17. Traffic

Figure 69: RoadMate 1430 Receiving A Traffic Alert

Magellan's RoadMate 1430 includes an FM traffic receiver built-in to the 12v power adapter. 3-months of traffic service is included for free, after which you'll need to purchase an annual subscription from Magellan for $39.99 per year.

More detailed coverage and pricing information is available at Magellan's Traffic website.

Real-time traffic data allows the RoadMate 1430 to receive traffic alerts on the road. If a traffic event along your route will cause a delay, the RoadMate will alert you to the problem and ask if you want to route around the problem area.

Figure 70: 12v Power Adapter / Traffic Receiver

The RoadMate 1430 includes a traffic receiver, built-in to the 12v cigarette lighter power adapter. Note that the adapter has two plugs: a standard mini-USB connector for powering the RoadMate, and a 3.5mm connector for the traffic receiver.

Figure 71: Activating Traffic Service

Included in the RoadMate's box is a coupon for 3 months of traffic service. The free 3-month period begins once you register the GPS on Magellan's website, and redeem the traffic coupon. Here's the basic process for getting traffic working on the RoadMate 1430:

1. Find the serial number printed on the sticker on the back of the GPS
2. Locate the subscription coupon that's included with the RoadMate 1430
3. Go to www.magellangps.com/Traffic-Coupon and follow the instructions
4. Write down that activation code their website produces
5. Turn on the RoadMate
6. Tap Main Menu -> User Options -> Traffic Options -> Subscription -> Subscribe
7. Enter the subscription code

Figure 72: Retrieve Subscription Code

Once you've registered the RoadMate on Magellan's website (something you'll need to do anyway if you ever want to download a firmware update), you can retrieve the free 3-month traffic subscription code.

Note: You could also choose to pay the $39.99 for an additional 12 months of service at this time.

Figure 73: Activate the Subscription

Power on the RoadMate and tap Main Menu -> User Options -> Traffic Options -> Subscription -> Subscribe. Use the on-screen keyboard to enter in the subscription code, and tap OK. Note that you'll need to include the dashes in the code, as the RoadMate doesn't automatically insert them where needed.

Figure 74: Confirming the Traffic Subscription

Once the code has been entered, the Subscription screen shows your active subscription. The RoadMate 1430 is now able to receive traffic alerts.

Figure 75: Traffic Options

Most of the traffic options come pre-configured and don't require any special settings. However, if you want to change or view any of the settings, traffic options can be accessed by tapping Main Menu (second page) -> User Options -> Traffic Options.

Figure 76: Receiving A Traffic Alert

If the RoadMate 1430 receives a traffic alert while navigating to a destination, the traffic alert icon is displayed in the lower-right corner, as shown above. Tapping the alert displays more detailed information about the problem, as well as the option to route around the area. You can also set the RoadMate to automatically re-route when a traffic alert is received.

While test driving the RoadMate on an 800+ mile road trip, the traffic alert icon appeared numerous times, yet when I touched the icon for more details, the GPS would simply display a message saying that there are no traffic alerts to report.

This happened with some regularity - about once every 2 hours.

In theory, $40/year is a fairly reasonable price to avoid sitting in traffic. Based on my experience with the RoadMate 1430, Magellan's traffic implementation may need some fine tuning.

18. GPS Signal Strength

Compared to the SiRF StarIII GPS chipset used on Magellan's higher-end Maestro models, the RoadMate's Centrality AtlasIII took longer to acquire the initial signal, and occasionally had difficulty tracking accurately on the map (which would sometimes cause the unit to recalculate the route, even if I hadn't missed a turn).

Still, the difference between the two wasn't noticeable enough to be a deciding factor, and the RoadMate performed well, even in inclement weather and in difficult urban driving environments.

Figure 77: Magellan RoadMate 1430 vs Garmin nuvi 660

Garmin's nuvi 660 acquired it's initial position slightly faster than the RoadMate 1430, and didn't display any sudden "re-calculating" issues I notice on the RoadMate. However, once the RoadMate acquired a strong signal, both units were roughly equal in the number of satellites tracked and accuracy.