How do I download a mp3 file?

Welcome to the site. As to downloading a sound file, right click on the file name and then use the options in your browser to save either the link or the target.

TourGuide files, or files with TourGuide in the name cause programmed alerts within the file to be activated by radius from the location rather than the point being within 50-75 feet of your route. Any file can be made to operate this way by adding "TourGuide" to the file name. The T and G must be upper case. The icon and alert sound files must match.

Thank-you! a_user for the warm welcome.

And Thanks for the help,greatly appreciated.

Welcome to the site quincy.Here is a post that gives lots of information on TourGuide.
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/13904

Thanks! Charlie

quincy
Have a blast, and enjoy the community.

Thanks! BobDee

I didn't know about customized POI's with my first GPS unit (Magellan Roadmate).

With the ability to get various POI files makes me like my new Garmin even more.

I just found out that in order for a POI file to work in TourGuide mode it has to be a .gpx file.

This link was very helpful as well for other newbies having difficulties with alerts.

http://brillharts.com/GarminAlerts/

Sorry,I'm still having problems.

Do i have to convert csv files to gpx files in order for TourGuide alerts to work?

Also is the Nuvi 465T mp3 compatible?

Thanks! again

If you just want to use TourGuide for alerts yes they will work for csv files.Just the word TourGuide in the file name will give you a 1/4 radius alert using poiloader in express mode.To increase the radius use manual mode and set the distance to increase the radius.

>My pois=main folder
>>Cracker Barrel TourGuide.csv
>>Cracker Barrel TourGuide.bmp
>>Cracker Barrel TourGuide.wav

Removed mp3.Will have to use wav files if you want voice alert.According to specs 465t does not have mp3.It will require you to install a sox.exe file to your computer for wav files.Otherwise you will get the bong alert. https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=275&pID=31541#specsT...

Here's what i got

My pois main folder

Super Wal-Mart TourGuide.csv (sub folder)
REST AREAS TourGuide.csv (sub folder)

then used the manual mode and set the rest areas file to 26400 feet no speed.
I don't mind the bong alert but still no warning in simulation mode when reaching the 5 mile radius.

Thanks! Again.

When you state subfolder, do you mean you have created a folder under your My POIS folder named Super Wal-Mart TourGuide.csv? or that you named the .CSV file Super Wal-Mart TourGuide.csv?

It's the file that has to have TourGuide, not the folder. And a 5 mile radius?

The Combined Rest-Area file has the locations set to the entrance ramp on the side of the Interstate. No need to TourGuide this file as all the points are on the route of travel. Most people set the distance for rest areas around 1 mile (5000 feet) as it give around a minute's warning at highway speed.

A 5 mile radius for all the Wal-Marts would mean your unit would alert even when passing by on the Interstate, and a lot of times even before you entered the city limits. I would rethink - very hard - a 5 mile alert radius and make it much more reasonable. A 3000 foot radius is plenty of warning when traveling around town.

Double check these steps.With a 5 mile radius you should be able to get the alert.Depending on how far off the road the coordinates are located.

1.Make a folder on your computer and give it a name. Example My poi's.
2.Download the csv or gpx file and put them in that folder.
3.If you want to add a bmp . Download from site and also add to the same folder but make sure you name them the same as the file you want them to go with except the extensions.

>My pois=Main Folder
>>Super Wal-Mart TourGuide.csv
>>REST AREAS TourGuide.csv

4.Hook the gps up to computer using usb cable and then run poiloader . http://www8.garmin.com/products/poiloader/http://www8.garmin.... Select My pois folder when you get to browse.
5.If you want alerts use manual mode instead of express.
6.You should get message so many pois are loaded at the end of the download.
7.On GPS go to where to then extras or my locations if you don’t see extras and touch custom pois and you should see them.
8.Every time you run poiloader it will overwrite the existing files.

Note. Make sure you have no double extension in the csv file. The best way to prevent double extensions is to go to your folder options in the control panel and click view then find hide extensions for known file types and remove the check mark. Click ok.
Edit.If you are using the combined rest stop file http://www.poi-factory.com/node/6643 it is not necessary to use TourGuide in the file name.The coordinates are located at the entrance to the rest stop.

