TDA & Ant+

[sgmack]

Hi

Is TDA working with ant+ ? The ant+ icon (top right) in my TDA is greyed out. I was led to believe that HR and cadence sensors would connect via ant+.

Cheers........Steve

[sgmack]

No Replies !!!
Ant+ icon , top right on TDA is greyed out and also says "Ant+ not available" My Ant+ devices work fine on Bkool and Zwift.
Cheers.........Steve

[mcorn]

I've used ANT+ with HR and cadence sensors on the current version 107 public release. Sounds like your ANT+ transmitter is not being recognized in TDA. If I get a chance today, I will do another test just to confirm that nothing has changed recently.

[sgmack]

Thanks Michael.
My friend has the same issue , Ant+ icon ( under devices tab top right ) is greyed out. His Ant+ devices work fine on Zwift and Bkool
Cheers............Steve

[Cycling2011]

I have the Tacx USB stick T2018 on an extension lead plugged in back of PC and ending a few inches in front of PC.TDA and TTS4 find my Wahoo Tickr using Ant+ on opening the software.I then get a stable HR reading with no drop outs

[sgmack]

Hi

Well that's strange. I have the same Tacx ant+ stick on extn lead under my Neo. Bkool TTS4 and Zwift find my Garmin ant+ cadence sensor and HR sensor but not TDA TDA Ant+ icon is greyed out.
Neo also works using ant+ on above programs
TDA was downloaded from the Google store last week How do I find out the version number ? Could you tell me your TDA version number.
I'm wondering if ant + has been withdrawn on latest TDA versions.
Cheers..........Steve

[mcorn]

Open TDA and click "About" on the opening page. It should say 1.9.107.0. If it is earlier, you need to update.

So, i went down to my exercise room and tried this version with both dual BT and ANT+ and ANT+ alone. ANT+ was always active (never grayed out) and it detected all ANT+ devices without any issue. I am also using the Tacx antenna with a heavy base.

I tried tons of different devices and they were all detected, including a Neo2T, Flux 2 Smart, dual BT/ANT+ HRM, Wahoo Blue SC ANT+ only speed/cadence combo, and 2 newer dual BT/ANT+ cadence-only sensors from Garmin and Wahoo (the magnet-free type that attaches to the crank arm). So, from my standpoint, this part of TDA is working quite well.

I will give a caution on the newer magnet-free cadence-only sensors from both Garmin and Wahoo. I believe they have a dual-channel BT chip, but unfortunately the data signal alternates from on and off. I think it has something to do with the dual channel chip. In corresponding with both Garmin and Wahoo, they recommended using these sensors in ANT+ mode only, which seems to work. Here are a couple of screenshots illustrating the problem:

Garmin Cadence 2 Bluetooth - ANT+ Compared.jpg (37.84 KiB) Viewed 133125 times

Wahoo WFPODCAD2 BT Cadence.jpg (30.84 KiB) Viewed 133125 times

[sgmack]

Hi mcorn
Thanks for this. I have the correct version but still Ant + is greyed out Pic 1 ( hopefully I've attached ok ) shows version and greyed out ant+. Pic 2 shows message Ant + not available when cursor is on icon. I haven't a clue now. When I close TDA and ope Zwift everything is Ant +.....Neo Garmin cadence and HR belt......Cheers Steve

Untitled 1.jpg (188.1 KiB) Viewed 133120 times

Untitled 2.jpg (172.18 KiB) Viewed 133120 times

[mcorn]

There is definitely something weird going. One thing I would look for is some kind of resident program or stub, like Garmin Agent, that is taking control of your ANT+ device. Garmin Agent (now discontinued) was notorious for this. Agent had to be terminated in order for other ANT+ programs to work. So, I would take a look at W10 startup and see what programs are automatically start every time you boot up.

[sgmack]

Hi Michael

Thanks for the advice.
This is a clean install of Win 10 onto a new ssd. Did this because I was on Win 7 and wanted to try TDA
My pc is now dual boot with Win 7 and Win 10 on seperate hd's.

