User manual

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• Click on the arrows to display all the traffic information received by RDS / TMC.
• Click on a traffic information announcement to display details of the messages.
On the navigation screen (traditional navigation or free navigation), a number of indicators display the traffic
status:
• 22 icons and symbols indicate close to 1,400 types of problems noted by the traffic information service:
Accident Road narrows
Two-way traffic Vehicle failure
Traffic jam Pedestrians on the road
Accident(s) Strong cross wind
Road works Snowfall
Road closed Parking
Falling rocks Clearance restrictions
Left/right lane blocked/closed Temperature
Intersection closed Road narrows
Traffic restrictions Vehicle failure
Slippery road Alternate circulation
 Icons in red concern your route directly. Icons in grey correspond to environmental events that are not
found on your route.
 The triangles outlined in red indicate the level of traffic congestion and the scope of the event:
Orange
Traffic slowed down
Red
Traffic jam
Black
Road closed
9.2.4. HOW DOES THE TRAFFIC INFORMATION SERVICE WORK?
Depending on the country, public or private companies are responsible for collecting information on certain
traffic areas (motorways, ring roads, etc.). This information is then sent to operators who consolidate these data
and transmit them to users in compliance with the shared European standard: RDS
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/ TMC
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.
The quality of traffic information depends on the availability of the service in the country in which you are
driving as well as on the FM radio reception conditions. Its broadcasting is the responsibility of the operators
concerned.
ViaMichelin Trafic is an operator broadcasting traffic information in France. This activity enables ViaMichelin
Navigation portable GPS X-970T and X-980T users to benefit from traffic information without any additional
subscription.
Your ViaMichelin portable GPS device notifies you – in the language of your choice, irrespective of the country –
of the traffic events that you can encounter on your route when they happen so you can avoid them or simply
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RDS : Radio Data System
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TMC : Traffic Message Channel
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be informed. In addition, to optimise reception, ViaMichelin Trafic has developed a system unique in France of
continuous service in the event of an interruption in signal and alternative frequency management.
Reception quality depends on a number of factors (global receptor sensitivity, external disturbances, tunnels,
weather, noise-proof walls, etc.) and on a vehicle whose body allows radio waves to pass more or less easily.
RDS/TMC reception quality, irrespective of the service, cannot be guaranteed. This is one reason explaining why
messages transmitted by ViaMichelin are tripled and exceed the standard recommendations in this area. The
European format of RDS/TMC information traffic offers up to 50 messages per minute. ViaMichelin Trafic has
made a strategic decision to divide France into a number of broadcast ‘regions’ in order to offer users more
relevant messages on a local basis and enable quicker update of traffic-related events.
It is also important to check that the RDS / TMC antenna is correctly connected to the device and positioned
according to the recommendations in the documentation.
In France, ViaMichelin Trafic information is sent on the FM band via the radios of the NRJ group: NRJ, Nostalgie,
Latina, etc. that cover more than 85% of the French population.
In addition to its RDS/TMC service offer, ViaMichelin Traffic provides its traffic messages in “xml” format. This
technology handles a dynamic traffic information flow for multichannel applications such as, for example:
portable telephones, web sites and all devices capable of receiving information via GPRS
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GPRS : General Packet Radio Service