TDA Connection

[pazed]

Since this past Friday (7/10) I've intermitently had the TDA connection hang up showing this on the log file:

7/12/2009 12:31:59 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=ConnectionLost
7/12/2009 12:32:00 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=Connected
7/12/2009 12:32:30 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=ConnectionLost
7/12/2009 12:32:32 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=Connected
7/12/2009 12:33:02 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=ConnectionLost
7/12/2009 12:33:04 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=Connected
7/12/2009 12:33:34 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=ConnectionLost
7/12/2009 12:33:36 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=Connected
7/12/2009 12:34:06 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=ConnectionLost
7/12/2009 12:34:08 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=Connected
7/12/2009 12:34:38 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=ConnectionLost

As you might notice the hang ups happen exactly every 30 seconds, and after six attempts NT stays in the connection lost state. Reconnecting requires disconnecting first, which many of the users know means resetting every strategy.

This has happened to me on three different installations of NT, which happen to be versions 6.5.1000.9,10,11; at two different locations and three different computers. The one obvious common factor is the TDA account.

I'm now two days into trying to get an intelligent response from NT support as opposed to a quick dismissal or canned response; so, I wonder if any other users have noticed this or a similar connection problem with TDA since last Friday.

Thanks.

[WhoKnows]

I have all but given up on trying to use NT with TDA.

I also had issues with NT 9,10 and 11 on both my main computer and the laptop.
IMO the frequency of problems might be more related to server changes at TDA than NT itself. But as NT is our trading interface we experience it as NT problem ... as NT is not able to handle these error messages in such a way that you can keep trading.

I use the multibroker version and when TDA misbehaves, NT gets stuck and I don't have any control anymore on my IB trades/strategies. After restarting NT (or sometimes even needed reboot of the PC) I have to restart all IB strategies, check positions, residual trailing stops and orders in TWS etc..

It did cost me both time and money. So I had to stop using NT with TDA and now use a NT alternative for TDA.

Every new NT version I try it again in SIM mode on the other PC hoping for a miracle ...but so far the NT-TDA combination remains a problem. I would not risk any trades anymore until I see NT-TDA stable for at least 2 weeks in SIM.

But maybe we just wait until NT7

[WhoKnows]

@Pazed

I recently had reconnection problems with IB and they disappeared after I changed my modem settings.

Normally my ISP would determine which DNS was used (modem settings on auto).
I changed my modem setting to fixed DNS IP addresses,
- the first a DNS from my ISP
- the second DNS not related to my ISP.

Maybe it is imagination, but I think the reconnecting (and websurfing) is faster. It can't hurt to try.

[pazed]

Thank you for the advice Whoknows. I started out with StrategyDesk and jumped over to NT after getting frustrated with the instability and unpredictability of StrategyDesk. Unfortunately, NT + TDA inspires zero confidence. Never mind going golfing while NT trades automatically, you can't even go to the restroom.

I like the idea of NT, if it worked. I would like to continue using it, and I'm wondering if a combination of broker / data feed actually exists that is stable and reliable within the NT platform. I'm far from attached to TDA. Do you, or anybody else, know of positive feedback on any other broker?

Thanks again.

[WhoKnows]

It depend on what you are trading.

IMO and from reading a lot of feedback on forums
- stocks IB
- futures Mirus or AMP

IB is excellent for trading but very poor in tick data .... therefore for futures not advised
Also IB is very restrictive in providing historical data (they limit the speed of historical requests.. up to unworkable).

I have kept TDA for my investment (non trading) stuff and getting historical data, market data etc.Their historical feed is fast.

See e.g. also here

[NinjaTrader_Dierk]

7/12/2009 12:31:59 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=ConnectionLost
7/12/2009 12:32:00 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=Connected
7/12/2009 12:32:30 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=ConnectionLost
7/12/2009 12:32:32 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=Connected
7/12/2009 12:33:02 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=ConnectionLost
7/12/2009 12:33:04 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=Connected
7/12/2009 12:33:34 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=ConnectionLost
7/12/2009 12:33:36 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=Connected
7/12/2009 12:34:06 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=ConnectionLost
7/12/2009 12:34:08 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=Connected
7/12/2009 12:34:38 AM|1|2|Eddie's Ameritrade: Primary connection=Connected, Price feed=ConnectionLost

For further research please send complete log and traces as per my post #60. Thanks

[WhoKnows]

No offense to you personally Dierk, but sending trace and logfiles to NT so far did not result in more than one of 'the NT canned responses'. A futile and frustrating experience.
I prefer to spend my time on something more productive than trying to persist in debugging the NT-TDA problem.

If after months of similar type of problems with three versions of NT, NT-TDA still locks up my system caused by the error handling, I'll just accept that NT just doesn't work with TDA and focus on working through IB.

I rather have NT focussing on getting NT7 out. WhoKnows ... it might even work with TDA.

Cheers, WhoKnows

[NinjaTrader_Dierk]

Please let me know when exactly you sent complete (!) information as per my post #60 and I will take care. Thanks

[pazed]

Dierk,

I've emailed support with my log and trace files twice already since Friday. I hope that your request to send these in is not disingeneous. If there is a different email address you'd like me to use, please let me know.

[NinjaTrader_Dierk]

To make sure nothing gets lost: please send again complete (!) info as requested in my post #60, refer to this thread and add "for Dierk" to the subject line of your mail. Thanks for your patience.