confused newbie

Rick,

See if this helps:

FAQ: TomTom Nav Systems

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert POI files to TomTom OV2 format?
How do I get OV2 POI files onto my TomTom?
How do I enable alerts on my TomTom?
How to make Tom Tom Custom Vehicles
How do I get mp3 alerts onto my TomTom unit?
Discussion Topics

Install speech recognition on your 720
Elsewhere on the web

Custom POI Instructions at tomtom.com
Other pages

FAQ & Help
this helps:

Thanks Alan but it's still a no go. I guess what's confusing me is that the FAQ's for Tomtom refer to CSV files...I can't find any CSV files in my Tomtom...they are all .tlv...at least in the POI and MAPS directories.

You are over-thinking yourself into a problem that isn't there!

A .csv file is simply a plain text data format that has data fields seperated with commas (Comma Seperated Values). NONE of the major GPSs uses that for their native (built-in) files so the fact that you can't find any in yours is probably a good thing!

The .csv files are used for add-on, user created POI files or, more commonly, are used as the input file for a program that converts the data to a format that the GPS understands for add-on POIs.

If I explained that well enough, now you should be able to go back and re-read the other information and have it make a LOT more sense.

You need to get a hold of POI Edit to convert the .csv files to .ov2 format first. Use any of the NJPD POI's from here to start (they're 3 column files) and convert using the Batch Convert feature of POI Edit found under the TOOLS heading.

Once you convert the file to .ov2 copy and paste the file into the maps folder of your 3. You will also need an Icon as well. Just make sure you change the name of the Icon to whatever NJPD file you use, e.g., Atlantic Cty .ov2 & Atlantic Cty .bmp. Copy and paste the .bmp file to the maps folder as well!

Remember this is just for test purposes, you don't need to keep the POI. Let us know how you make out.

ML

I think I'm finally beginning to see how this is all put together! You were right...I was over thinkning this thing! I had already downloaded POI Edit but was confused by the CSV statements...I understand that now. I can see that I can use Excel to create the CSV if I need to...but POI Edit does the same thing. I guess there is only a couple more questions...where do you get the longitude/latitude information for each POI...and where do you get the icons? I'll really start playing around with this tomorrow. Thanks!!!

You need to look at FAQ http://www.poi-factory.com/node/6664

Icons link is in small print at top right of most pages.

A great source to look up long/lat information is Google Earth.

First of all..thanks for the help. I created a POI list of Quaker Steak and Lube restaurants using PoiEdit and uploaded it to my Tomtom...and it works! But I do have a couple of questions.

I've gone through all of the entries that I've made and found that about a third of them either don't show any POI at that location...or the town name doesn't match what I entered in POIEdit (for instance, the Quaker Steak in Columbus, Ohio is shown as being in Africa, Ohio...but the address and map locations are correct).

I followed the discussion in here and created a Quaker Steak bmp. I named it the same as the CSV file and uploaded it to the same directory in the Tomtom. It doesn't show up when I go to the various Quaker Steak addresses.

Can anyone give me any insight on these questions?

First you need to enable it to display on the map and it is located in Preference -> Enable/disable POIs (the name might be slightly different with different versions but you should have no problem to find it) then check the category you are interested and it will show up in your map when you browse it.

Next you need it to warn you when you are near them. If you need audio warning as well (preferred if you are driving), it requires ogg format and you can find a free tool on the web to record your own voice and save it with same name as the icon and POI file at the same location. To enable the warning, you need to goto Preference -> Manage POIs -> Warn when near POI, select the POI category and enter x number of yards when you are near it. I usually select 800 yards to provide advanced warning...

Jeff

Thanks Jeff, I followed your instruction but Quaker Steak and Lube doesn't show up under the list of POI's. All of the others that I've downloaded from the Tomtom site are there and visible, I downloaded and installed the Quaker Steak and Lube information from here and it doesn't show up in the POI list so I don't have any way of enabling it.

According the the instructions to install a new POI I had to convert the csv file to .ov2 and then put it and the logo into the map directory in Tomtom. I did all of this and can find most of the Quaker Steak POI's but not all of them, and of course I can't enable it either.