TST 507 REPEATER REGUIREMENT

[kirbybear]

Just had a blowout on the 5th. I installed the TST 507 in June of 2011. During the blowout the 507 reported all tire pressures were A OK even when I was standing looking at the tire remains.

Mike at TST indicated the problem is when the 5th is over 33 feet and after driving over one and a half hours the tire pressure signal may not be received by the monitor if a repeater is not installed. If signal interrupt occurs the monitor will beep and a red lite occurs.

I do not have a repeater and in 4 years and 30,000 miles, I have never had a beep or red lite occur while underway.

Mike is sending me a repeater to resolve the issue. Mike suggested that after 1 1/2 hour to stop and remove a sensor to simulate a blowout.

I will verify after I receive the repeater but it will be a few months.

[mrekim]

It would be a huge help if the monitor reported that a sensor has not communicated with it. Rather than beep after an hour, the monitor could display the number of minutes since the last update for that tire.

Another interesting upgrade would be to have the monitor talk viabluetooth. TST could provide an app with their system and ideally would publish the communication spec so that others could integrate the BT sensor readings into other apps.

[GMandJM]

Thanks, Mike.

I think the question most people would ask about repeater/boosters is "Do I need to use one?". Is there a specific length or distance or coach type for which a booster/repeater is necessary with a TST system?

Comment ref the above email from Pressure Pro also appreciated.

[mandmlikerving]

We take reception very seriously at TST. Yes some include a repeater but this is built into the price. We at TST do not include with every kit because every application does not require a repeater. For anyone who has any questions about a repeater or there system, please call TST we are Open until midnight 7 days a week 770-889-9102. Customer Service is very important to TST, and we take these matters extremely seriously.
Thanks,
Mike Benson
TST

[GMandJM]

Specularius wrote:
I performed this test on my 507. It took 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 38 seconds via stop watch before it signaled a lost sensor. Then over the next five minutes it reported the other 3 sensors lost. This really bothered me as I lost a tire on the first trip with the tst507.

That is way too long before the system notified you that your equipment had failed.

Makes me wonder if there is an issue with your monitor since Mike said the monitor should "look" for a sensor for about an hour. Yours took nearly TWO hours.

You lost a tire on a trip? Like, it fell completely off?? Did your TPMS catch that right away or not?

Btw, do you use a repeater/booster?

[Specularius]

I performed this test on my 507. It took 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 38 seconds via stop watch before it signaled a lost sensor. Then over the next five minutes it reported the other 3 sensors lost. This really bothered me as I lost a tire on the first trip with the tst507.

[GMandJM]

Thanks for weighing in, Mike.

Any info or comment on the e-mail posted above from Steve Barry/Pressure Pro indicating their systems notify you of a lost sensor signal within five minutes?

[fj12ryder]

I don't think there's any argument that a TPMS is an excellent tool, but the concern in this thread is that the TST system could run for a long time with no data received from the sensor/s, and not alert you to the fact it has lost contact with the sensor/s. An hour is a long time to be running without the TPMS working as it should be.

A repeater should ease the problem, but it could still happen, and it could still be an hour before you're aware that a sensor is no longer being read.

My concern is that you could lose contact with a sensor or two for, say 45 minutes. That's not long enough to alert the monitor, then it could regain contact for 5 minutes, then lose contact for another 45 minutes. Now you've been without the use of your TPMS for an hour an a half, but you've been totally ignorant of the fact. Not a very good thing at all IMO.

If you can't depend on the reliability of your TPMS then it might as well not have spent the money on one. And if you are not alerted in a timely manner that your monitor has lost connection with one or more of the sensors, then it's not a reliable system.

I love mine, but I have to wonder now when I look at the monitor if I'm seeing current tire pressure, or pressure from a half-hour ago.

[mandmlikerving]

RangerGress wrote:
I spotted this thread when looking for folks talking about TireMinder, my 2nd failed attempt to find a reliable TPMS. Let me bounce this question off of you guys....why do you figure that OEM in-wheels TPMS sensors in vehicles don't seem to share the same problems as the on-stem sensors?

Maybe the "doesn't bother to tell you about no commo between sensor and receiver" is apparently not the standard for OEM systems?

Maybe the in-wheel sensor doesn't have as much problems with signal strength because half of it's antenna is the truck's common ground? This question is a good one for the HAM radio operators out there because normal folks aren't likely to understand antennas well enough.

The current system is a TireMinder. I have the repeater installed. Usually the display, for no good reason, shows bad info for 2 of 4 tires. I've replaced the batts a couple times to no avail. I've now moved the sensors from the trailer to the truck. I'll reprogram them all for the different pressure points and I should be able to compare the TireMinder sensors to the truck's OEM sensors in real time. If I can't get the TireMinders to behave, I figure I'll have to try a 3rd system. I get a lot of trailer flats. It's irritating.

Who was your first failed TPMS. I am curious.
Thanks,
Mike Benson
TST

[mandmlikerving]

GMandJM wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
Knowing that your TPMS could basically be non-functional for hours on every use is pretty disheartening...(*snip*) and the worst part is you'd never know.

Exactly! Prior to this I had no idea that when I got a beep from my monitor (and I HAVE gotten them) that I had already been without a signal FOR AN HOUR. I thought, "Oh well...in five minutes it'll sync up again" and I'd hit the silence button and drive on.

