philharve
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
- Messages
- 1,773
- Reaction score
- 5
- Age
- 73
- Location
- Falmouth, Cornwall, United Kingdom
- Website
- go.to
- Your Mercedes
- W202 C230K Auto 2000
Hi All
I upgraded the system software in my Tomtom GO 910 Sat Nav from v6.x to v7.x just prior to a 500-mile round trip to Swindon earlier this week. I usually mount the Tomtom device in the centre of the windscreen so that a passenger can control it if my hands are otherwise engaged griping the steering wheel whilst traveling at speed.
V7.x contains many new features which I hadn't fully appreciated until my journey was well underway. One such feature, which normally defaults to 'alarm mode on' when the software is initially installed, caused much concern and head-scratching and resulted in a call to my indie to check I wasn't dreaming.
The latest system software now contains 'legal speed detection' which takes the current speed restriction on a section of road or motorway and computes the speed which could result in prosecution. For 70mph the legal speed is 79mph; for 60mph the legal speed is 68mph; for 50mph the legal speed is 57mph; etc. If the legal speed alarm is active (it is user-configurable to 'on/off') an audible warning is generated whenever the vehicle attains or exceeds the legal speed and repeats periodically. In effect it is warning the driver to 'reduce speed or risk prosecution'.
Shortly after entering the M5, after leaving the A30, I started to hear a 'bong, bong, bong' sound which repeated every couple of minutes. The sound appeared to be coming from the ICE speakers.
I have owned my C230K for 3 years and it's never 'bonged' me before. I quickly deduced that either my car was trying to tell me something was wrong, or, it had to do with my vehicle's speed and some external subsystem, possibly external to my car. Because there were no other complementary warning indications in the facia, I deduced my car was OK. It was performing well, very well. Consequently there must be some other speed detection system in operation ... but where was it and how was it interacting through my ICE speakers???
I considered the possibility that this was some new experimental traffic calming system in which my car was interacting with sensors in the surface of the motorway and an 'overspeed warning' was somehow being transmitted on all channels on my FM radio. Very clever, I thought, but what if I was listening to CD or tape??? I switched audio sources and the 'bong, bong, bong' kept on sounding??? The alarm was beginning to annoy me so I switched the radio off. The 'bonging' sound continued!!! I was now getting quite worried. Where was the sound coming from and what was producing it???
I reached Swindon in record time and decided to call my indie. I asked him whether there were any subsystems in my Mercedes that were associated with speed detection and could it be producing the bonging sound. He said, 'No', there was no such subsystem, not even the speed limiter or cruise control is capable of generating such a warning. The answer must lie elsewhere.
I read through my Mercedes manual and, sure enough, there was no mention of audible alarms other than 'lights on', 'brake engaged', radio security', etc. The answer must be the Tomtom Sat Nav but how could it transmit sound to the ICE speakers in such a way that I could not control the volume???
I went through the Tomtom v7.x menus - there's no instruction manual - and stumbled upon the answer. Legal speed limit warning ... its alarm was set 'On'. Furthermore, the user-defined alarm sound was set to 'bong, bong, bong'. It was then that I realised that I had covered the last 150 miles at very close to the legal speed limit. Fortunately I had discovered that by backing off on the accelerator I could stop the 'bonging' ... but not for long. I further deduced that the Tomtom database must include a list of currently enforced speed restrictions for specific roads and motorways and it was this information that was controlling the onset of the alarm. I found some roads I could travel at 90mph without 'bonging'. The Tomtom will even allow the user to set a speed alarm of his own choice but why bother if you have speed limit control?
BUT HOW COULD THE 'BONGING' SOUND EMINATE FROM THE ICE SPEAKERS??? That's the question.
I examined the Tomtom installation and noticed that its internal mono speaker, located on its rear panel, points downwards when sitting in its screen-mounting cradle, straight into a windscreen air vent. The answer was now obvious. The 'bonging' sound was echoing around behind the facia and was eminating close to the ICE speakers giving a stereo effect. My discovery made me smile like a Cheshire Cat.
I decided to leave the legal speed warning active on my return journey and used it to my advantage. I subsequently cut my return journey by 20 minutes and used the time I saved to call into to my indie to give him the good news. We both laughed and agreed that sound transmission problems can be 'quite interesting' to resolve.
I have since studied my Tomtom menus in a little more detail and discovered there are around a couple dozen possible user-programmable warning sounds that the Tomtom could have defaulted to. But I wished Tomtom had chosen a more appropriate default warning, such as 'You're Nicked, You're Nicked, You're Nicked'. At least I would have realised sooner what the problem was and where the warning was originating.
I decided to post this thread because it might warn other Tomtom users that the latest system software upgrade introduces quite a few new features which are not exactly obvious. If you are not familiar with them, and especially their alarms, it could result in an interesting journey, to say the least.