I think I followed all your steps,I can see the poi's in "extra " on the unit and can navigate to any wal-mart store but the TourGuide feature wont work.

on the unit it shows Super wal-mart TourGuide as a title.

I meant the poi file by subfolder,thanks! a_user,charlie.

If you named the file Super wal-mart TourGuide that will be the way it shows up.If you can navigate to any wal-mart store you have the files loaded correctly.Now the problem is the alert.When you ran poiloader to install the files you selected manual mode instead of express and set the distance for each file you wanted the alert for.When you select one of the wal-mart locations to navigate to you should see the proximity alert distance on the screen along with the address.I know it shows on my unit but not sure about the 465t.Did the alert work for the rest stop combined file?

No it didn't work,I can see each poi(rest area and store) with address and distance and the directional arrow but the TourGuide feature isn't working.

I used the manual mode so could set the proximity alert in ft for the two files only.

Well!,thanks guys. i started to think maybe it has to do with this particular unit.
Even loading new vehicles was a litle different than the procedures on the garmin's site.

Thanks again.

Go to tools,settings,proximity points and touch change under proximity alerts and make sure check mark in custom pois.You can also touch audio at bottom to select single or continuous tone.

The alerts will work on that unit.

Did that,the unit is on continuous mode.I was checking the TourGuide feature in simulator mode,does it have to be in real life driving for the alerts to come on.

Try this.Rename your csv files to

>My pois=Main Folder
>>TourGuide Super Wal-Mart.csv
>>TourGuide REST areas.csv

Make sure to have space between TourGuide and Super Wal-Mart and REST areas.See if that makes a difference.

Yes Sir! and Thank-you

Good job quincy.Now if you want to go one more step and have categories for your custom pois to show on your gps here is what you do.

1.Go back to the folder my pois and click on it.Right click and make subfolders based on what csv or gpx files you want to put in them.Example below.

>My pois=Main Folder
>>Shopping centers=subfolder
>>>TourGuide Super Wal-Mart.csv
>>>Penny's.csv
>>>Targets.csv
>>>Sears.gpx

>>Rest stops=subfolder
>>>TourGuide REST areas.csv

>>Food=subfolder
>>>McDonald's.csv
>>>Arby's.csv
>>>Cracker Barrel.csv

2.Now instead of putting the csv or gpx files in the main folders you put them in the correct subfolder.

The results will be when you touch custom pois you will now see the categories and can select from that instead of one big list of custom pois.Use manual mode to set the alert distance.

If you plan to install lots of custom pois this is the best way to do it.

Good job? hahaha

It didn't work,my particular unit isn't TourGuide compatible,the garmin site states only nuvis with MP3 player are.

I replace "TourGuide" with "redlight" in the poi file's name and change the proximity alert distance through the POI loader and it worked.

The redlight feature is working. Now what's the difference between redlight and safety features?

Thanks! Charlie

Quincy,

Garmin didn't give you a complete answer when they said your unit has to play MP3 to be TourGuide compatible. It is true for a stock unit, but Garmin doesn't support another program, SOX.EXE which allows a WAV sound to be played on units that do not do MP3.

Go to http://rs56.rapidshare.com/files/139638423/sox.zip and download the SOX.ZIP file. Unzip it, put SOX.EXE (a non-Garmin program they DO NOT support so they don't mention it) into the same PROGRAM FILES folder that has POILoader.exe in it. Replace the MP3 alerts with the WAV versions and you are good.

NOTE: Your unit will not play music files it as the music player software is not on your unit, but it will play the proper alert sounds.

So yes, Garmin was correct in that a stock unit as shipped from Garmin must have an MP3 player to do TourGuides. And no, installing the SOX.EXE 3rd party add-on to POILoader allows the use of WAV sound files - BUT GARMIN won't tell you that because it's not their add-on.

