of routing me around traffic.

I also appreciate that it displays the speedlimit on many roads.

The speed data is derived from the map data not FM Traffic signals.

In the DC area, I think the FM traffic sub is useful but not that great. It is slow to update and sometimes it routes me to places that are worse than the jam it is trying to "help" me avoid. For $60 it isn't bad but don't expect it to be extremely helpful every day.

I used the traffic subscription on my 660 for 18 months, but did not renew this past January.

My pda-phone runs google maps, and I found its more up to date with traffic info than the FM traffic receiver.

The only down side is that nothing alerts you about traffic on your route, and you have a second display that adds a distraction over and above the GPSr.

I have the MSN traffic on my Nuvi 885t and as soon as the 90 days are up, I intend to renew it.
I plan to get the lifetime plan for a one time payment.
I have found it to be a plus in my commute on the freeways of Ohio and when travelling out of town.
I would recommend it

I purchased the "lifetime" subscription. It has its upa and downs in terms of accuracy but several times has spared me from major pain of sitting in traffic behind an accident.