POI on Garmin Nuvi 265WT doesn't give warning in time to be useful. Help??

Alerts will not trigger unless they are 50 - 75 feet from YOUR CURRENT ROUTE OF TRAVEL! That means the coordinates for the BK must be within 50 - 75 of the road you are traveling on. It will not alert for a store a half mile off the Interstate unless you add the word TourGuide to each of the files. Then the alert will be a radius alert so whenever you get within the circle around the store, the alert will sound.

Scroll thru the URL below for detailed instructions on how to alter the distance alerts...as well as a host of additional highly informative items.

No URL in your post?

yeah! alisk (or anyone who knows)... don't leave us hanging!

how do you change the alert distance for POIs??

Tourguide files must be gpx but the pkg I downloaded from this website is csv. Is there a simple conversion process?

csv files as TourGuides can be loaded using
PoiLoader, all you have to do is use the word 'TourGuide' in the name. then use PoiLoader in manual mode to set distance for the alert.

The directions in my 265wt manual state that tourguide files MUST be gpx.

"Creating TourGuide Files top
TourGuide is a feature available on compatible Garmin devices. TourGuide files include Custom POIs with descriptive .mp3 audio files. When you approach a TourGuide point, the .mp3 file plays and provides you with information about that point, much like a guided tour. TourGuide files must be saved as .gpx files."
"http://www8.garmin.com/products/poiloader/creating_custom_poi_files.jsp#mapsource"

The Garmin directions are correct if you are doing a route. You are not doing a route. You are building a POI database with a radius alert. Your 265 doesn't do routes anyway, so you couldn't build a TourGuide file with the intent of traveling from one point to the next and having an audio file play when you reach the area of the attraction. You CAN build a radius alert for a POI using the features of TourGuide. Understand?

recdna wrote:

try making them with csv files as described above and I think you will find to your amazement it will work......

Ok, I just tried it in manual mode and set the distance at 15000 feet. Now I'll get an alert whenever I'm within 2.8 miles?

Do I need to be in a navigation mode or if I just hit view map will that work as well?

I named the 3 files "Tourguide_BK"

Thanks for all the help!

the word TourGuide has to be spelled as TourGuide....

note the Caps 'T' and 'G'

OK, I'm redoing it. My house is within 2 miles of a Burger King that is on the list so as soon as I acquire satelite I should get a warning right?

Ok, that didn't work either. I got a successful download message but no warning for my neighborhood BK and the when I go to settings and look for the custom POI folder it isn't even there now.

I changed the names of the 3 files to just plain TourGuide and used the Garmin POI loader in manual mode and set to 16000 feet.

Not only do I not get an alert but when I checked settings/custom poi now there isn't even a custom poi folder!

I thought maybe tourguides are stored somewhere else to I copied the 3 files in the same folder of my computer and renamed the copies Burger King while leaving the other 3 "TourGuide".

Again, no custom POI folder even exists in my nuvi under settings now. Now I'm in panic mode. Now what?

What are the files you are trying to set up on your computer to run poiloader?I will give you a sample of how to set it up once you post the file names or how you have them set up on your computer..I see you are trying to use a mp3 file.That will not work with 265.Has to be wav and like you stated until you add the sox.exe to your computer in the Garmin folder you will only get a bong alert.

POI loader works fine.

Unfortunately you have to go back to the initial post to follow the sequence of events. I'll summarize.

1) I installed POI Loader on my computer. No problem.

2) I used POI Loader to downloader Burger King alerts I downloaded into a folder in my computer from this website.

3) I named them "Redlight" and it worked fine in my Nuvi however I complained the alerts did not come on in an adequate distance to be useful.

4) It was recommended I rename the files I downloaded form here to my computer (.csv, .mp3, .bmp) "TourGuide" and then use Poi Uploader again to download them as tourguide type files and use the manual mode in Poi uploader to set the alert distance at 16000 feet.

5) I did it. Poi Loader reported that 7000 poi were successfully installed...but I still got no warning from 1 mile away so I went to settings/proximity points to check on alert settings and now the proximity point folder is not even there under settings. It was the first time when I named the files "Redlight".

6) Now I find there is no proximity point setting under tools/settings as there once was.