Thank-you a_user

When i had TourGuide in the poi's files name.I didn't get any alerts even with the bong bong sound. After I put "redlight" in the poi's files name,I started getting warnings if traveling on a route where those marked redlight poi's are.

Do I still need this SOX.EXE in order for TourGuide to work even with the unit's bong bong sound.

Thanks again Guys

I finally got TourGuide to work,my problem all along was not having SOX.EXE in the POIfolder.

I was under the impression that I only needed SOX.EXE if I wanted the wav file voice alert instead of the unit's standards alerts similar to the redlight feature which worked/works even without the SOX.EXE .

Thank-you!all for helping me figure this out.

Quincy

Quincy

The sox.exe is only for making the the wav file to work.It is not placed in the poi folder.It goes in the Garmin folder on your computer.In my case I go to my computer,local disk c and then Garmin folder.Click on the Garmin folder and place the sox.exe there.To make sure you are in the right place you will see PoiLoader,exe and MapInstall.exe in the same Garmin folder.

Having TourGuide in the file name will give you alert of 1/4 mile radius using express mode.Redlight in the file name gives you a 1/4 mile along the road alert, not a radius.If TourGuide is working it has nothing to do with placing the sox.exe in the poifolder.If TourGuide is working and you are getting a bong alert you have done something else.Double check below for the wav files if you decide to use for voice alerts.

a.Download the latest PoiLoader file at http://www8.garmin.com/products/poiloader/ .
b.Download Sox Exe at http://rapidshare.com:80/files/139638423/sox.zip .
c. After un-zipping Sox Exe file place it in your Garmin folder where the PoiLoader exe file is located on the computer.
d. The wav file for alerts will be named the same as the CSV or GPX file except for the extensions.
e. You can make your own wav files by going to http://www.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php and typing in what you want it to say or use a program to convert mp3 files to wav. When using the conversion it must be saved as PCM, 44.100 kHZ., 16 bit, Mono. Wav files are also on site for download.
Select manual mode on poiloader to set speed or distance for alert.

It sounds as if you are close to having everything working. Getting alerts to work without using the key words redlight or speed depends on the type of file you are using.

With a CSV, you need to run POILoader in Manual mode and tell it each file that activates an alert with the trigger being either speed or distance. Putting a number in the file name will set a speed alert automatically.

For GPX files, the alert is in the Proximity and/or Distance statements. Extra POI Editor allows a simple setting procedure by opening the file in EPE, pressing the Control Key and R together and then telling it the value name and the value. Select the variable you want to change in the drop-down box, put in the new value and tell it Replace. Tell the warning "I know what I'm doing." and it will write the value for all the POI in the proper place.

A word of caution on the Speed Camera file though. The speed value in the file name is a default value. Individual lines can have different values, but I have not tried setting a speed variable in a GPX version of the speed camera file after setting some of the cameras to their individual speed. I know for me, Speed-Cameras25.csv works for me. The default value 25 is overridden with the value for the camera.

You're right Charlie,I placed the sox.exe file in the garmin folder that also contains the poiloader files.

well TourGuide didn't work up until I placed the unzipped sox.exe file in there,I changed the proximity alert to 5 miles using the poiloader/manual mode.
I'm getting the wav sound warning as well with a little gray window showing the name of the poi in question.

I couldn't get it to work before while the redlight commmand worked,without sox.exe in there and I tried everything.

Thanks! again guys

In some cases you may not get alert based on the location of the coordinates.If you have alert set for example Cracker Barrel using the standard along the road alert.If the coordinates are located more then 50 ft on the road of travel you will not get the alert unless you have set Go to for the location.That is why some users use the TourGuide in the file name.This produces the alert zone in a radius .When using manual mode the more distance you set the larger the radius.Be careful though you may get more alerts then you want if you have other locations set up for alerts.

It sounds like you are on the way now for the custom pois.Be sure to try the Extra Poi Editor.It gives you the advantage of loading your csv files to it and saving as a gpx file.This will allow you to use the feature to set built in alerts for the complete poi file at one time.Then you will not have to use the manual mode as much.