I still don't understand that when I close TDA and open Zwift or Bkool ant + is fine. Zwift and Bkool are also on this Win 10 drive.
On those programs ant+ and bluetooth icons show. I just choose how the devices are controlled This is definitely a TDA issue.
I'm probably going to ask Tacx to take control of my pc and take a look........Cheers Steve

[mcorn]

Hi Michael

Thanks for the advice.
This is a clean install of Win 10 onto a new ssd. Did this because I was on Win 7 and wanted to try TDA
My pc is now dual boot with Win 7 and Win 10 on seperate hd's.

I still don't understand that when I close TDA and open Zwift or Bkool ant + is fine. Zwift and Bkool are also on this Win 10 drive.
On those programs ant+ and bluetooth icons show. I just choose how the devices are controlled This is definitely a TDA issue.
I'm probably going to ask Tacx to take control of my pc and take a look........Cheers Steve

If it is a TDA issue, it certainly is not widespread and may be the result of some unusual circumstances. I see that Zwift has a Zwiftlauncher that some folks say runs as a W10 startup item. You might try turning that off. Have you checked W10 startup? Go to Settings - Apps - Startup. You can also open Task Manager and click the Startup Tab. Running msconfig.exe and selecting Services can also give you some information.

[Cycling2011]

There is definitely something weird going. One thing I would look for is some kind of resident program or stub, like Garmin Agent, that is taking control of your ANT+ device. Garmin Agent (now discontinued) was notorious for this. Agent had to be terminated in order for other ANT+ programs to work. So, I would take a look at W10 startup and see what programs are automatically start every time you boot up.

In 2010 i bought my 1st indoor trainer,a Flow but sent it back and decided to go for the higher spec Legacy Bashido.I also got TTS3 and my first 3 RLVs.The first 3 weeks the green start box was shaded and the Ant+was not connecting.This was also my first CPU.Anyway to cut a long story short[including an accident cracking the screen in my frustration. ]Tacx Support in the UK took control of my Lap Top and found a Garmin Agent was starting up and this was causing the ANT+ to not work with TTS.I terminated the Garmin Agent and ANT+ was now working.10 years later TTS has/still is working great with no issues.

[Malfukt]

Just to clarify..ANT logo in your devices will stay greyed out until..

1 you switch them on in that devices window
2 you then STOP search at bottom of screen.

[wilf]

Just to clarify..ANT logo in your devices will stay greyed out until..

1 you switch them on in that devices window
2 you then STOP search at bottom of screen.

I have tested and can confirm

[mcorn]

Just to clarify..ANT logo in your devices will stay greyed out until..

1 you switch them on in that devices window
2 you then STOP search at bottom of screen.

Steve said in an earlier post:

"The ant+ icon (top right) in my TDA is greyed out."

So, I made the assumption that TDA was not able to connect to his ANT+ devices at all. His screenshot showed a "ANT+ not available" message.

The ANT+ at the top of the screen should not be greyed if an ANT+ transmitter is working properly.

[sgmack]

Hi All

Thanks for you efforts with this problem.

Yes.......mcorn is correct. Ant+ is not available. It's as though the Tacx ant dongle is dead. I was thinking it's a weird usb issue ...... clutching at straws because ant+ is fine on Zwift & Bkool.
With TDA open I see BT icon lit up. I unplug BT dongle and icon goes dark. I unplug Tacx Ant + stick and replace wth BT dongle.......straight away the BT icon in TDA is lit again.
No matter where I plug the BT dongle TDA sees it, so TDA sees all my usb ports.......TDA does see my ant+ dongle

I even did a test where TDA connected on BT. I then opened Zwift (TDA & Zwift open at the same time) which connected with Ant +
My NEO then had both the Blue and Green led's light at the same time. !!! ...............I give up !!!

I now have a dual mode HR sensor, but I'm annoyed I can't use my Ant + Garmin cadence sensor with TDA. I bought a separate cadence sensor because the NEO internal cadence calculation is rubbish !!!

Thanks for your efforts but I've taken up too much of your time with this issue. I do have another query re TDA workouts which I'll post on the correct page.
Cheers........Steve
https://www.strava.com/clubs/TTic

[mcorn]

TDA does see my ant+ dongle

I assume you meant TDA does NOT see my ant+ dongle.