7) All that I can find is a folder called "Extras" under the Goto choices. In it is a list of burger king locations under the title TourGuide but I get no alerts now at all.

I read the complete post but got a little confused on several items Especially this one "I would like the same distance warning on my POI that I get on favorites, plenty of time to pull off the highway as I drive within a few miles" If you are speaking of alerts you don't get any for favorites unless you have made them custom pois and set up alert using manual or other method to trigger alert.

The TourGuide alert you are trying to set up is a radius alert not along the route.Increase the distance to increase the radius.Make sure to have space between TourGuide and Bk .Make sure to touch the custom poi text after extras.

> My pois=main folder
>> TourGuide Bk.csv
>> TourGuide Bk.bmp
>> TourGuide Bk.wav

See this post for lots of information on TourGuide and its many uses. http://www.poi-factory.com/node/13904

On the POI Loader help page it only lists models 500 series and up as TourGuide compatible. That may have been my problem. When I name a file TourGuide the proximity points folder (tools/settings/proximity points) disappears from ny nuvi 265 screen. I deleted all previous POI using POI Loader then reloaded them again under the filename "redlight". This doesn't give me the 3 mile radius warning I had hoped for but it's better than nothing I guess.

I wonder if anybody else has tried naming a POI "TourGuide" in their 265wt and what happened to them?

I have done it many times on my 265.A lot of users who travel use them for example like Cracker Barrel so they will be alerted while on the interstate.Don't do it for the combined rest stop custom pois because coordinates are all located near the entrance so TourGuide not needed.

Edit look at this post http://www.poi-factory.com/node/13904 lots of info on TourGuide

OK, would you please check to see if the choice called Proximity Points disappears from Tools/settings on your Nuvi 265wt when you upload the TourGuide files?

When that folder disappeared and I read that TourGuide files are not supported on my unit (according to Garmin) I assumed I messed up and after getting me into a fix my helpers went on to other things.

No proximity does not disappear.Don't get a true TourGuide confused with using TourGuide in the file name.Not the same.Using TourGuide in the file name is just like using Redlight in the file name.You get automatic alert of 1/4 in the express mode.Make sure to read the post I refered you to.

Edit.I would set your unit up to use wav files for alerts.Nice to hear what the alert is for and not having to look at the screen.Here is what you need to do.

a.Download Sox Exe at http://rapidshare.com:80/files/139638423/sox.zip .
b.After un-zipping Sox Exe file place it in your Garmin folder where the PoiLoader exe file is located on the computer.
c.The wav file for alerts will be named the same as the CSV or GPX file except for the extensions.
d.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. Many wav files available on PoiFactory listed under sounds at top of page.

I did read the entire thread just now and that is no help at all. The kind person who WROTE that post you refer said in this thread that all I need to do is change the name of the files (the bmp file and the csv file) to "TourGuide" and they WOULD be treated as a genuine tourguide type file except that I could not include a jpeg picture (who cares).

Further I understood that if I install the TourGuide files in manual mode I could make the distance 16000 feet which the uploader seems to allow yet I get no alert when I turn it on. My house is within 16000 feet of the nearest point on the list.

Also, when I did it, the Custom Poi folder is present in "Where To" BUT the Proximity Points choice under tools/settings totally disappeared from my nuvi.

If there is something I need to do besides remame the csv and bmp files "TourGuide" could you tell me what it is?

I don't even care about the alert. I just want to see the BK symbol within 3 miles of my radius not just my route. I'd rather use TourGuide but something is wrong that I don't understand.

Are you saying the filename "TourGuide" without any space followed by another name won't work?

I still don't see why my proximity point folder disappeared.

Thanks but adding more complexity to this issue by adding Sox.exe when I can't get a TourGuide proximity alert to work at all is not the answer.

The word TourGuide in the title may set up an auto 1/4 mile alert but when I use manual mode in POI Loader and reset the distance to 16000 feet shoudn't that extend the radius?

If we get THAT to work I may try Sox.exe

You may be doing all or some of this.If you follow this outline it will work.

Making poifiles the easy way.

