Creating POI Files

That question is like;
What's the best brand of gas to run in your bike?

There are a number of ways to create a poi file.

You could use the search feature here and type in "creating poi files"

That will return about 23 pages of info. You could also check out the Faq & Help tab and find the creating poi file heading. These resources will give you the format requirements, from there you can decide and try using
Notepad, or Excel, or Google Earth or PoiEdit or xyz. Try all of them and see what works best for you.
Same goes for finding the longitude and latitude for an address you want to include in your custom poi. Again, you will find the ways to do that in the above searches and the faq & help on poi files.
I would suggest that you could experiment with locations around where you live. You could find a place like an intersection on Google Earth take those longitude and latitude coordinates and put them into a poi file and load into your c330. Before long you will be an expert POI writer/loader/and contributor.
There are plenty of people here that are more than happy to help with specific questions you may have in the future.

Did you receive a MapSource DVD with your GPS? (City Navigator)
Between MapSource, Google Earth and THIS website, you'll be a Poi machine in no time.

very nice bike:)

Go to the Garmin website and download the POI Loader. Then read the help file for some tips.

Here is some information from that help file.

POI Loader determines whether or not a file contains speed and proximity alert points based on specific criteria. Use the following information to help you create Custom POI files:

• If a file name contains a valid speed number or if all records in a file have speed encoded in the name, then all records in the file will include speed and proximity alerts. For example, a data file with the file name "Speed_30" generates speed alerts of 30 mph (or kph, depending on the type of units selected in POI Loader) for each POI in the file.

• If the file name contains "redlight", POI Loader assumes all records in the file have proximity alerts with a distance of 400m/0.25 miles

• If a file contains "GATSO," "mobile," "SPECS," "safety," "speed," or "camera," but does not have a speed, POI Loader uses a default alert speed of 0, which means you will always be alerted. You can override this default value by entering the speed in Manual mode.

• You can also enter speeds for each POI individually by adding the @ symbol and a number after the name of the POI. For example, a Custom POI named "Ridgeview@25" would create a POI named "Ridgeview" with a 25 mph speed alert.

• POI Loader calculates proximity alert distance based on speed. You can enter proximity alert distance for individual Custom POIs in a .gpx file. You can also enter proximity alert distance for all Custom POIs in a data file using Manual mode.

To create Custom POIs in MapSource:

1. Open MapSource.

2. Create a waypoint using the Waypoint Tool, the Find feature, or by right-clicking on the map. The Waypoint Properties dialog box appears.

3. Enter information as needed in the appropriate fields. NOTE: The speed and proximity alert information entered in these fields overrides other speed and proximity alert information assigned in the file name or in Manual mode. See Understanding Speed and Proximity Alert Information and Creating Custom POI Files for more information.

Name—Enter a name for the Custom POI, including speed information. NOTE: Speed information entered here overrides information entered in the file name or in Manual mode.
Proximity—Uncheck the Unknown box beside the Proximity field and enter the appropriate distance. NOTE: Proximity alert information entered here overrides information entered in the file name or in Manual mode.
Comment—Enter a comment.
File/URL—Enter the file name or browse to the .mp3 file you want to attach to the Custom POI. NOTE: If you are creating TourGuide points, the .mp3 file name must contain the word "TourGuide" for the TourGuide feature to be activated (for example, "TourGuide.mp3", "TourGuide USA.mp3", or "TourGuide 12.mp3" are all valid TourGuide file names). See Creating TourGuide Files for more information.

4. Click OK.

5. Repeat Steps 2-4 as needed.

6. Select File > Save As and browse to the appropriate directory. NOTE: It is recommended that you save all your Custom POI data files in the same directory.

7. Enter a file name. If you want to set a default speed for the Custom POIs in this file, include the appropriate alert speed in the file name (for example, "Speed Zones 25"). POI Loader interprets any numbers in the file name as speed information.

8. Select GPS eXchange Format (*.gpx) from the Save As Type drop-down list.

9. Click Save.

You can also open existing MapSource files containing saved waypoints and save them as .gpx files.

POI Loader accepts .csv files that contain longitude, latitude, speed alert information, and optional comments. You can create .csv files using a text editor, MS Excel, or a similar program.

The following are examples of Custom POIs in the proper format:

-94.81549,38.80390,Bonita
-94.79731,38.81099,Ridgeview@25

Wow thanks for the long description. I'm still learning as well.

Michael