POI File (will it inform me of the next rest area?)

How did you place the file onto the Garmin unit?

You need to use the poi-loader program. If you copy
the file onto the device without the load then it will not work.

Did you run poiloader in the manual mode and set it up for alert message based on distance? See http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25721 for custom pois.

The Rest Areas Combined (http://www.poi-factory.com/comment/reply/26414/165665) is a .csv file. By itself it has no alert properties, it is a comprehensive list of rest areas with most points ideally set at the entrance ramp to the rest area. In its basic form, you can do a "Where to?" to find the nearest, or to add one or more as vias along your current route.

If you simply want an alert to any that are coming up, there are at least 2 ways that come to mind on how to set this up besides appending TourGuide to the file name.

Run POI Loader in Manual rather than Express mode. Each POI file in your collection folder will install individually so that you can choose to add alerts. For most, you will simply click next and then be prompted for the next file. When you come to the rest area file, check the box that says "This file contains proximity alert points." and then put a value in for the distance you want at alert at, e.g. 7000 feet or whatever value suits your needs.

Note: Whenever you run POI Loader in the future, you will need to do it this way, else lose your proximity settings, unless you load the rest areas alone manually and then go into the nüvi and rename poi.gpi to something like Restarea.poi; then return and re-run POI Loader in express mode for all the other files. The nüvi will now contain both restarea.gpi and poi.gpi; the latter containing the POI of the last POI Loader run. Not only is this complicated for some, it can also become work as the rest area file gets updated regularly as the maintainer gets info on new or closed rest areas.

Another way is to use Extra_POI_Editor to globally set the proximity for each point in the rest area file to a distance, e.g. 7000 feet and then save the file as a .gpx. You can then put this file into your collection folder and then run POI Loader in Express mode.

Note: If you download an updated copy of the rest area file, you will need to run it through EPE again to globally set the proximity values and again save it as a .gpx before running POI Loader.

I prefer the EPE route. It is a snap to use Extra_POI_Loader once I learned how and I can always run POI Loader in Express (aka unattended) mode which is a real plus when you have a lot of custom POI in your collection.

The FAQ here have more information on these things. Also do a search for TurboCCC and Gary Hayman's Tips and Tricks to learn how to make custom POI work for you.

Final note: Many rest ares come in pairs, one on each side of the highway. It is normal to get 2 alerts, one for each as your enter the proximity zone of both.

Without an associated .wav or .mp3 file, the alert will be a boing-boing sound. Again the FAQ here and Gary Hayman's page will give more info on how to create custom sounds or messages for your alerts.

Once all is loaded into the nüvi, put it into simulator mode and put yourself a couple of miles from a rest area and then plot a route that will take you past it. This will verify that your work was successful without spending a penny on fuel. If your alert distances are not correct, verify that you made the correct choices for feet or meters in POI Loader or EPE.

@t4feb

If you decide to use Extra Poi Loader to build your alert distance in using gpx file here is the process.

You can download Extra Poi Editor at http://turboccc.wikispaces.com/Extra_POI_Editor and build the distance in for the alert. When you download the program if you get message about OCX file missing scroll down on the main page and under troubleshooting you will find the Extra Poi Editor Installer that you will need to download. Once installation is completed you will need to set up the preferences you want first. Under options click on preferences. For example using ft for input. Under units you will see editor, select Imperial/US. For Field Read and Field save select Metric. After setting your preferences click on file and click open to select from your computer the file you want to build the distance alerts for. Then go to edit and click on replace field. Once the next screen comes up use the down arrow for Field name and pick proximity. Under new field value put in the distance in feet you want for the alert. Then click replace all. You now have distance set for each custom poi. Then save as a gpx file. You will lose the built in alert if you save as a csv file. The nice thing about this method is that you can use express mode for poiloader

I have recently set my rest area alerts set as a TourGuide. If you include "TourGuide" in the filename(rest_area_TourGuide.csv), it will alert you any time you are within a radius of a rest area, even if you are not on the same road. Just search for "Tourguide", and you will receive more comprehensive info about it. Just use it with discretion, or it will drive you nuts, with alerts for places you may not be interested in at the moment.

I have set up four folders of POI's so that when I want to set manual alerts (say for the reststops) I only have to go through the manual mode for a few POI files, instead of all of them should I have used only one folder. I keep my redlight file in a special folder too, as I update it every fortnight.

Gary definitely has a load of excellent tips and tricks to get your unit set up to work as you like it. Breeze through his site and get an overview of possibilities.

Make a backup of the system before you start messing about too much....but have fun.

The garmin unit will only inform you when you approach the rest areas if you set up alerts for the rest stops. Then, when you get within a certain distance of the rest stop you will get a message.

The garmin unit will only inform you when you approach the rest areas if you set up alerts for the rest stops. Then, when you get within a certain distance of the rest stop you will get a message.