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 or wav. 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
>>TourGuide Burger King.csv
>>TourGuide Burger King.bmp
>>TourGuide Burger King.wav
>>TourGuide Dunkin Donuts.csv
>>TourGuide Dunkin Donuts.bmp
>>TourGuide Dunkin Donuts.wav
>>Walmart.csv
>>Walmart.bmp
>>Walmart.wav
>>Targets.gpx
>>Targets.bmp
>>Targets.wav

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.
9. On the Nuvi 8x5 series. After you load the pois to your Garmin you will need to remove the battery or hold the off switch in the off position for 10 seconds to clear the memory before your new pois will take effect.
Note. The biggest problems with the csv, gpx , wav and bmp not working are the files not being named the same except for extensions and having double extensions. Double-check each of them. 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.

Make sure to use manual mode and the ones with TourGuide in the name set the distance as a radius not along the road.Just think of it as a circle with coordinates located in the center of the circle.1 mile radius not the same as 1 mile along the road.

Correct using TourGuide the exact way I have it spelled and having the space will work.Plus setting the files up right.Using manual mode will increase the radius distance not along the road.Wav file is just a option.Just put the instructions somewhere and get them later if you decide to.

If I simply change the name to "TourGuide" (I did)with no other word following like "TourGuide BK" would that explain why the proximity point folder disappeared from my unit under tools/settings/proximity points?

If the BK TourGuide that I wish to use is the one and only POI I am installing do I still need to find poi.gpi on my unit and change the name to something else like "TourGuide BK".gpi to get it to work?

Will I have a problem if I am within range of a proximity point or a TourGuide when I turn on my Nuvi265wt?

You mention in your thread about TourGuides that they work only in some Nuvi's. Is my problem that the 265wt isn't supported? According to Garmin the 265wt does not support TourGuides

"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."

I did see them.

I do not have double extensions.

I do not have the 8X5 series Gamin (whatever that is) I have the 200 series, specifically the nuvi 265wt.

You cannot remove the battery from the 265wt. If you reset the 265wt you lose absolutely everything...bluetooth settings, favorites, all of it.

If you do not own the 265wt that may be the problem (but I see that you do in your signature).

When I DID use the word "TourGuide" by itself as the filename and went to Where To/extras/custom POIs all that came up was a list of Burger kings with the distance and direction next to them.

When I went to tools/settings/and looked for the proximity point folder it was gone.

Deleted information already available.

I uploaded "TourGuide".csv and "TourGuide".bmp

They were in the correct file format because the list of locations did come up under where to/extras/custom pois

All it says on the computer is "TourGuide" but when you point to it it says filetpe .csv and if you click it it open in excel as a csv. The POI Loader said loaded 7000 successfully which it wouldn't do if the filetypes were wrong.

The folder at tools/settings/proximity points disappeared.

I noticed there is a file called 006D135900.GPI in my POI folder on my nuvi265wt (1132 kb in size but no date?) in addition to the poi.gpi file that is now empty so 0 kb after I ran POI Loader and delted all POI's. Is that normal even after I run POI Loader and delete all POI's?

I'm tempted to cut it from Garmin/Poi/006D135900.GPI and paste it in a temp folder and then delete it, run poi loader and delete all poi's, then start over trying to save a TourGuide. Remember the first time I tried it I included a mp3 file and my 265wt doesn't support mp3. I wonder if that created a corrupted file named 006D135900.GPI that doesn't delete with POI loader but somehow messes up loading TourGuide files?

On the other hand I'm nervous that deleting the 006D135900.GPI file manually may crash my Nuvi 265wt irretrieveably?

When you run poiloader the csv or gpx files are converted to the gps as gpi files.

I went back on my 265 and duplicated what you had done .I have always put a wav file with my TourGuide .I tried it like you did with only the following.I also used manual mode and set the distance for 10000 ft.
TourGuide Burger King.csv
TourGuide Burger King.bmp

I didn't get any alert.Went back and added wav file and using manual set distance 10000 ft.

TourGuide Burger King.csv
TourGuide Burger King.bmp
TourGuide Burger King.wav

The alert worked.You are correct if you just use the set up you have with TourGuide Burger King the proximity icon will not show with or without the wav.But as stated with wav file added the alert did work without proximity icon showing.The bmp icons to show like favorites for custom pois you will need to zoom in at about 300 ft.

Thanks for going through all that trouble.