REGARDS
Phil
I upgraded the system software in my Tomtom GO 910 Sat Nav from v6.x to v7.x just prior to a 500-mile round trip to Swindon earlier this week. I usually mount the Tomtom device in the centre of the windscreen so that a passenger can control it if my hands are otherwise engaged griping the steering wheel whilst traveling at speed.
V7.x contains many new features which I hadn't fully appreciated until my journey was well underway. One such feature, which normally defaults to 'alarm mode on' when the software is initially installed, caused much concern and head-scratching and resulted in a call to my indie to check I wasn't dreaming.
The latest system software now contains 'legal speed detection' which takes the current speed restriction on a section of road or motorway and computes the speed which could result in prosecution. For 70mph the legal speed is 79mph; for 60mph the legal speed is 68mph; for 50mph the legal speed is 57mph; etc. If the legal speed alarm is active (it is user-configurable to 'on/off') an audible warning is generated whenever the vehicle attains or exceeds the legal speed and repeats periodically. In effect it is warning the driver to 'reduce speed or risk prosecution'.
Shortly after entering the M5, after leaving the A30, I started to hear a 'bong, bong, bong' sound which repeated every couple of minutes. The sound appeared to be coming from the ICE speakers.
I have owned my C230K for 3 years and it's never 'bonged' me before. I quickly deduced that either my car was trying to tell me something was wrong, or, it had to do with my vehicle's speed and some external subsystem, possibly external to my car. Because there were no other complementary warning indications in the facia, I deduced my car was OK. It was performing well, very well. Consequently there must be some other speed detection system in operation ... but where was it and how was it interacting through my ICE speakers???
I considered the possibility that this was some new experimental traffic calming system in which my car was interacting with sensors in the surface of the motorway and an 'overspeed warning' was somehow being transmitted on all channels on my FM radio. Very clever, I thought, but what if I was listening to CD or tape??? I switched audio sources and the 'bong, bong, bong' kept on sounding??? The alarm was beginning to annoy me so I switched the radio off. The 'bonging' sound continued!!! I was now getting quite worried. Where was the sound coming from and what was producing it???
I reached Swindon in record time and decided to call my indie. I asked him whether there were any subsystems in my Mercedes that were associated with speed detection and could it be producing the bonging sound. He said, 'No', there was no such subsystem, not even the speed limiter or cruise control is capable of generating such a warning. The answer must lie elsewhere.
I read through my Mercedes manual and, sure enough, there was no mention of audible alarms other than 'lights on', 'brake engaged', radio security', etc. The answer must be the Tomtom Sat Nav but how could it transmit sound to the ICE speakers in such a way that I could not control the volume???
I went through the Tomtom v7.x menus - there's no instruction manual - and stumbled upon the answer. Legal speed limit warning ... its alarm was set 'On'. Furthermore, the user-defined alarm sound was set to 'bong, bong, bong'. It was then that I realised that I had covered the last 150 miles at very close to the legal speed limit. Fortunately I had discovered that by backing off on the accelerator I could stop the 'bonging' ... but not for long. I further deduced that the Tomtom database must include a list of currently enforced speed restrictions for specific roads and motorways and it was this information that was controlling the onset of the alarm. I found some roads I could travel at 90mph without 'bonging'. The Tomtom will even allow the user to set a speed alarm of his own choice but why bother if you have speed limit control?
BUT HOW COULD THE 'BONGING' SOUND EMINATE FROM THE ICE SPEAKERS??? That's the question.
I examined the Tomtom installation and noticed that its internal mono speaker, located on its rear panel, points downwards when sitting in its screen-mounting cradle, straight into a windscreen air vent. The answer was now obvious. The 'bonging' sound was echoing around behind the facia and was eminating close to the ICE speakers giving a stereo effect. My discovery made me smile like a Cheshire Cat.
I decided to leave the legal speed warning active on my return journey and used it to my advantage. I subsequently cut my return journey by 20 minutes and used the time I saved to call into to my indie to give him the good news. We both laughed and agreed that sound transmission problems can be 'quite interesting' to resolve.
I have since studied my Tomtom menus in a little more detail and discovered there are around a couple dozen possible user-programmable warning sounds that the Tomtom could have defaulted to. But I wished Tomtom had chosen a more appropriate default warning, such as 'You're Nicked, You're Nicked, You're Nicked'. At least I would have realised sooner what the problem was and where the warning was originating.
I decided to post this thread because it might warn other Tomtom users that the latest system software upgrade introduces quite a few new features which are not exactly obvious. If you are not familiar with them, and especially their alarms, it could result in an interesting journey, to say the least.
REGARDS
Phil