Did you look for other startup programs taking charge of your ANT+ transmitter, like Zwift?

[sgmack]

Hi mcorn
Yes ......Sorry. I did mean TDA does NOT see my dongle. I checked start up programs and turned off Zwift launcher.......This made no difference and also did not affect Zwift in any way
There were only 3 or 4 programs on start up ( I have a clean install of Win 10 on 240gb ssd ) I can't remember the others but I'll have another look.

One other thing.......How the hell can I check that all components of TDA have been installed ? There is nothing in program files !!!
Cheers..........Steve

[mcorn]

Hi mcorn
Yes ......Sorry. I did mean TDA does NOT see my dongle. I checked start up programs and turned off Zwift launcher.......This made no difference and also did not affect Zwift in any way
There were only 3 or 4 programs on start up ( I have a clean install of Win 10 on 240gb ssd ) I can't remember the others but I'll have another look.

One other thing.......How the hell can I check that all components of TDA have been installed ? There is nothing in program files !!!
Cheers..........Steve

I don't think there is an easy way to confirm all components of TDA have been installed. TDA is a Windows App, not a traditional program. Windows Apps are located in Program Files but are hidden. They are actually stored in a specific windows user account.

One thing you can try is to uninstall the app and then reinstall it. This may have a low probability of success, but you can do it quickly. You may have to reconfigure TDA after you do this. I am still of the mind that something else has taken control of your ANT+ device, but I don't know what. Because apps are specific to a user account, be sure that when you download and install the app, you are using the same user account that you use when you normally login to W10. My regular user account has full administrative privileges.

[sgmack]

Hi mcorn

Not sure I want to uninstall TDA as at the moment I've been given a free trial voucher and don't want to risk losing it.
The other start up programs were Widows security something or other ( low Impact ) and the user interface for my graphics card ( low Impact ) All turned off, aswell as Zwift launcher.......made no difference.

I don't see how something is taking control of the ant+ stick as other programs see it fine.
In Win 10 "Bluetooth & other devices" I see my BT dongle & Ant +. I then remove the ant + and also unplug from usb then restart pc
I open up Bluetooth & devices again and Ant + is missing. I stay on that page and as soon as I plug ant + into a usb it reappears.

I don't see any problem with Win 10. It's as though I have an early Version of TDA that did not have Ant +
I've contacted support.........Perhaps they'll connect to my pc and have a look around. Other than that I'm giving up and will carry on using my Neo 1 cadence and seeing that every now and again it says i'm pedalling at 180 - 220 rpm !!!

Cheers.............Steve

[mcorn]

Uninstalling and reinstalling TDA should not jeopardize your license as the license resides in your cloud account. As long as you do not close your cloud account, that should all be intact.

I am reasonably confident that your ANT+ issue is something specific to your computer. Reinstalling TDA is a fairly easy thing to do and would tend to rule out something defective in your TDA installation. If for some reason this messed up your trial voucher, I am pretty sure support would remedy that.

If you had a pre-ANT+ version of TDA, you would not even see a greyed out ANT+ logo.

P.S. I never give remote access to my PC to ANYONE.

[Cycling2011]

I've contacted support.........Perhaps they'll connect to my pc and have a look around.
Cheers.............Steve

I have had this done in the past.It will be interesting to see what is causing this problem.I have never seen any other reports of this issue.I hope you get this fixed and the Ant+ is no longer greyed out

[ms6073]

Sorry if this has been suggested already but what about Garmin Express? Although it does not seem to impact Zwift or similar apps, if Garmin Express is active/displayed in the Window's system tray, then it definitely will prevent TDA from 'seeing' the ANT+ Antenna.

[mcorn]

Sorry if this has been suggested already but what about Garmin Express? Although it does not seem to impact Zwift or similar apps, if Garmin Express is active/displayed in the Window's system tray, then it definitely will prevent TDA from 'seeing' the ANT+ Antenna.