What I really want is the BK symbol. I don't care about alerts. A beep or no beep or a wav file all are somewhat annoying. The BK icon does show up if I set up the file as a redlight.

Now if I understand you correctly, if I keep the map view zoomed into 300 feet I will see the icon? I should also HEAR the beep warning long before the icon shows up with a 10000 foot radius right?

Finally, would you check the folder called POI in your Nuvi (of course you must be connected to the computer to explore the file structure in the Nuvi.)

In the POI folder there will be a file called poi.gpi and that contains the TourGuide proximity points.

Do you also have a file called 006D135900.GPI in there? I wondered because it has no date associated with it so either Garmin puts it there or it is some kind of corrupted GPI file that I should delete.

Thanks again for all your help.

On the 265wt without sox.exe installed I've come to the conclusion that TourGuide type files are utterly useless. With sox.exe installed I get an audio cue with no icon until I'm BY the location and the icon is NOT in the correct position relative to my location.

redlight type files are essentially the same except I get a beep instead of wav file announcement.

I've come to the conclusion that a favorite displaying an icon in the correct relative position is FAR more useful when IDing locations off the highway.

So that leads me to .... is there a way to install series of locales from a long csv designed as a POI into Favorites or do I have to manually save each and every one?

See this post http://www.poi-factory.com/node/21236 .If you don't have msn traffic you don't need 006D135900.GPI .It is for Flight status.I deleted it a long time ago.When you ran webupdater you must have downloaded it.

I would suggest that you do some search on the site about icons,alerts etc .Get some different views from other users who have posted.I am not all that into seeing the icons when I drive.If is that important for me I have the alerts set up and even those are limited.From post on Tom Tom users about how the icons show when they drive compared to Garmin that unit has more what you are looking for.Garmin is not into cluttering the screen with icons.

The only clutter I want is Burger King Locations. There aren't so many that I would be bothered.

Thanks for all your help. Sounds like I should have purchased a Tom Tom. Too late

Thanks for all your help. I understand the limitations of my unit a little better now

recdna, I feel your pain! I have a Nuvi 255 that I'm also unable to use "TourGuide" on. Also, like you I lost the Proximity setting - or maybe I'm just not using the correct tagged code word...however I know I have seen and used it before because I checked it to make sure it was On.

Like you the .bmp icons in my custom POIs don't always work - it seems if I add another POI file the first one loaded still has icons that work, but the second POI's icons don't.

FYI - I also have a GPI file in my factory POI folder called 006D135900.gpi that is 1,132KB is size.

I have tried absolutely everything possible to get "TourGuide" to work with my Nuvi 255, all to no avail.

All I can come up with is that our Nuvi 200 series units are not capable of using "TourGuide" (regardless if I use "TourGuide" as part of the file name at the beginning or end of name, in a .csv or .gpx formatted file, or even making it a true "TourGuide" .gpx file with the proximity distance set in the file). I guess the conclusion is we just didn't buy a fancy enough GPS with all the fancy bells 'n whistle software to do what we want...which is using "TourGuide". Maybe one of the elite gurus here, or Gary Hayman or Phillip Hornby, can offer some advice we haven't tried.

Oh well..........

Well, well! I finally got my Nuvi 255 to use "TourGuide". It works like a charm!!! Gary Hayman was a big help.

The problem (apparently) was that I was using version 14.1.0 sox.exe, not version 14.0.1 I specifically downloaded what was in an image (version 14.1.0) on Gary's website. The instructions on the web page are somewhat confusing because of the image showing version 14.1.0 with the red arrow pointing to it - even though the written instructions say not to use version 14.1.0, but instead version 14.0.1. I would have thought having the wrong version of sox.exe would have only prevented the .wav file from working, but not prevent the "TourGuide" from working. Anyway, as soon as I removed the 14.1.0 sox.exe and replaced it with 14.0.1 and re-loaded - it worked.

This really needs to be hammered home for people... I'm not sure why the image with the red arrow pointing to the wrong sox.exe file is even on Gary's website... (Ooops! I just looked at the website to offer a link or image and the images have been removed...probably because I replied to Gary explaining what my problem was. I suspect Gary is removing the image of the wrong file.)

I'm thrilled I can now use "TourGuide".

Thanks to all, and especially Gary Hayman!