Trafficmaster Freeaway Unit - citmad

I have just found out that Trafficmaster is discontinueing the Freeway service in June 2012.

As an existing customer, they are offering upgrades, at reduced cost to a fitted Navigation Unit with traffic information or an app. for an I-Pad.

I don't want either of these options and wondered what other devices are available that will do the job that the Freeway unit did.

My ideal would be a low cost unit that is not a permanant fixture in the car.

Any suggestions/advice would be most appreciated.

Trafficmaster Freeaway Unit - gordonbennet

Being a long term owner of Freeways big brother the YQ unit i was in exactly the same position as you.

I want the ability to scan the whole country before i commit meself to a journey and YQ was perfect for this.

I do not want TM's latest big brother spy system so have come away completely.

I suppose with a smart phone you could go onto Google maps and click the traffic icon same as at home on your computer, no doubt others will know better than me about that, i don't want a smart phone.

I bought a large screen Garmin Satnav (1490t i think) instead with free traffic for life, or until they decide to shift the goal posts or turn off that signal too, once you have the traffic icon up you can then click traffic and search the country in an ever expanding radius.

Its not foolproof and IMO is not a patch on the YQ, nor did i expect it to be, and i daresay TT's disciples will be along to say their system is better and thats probably true but they pay a yearly subscription which i'm not prepared to do.

Trafficmaster Freeaway Unit - citmad

Thanks for your reply, I am suprised that there has not been more replies since the TM products were widely used. So if there are any other dissapointed TM owners out there, please post you solution to this problem.

Trafficmaster Freeaway Unit - Ethan Edwards

Is this the same thing as 'TMC traffic information'? As both my cars have this built into the Pioneer Hi Fi, puts details of hold ups etc onto the screen. I believe it's signal is piggybacked on a radio channel (Classic FM).

Is that what your referring to?

Trafficmaster Freeaway Unit - citmad

No, these are portable devices that pick up signals from transmitters mounted on gantries and bridges, they have a voice announcement that warns of delays on the road you are are on plus roads from any immediate junctions.

Trafficmaster Freeaway Unit - Ethan Edwards

Thanks. I have (somewhere) some old TM units that have various coloured LED's telling you of a jam so many miles away....red serious, amber then green everything OK etc. They are about the age of the old YQ units. Guess it must be them then.

Thanks anyway for reasurring me!

Trafficmaster Freeaway Unit - citmad

Thanks. I have (somewhere) some old TM units that have various coloured LED's telling you of a jam so many miles away....red serious, amber then green everything OK etc. They are about the age of the old YQ units. Guess it must be them then.

Thanks anyway for reasurring me!

Yes, thats the one. It is a very good low cost warning system for traffic problems and there does not seem to be an equivalent device.

I have not got a smart phone and I don't really want to go to the expense of a GPS device.

I will just have to hope someone come up with a solution.

Trafficmaster Freeaway Unit - Tonto1

Citmad, I took the same route as gordonbennet and purchased a Garmin 1490. I would agree with gordonbennet that it is far from being a perfect replacement, but what you lose in some areas you gain in others e.g it does give very good warnings of both fixed and mobile speed cameras and you have no ongoing costs. You even get a free map update.

They were being sold at a very good price on Amazon (a bit cheaper than Halfords) as the 1490 is now classed (I believe) as a discontinued model.

Good luck.

Trafficmaster Freeaway Unit - PatrickO

I had one of those colour monitors that utilised this traffic data from trafficmaster mounted in my HGV a few years a go for about 3 years & it was the best piece of kit to avoid traffic jams i've ever come across. I couldn't be bothered listening to the radio traffic reports.

It went kaput though a while back and you couldn't replace the colour monitor as they stopped selling them and then I found out they were switching the information transmission off so didn't persue it although beforehand I did nearly import a clone from China, I thought that highly of them, but thought I might lose my money so didn't bother in the end.

I think after the fitting of the these massive traffic information boards on the motorway, the need has become less pressing but I would still buy one tomorrow if they reversed the decision to stop transmitting and started selling the colour monitors again.

Nothing currently on the market comes close to the simplicity and ease of use of these systems.

Edited by PatrickO on 14/01/2012 at 16:27

Trafficmaster Freeaway Unit - RupertKW

Just discovered the same thing when I went to renew - Argh!

The in car verbal warning that just bleeps otherwise is so useful as I do thousands of Motorway miles - especially through the M5/M6 junction each year!

Knowing to work out a route round 1 or even 2 junctions before has always been really useful.

Now I have to go searching to find a replacement, and I dont want my Smartphone that I have to look at distracting me.

Does the Garmin provide a voice only warning of traffic holdups?

Trafficmaster Freeaway Unit - gordonbennet

''Does the Garmin provide a voice only warning of traffic holdups?''

Not as far as i'm aware, but i haven't looked at the market for this type of thing for about 2 years.

Garmin's T model satnavs (eg 1490t which i have) have free for life traffic, that why i bought Garmin instead of TT.

Garmins do have a facility you can check the country for traffic problems, in ever increasing radius, the traffic icon will turn orange then red if you have problems en route.

Not a patch on the Trafficmaster, but then i don't think anything ever will be, none that i'm aware of have are capable of whizzing round half the country via the screen in 20 seconds to check which of several routes to use.

Edited by gordonbennet on 08/06/2012 at 17:20