Ignorance is bliss, as the saying goes.

I also learned something else interesting from Chuck at MinderResearch: He said that glass is one of the most difficult substances for a signal to transmit through. So, putting my booster/repeater on the dash of the tow'd and hooking it into the jump box I use for the brake wasn't the best method.

He recommended that I put it mid-coach...where there just happens to be a DC outlet.

I like the way the Minder people were so willing to share information with us...even though I told them up front that we own a competitor's system.

I agree you would never want to put your repeater in your toad vehicle. We recommend repeater placement mid-coach inside or outside. From my experiences the TST TPMS is best on the market. We have taken many Pressure Pro's and Minders in on trade. In my opinion I would rate the Top 3 TPMS
1. TST
2. Pressure Pro
3. Minder
TST is the ONLY TPMS built to last in the Commercial Truck Industry and backed by 2 OEM'S
PACCAR parent company of Peterbilt and Kenworth as well as DTNA Parent company of Freightliner and Western Star

TPMS Article

[GMandJM]

Please let us know what you find out when you move the sensors to your truck. It'll be interesting to learn if there is still a problem with false readings and/or losing communication with the sensor.

Gotta agree with you, that antenna under the truck is pretty cool.

[RangerGress]

The "bad info" I referenced seems to run the whole spectrum.
No Sensor
Pressure ~20psi higher than actual
Pressure ~20psi lower than actual

The temp info was a bit more believable. I'm not sure that it was correct, but it wasn't so whacky as to obviously be wrong.

The problems are limited to 2 of the 4 sensors.

If the darn behavior had a pattern that would help me come up with a theory. I'm hopeful that putting the sensors on my truck and watching what happens for a week or two will be a big help. My towing consists of a big roadtrip once/month. My trailer isn't stored at home. So I'd grind my teeth at the system during the trip, but then not really work on the system to overcome the problems when I got home. That's not a good recipe for success.

I saw in this forum that one guy had put an antenna under his truck near the hitch. That was cleverly done. My Tireminder doesn't have an external antenna connection, but the post gives me some interesting ideas re. moving the repeater.

I do have new o-rings but I've not used them.

I've not contacted TM yet. If I do end up contacting them, I want to have good notes on precisely what I tried and what happened.

[GMandJM]

Yeah, I agree with you. I don't understand nearly as much about antennae as my brother, who is a HAM guy. My eyes glaze over when he starts talking about SWR and all that.

I think one of the issues with OEM vs aftermarket (TireMinder/TST and the like) is that our daily-driver vehicles don't have to deal with issues like distance and interference - at least not at much as an aftermarket TPMS. The OEM sensors are way closer to their monitor. On a MH with a tow'd, it could be a 30' or more distance without a repeater/booster.

Another thing is internal vs external. The OEM ones mount inside and look to be more stable than the ones we have whipping around at the end of our valve stems. No facts to back that up. Just saying....

Do your TM sensors have replace-able O-rings? When I change my batteries I always replace the O-rings. So far so good.

And when your sensor displays "bad info", what exactly does it show? (PSI is "off"/Temp seems odd/no information at all?)

Have you contacted TireMinder about the problems with your sensors? They were extremely helpful when we called for information.

[RangerGress]

I spotted this thread when looking for folks talking about TireMinder, my 2nd failed attempt to find a reliable TPMS. Let me bounce this question off of you guys....why do you figure that OEM in-wheels TPMS sensors in vehicles don't seem to share the same problems as the on-stem sensors?

Maybe the "doesn't bother to tell you about no commo between sensor and receiver" is apparently not the standard for OEM systems?

Maybe the in-wheel sensor doesn't have as much problems with signal strength because half of it's antenna is the truck's common ground? This question is a good one for the HAM radio operators out there because normal folks aren't likely to understand antennas well enough.

The current system is a TireMinder. I have the repeater installed. Usually the display, for no good reason, shows bad info for 2 of 4 tires. I've replaced the batts a couple times to no avail. I've now moved the sensors from the trailer to the truck. I'll reprogram them all for the different pressure points and I should be able to compare the TireMinder sensors to the truck's OEM sensors in real time. If I can't get the TireMinders to behave, I figure I'll have to try a 3rd system. I get a lot of trailer flats. It's irritating.

[GMandJM]

I wish a had a TireMinder to test out.

As the saying goes: "If only I had been born rich instead of good looking!"

EDIT: Yes, I'm joking!

[GMandJM]

Yep, there's not been any report of a monitor not picking up a sensor when we remove it...as long as the monitor was "in contact" with the sensor to begin with.

We're looking at instances like yours, when you had your blow out, where the monitor had apparently lost contact with the sensor and we aren't made aware of it - because the monitor still shows the last reading (for an hour).

With your sensors on your 5th, drive away in your truck and see how long your readings continue to show up after you're out of range. If like ours, the monitor will show your sensors are still being read and everything is hunky-dorey.

That's what happened to you. You were looking at your shredded tire and your monitor still read that everything was okay. The monitor was giving a reading from its memory of the last time it had "heard from" your sensor....which could have been an hour ago.

I'd sure like to know sooner than an hour that my monitor isn't getting a "true" reading and that what I'm looking at on the monitor isn't current and correct.

Hopefully a repeater/booster would fix that, but I don't know of any way to test that.