I had suggested being sure that the now-discontinued Garmin Agent be turned off, but I had not thought about Garmin Express. If that is running, I would certainly turn in off as well (actually, I would use its settings to be sure that it does not automatically start at all).

[sgmack]

Hi All

I don't have anything from Garmin installed as this is a clean Win 10 install so I could try TDA

I'm beginning to think it's something to do with the fact I set up a Dual Boot. I already had Win 7 with TTS 4 and didn't want to risk losing it so I added a new SSD HD with Win 10 and set up a Dual Boot.
The reason I'm thinking it's a dual boot issue is I disconnected my Win 7 drive and set up Bios to start pc from the Win 10 HD alone .....trying to eliminate any interference from the other drive. No matter how I set up the Bios the pc wouldn't boot,
I reconnected the Win 7 HD , re set the Bios and the pc booted fine. Bottom line is that the pc won't boot with just the Win 10 HD eventhough Bios says it should !!!
Zwift & Bkool run fine on ant+ on Win 7 & Win 10 BUT TDA is for Win 10 only. I'm thinking somehow Win 7 is interfering with my Win 10 install

I followed this Youtube vid explaining how to set up Dual Boot with 2 ( not one ) HD's. which is what I wanted to do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0t42N3hEfc

Everything works fine except for Ant + missing in TDA.
No reply from Tacx Support. I'm not going to push them. My only issue now is I'm relying on the NEO 1's cadence as I now have a dual mode HR belt

Hope I've explained myself ok.....Cheers......Steve

[mcorn]

I agree that it sounds like your dual boot setup has something to do with the problem. Tacx had to go through some handsprings to make ANT+ work within the W10 UWP framework that TDA works in order to use ANT+. UWP requires signed drivers in order to work for an app to work, so they had to do a workaround for that as no signed ANT+ drivers were available. The fact that you cannot boot to W10 without your W7 disk online is a red flag. It is likely possible to reconfigure your setup to boot to W10. There ought to be a way to designate W10 as the primary boot OS so it is not dependent on the W7 partition.

[ATENEA]

TACX and GARMIN specify in the FAQs related to NEO and TDA that TDA works only with Bluetooth for the time being.
A solution for using ANT+ is being developed but is not available currently.

[mcorn]

TACX and GARMIN specify in the FAQs related to NEO and TDA that TDA works only with Bluetooth for the time being.
A solution for using ANT+ is being develped but is not available currently.

That FAQ is not up to date. I have used ANT+ with TDA.

[ATENEA]

That FAQ is not up to date. I have used ANT+ with TDA.

Interesting, could you tell us more about this?

I cannot see how I can use ANT+ with the desktop application (let alone the iPhone app, without an ANT dongle)!

Can you brief us on how you go about connecting your Tacx Smart trainer to TDA via ANT+?

Many thanks in advance.

[mcorn]

That FAQ is not up to date. I have used ANT+ with TDA.

Interesting, could you tell us more about this?

I cannot see how I can use ANT+ with the desktop application (let alone the iPhone app, without an ANT dongle)!

Can you brief us on how you go about connecting your Tacx Smart trainer to TDA via ANT+?

Many thanks in advance.

You still need an ANT+ dongle to use ANT+ (I have been using the Tacx ANT+ corded transmitter, but any compliance ANT+ should work). You can also use Bluetooth and ANT+ simultaneously or either one of these alone.

When you have an ANT+ transmitter connected to your PC and click the search button on the TDA device page, ANT+ devices will appear along with any Bluetooth devices. You select the devices you want to use with their on button and with the search at bottom select stop. If a device is dual BT/ANT+ it will appear twice on the list. The only thing that is a little quirky about ANT+ searching is the connected ANT+ sensors do not go bright (indicating a connection) until you hit the stop search button. It is really quite simple and intuitive. I use more words describing it than actually just doing it.

With all of this stuff, it helps to know the device number. I use a Brother label maker to create a small stick-on label for all of my devices as I have quite a few different devices. Please see my post above on certain problems with some Bluetooth cadence sensors. I do not have this problem when operating these dual BT/ANT+ sensors using the ANT+ sensor.