inserting POI warning sounds

Start here: http://www8.garmin.com/products/poiloader/

The Garmin site has more links to other stuff. You will be amazed at how easy it really is. Bullet proof they say. You can give POIs icons that show up on you GPS, as well as sounds. An example of one download would be "rest area.csv", "rest area.bmp", "rest area.wav". I dont know if your unit has a .mp3 player or not, but if it does, then you would substitute a .wav file for .mp3. Just be sure to give all 3 files the same file name, and so, loading the .csv file, the other 2 files will automaticall load too. To save the sound to your computer, just right click the sound file, and a box will come up, just choose "save link as", or similar then tell it where you want it to go.

I have a 6 hr drive to do in the morning, I need to get in the bed, or I would help you further. Am feeling rushed to get done packing and in the bed! Sory!

Welcome dv394! You'll find tons of info on this site..
Look first in the FAQs, as well as this thread-
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/4538
(tip- work backwards from the last page, but look at FAQs first)

Also search for "sox.exe" here on the site. What you're looking for may also have a link in the thread I posted above. For units that don't have an Mp3 player (the 3790T I think) you can use .wav files as groundhog says, but you also need to put the right version of sox.exe into the same folder as your POI Loader.

Enjoy! And someone is ALWAYS here to help!!

Here is something I typed out that may help http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25721 it covers downloading the sounds and icons.It also covers how to install the sox.exe you will need to get voice alerts.Your unit will not play mp3's.

To see the custom icons on the map you will have to zoom in close to see them.They do show once you get close to the end destination.As you have noticed the favorites do show up better.

The tips given above will help you accomplish what you are after. There may be a few pointers in the following that will also help:

Beginners Exercise 5 - Adding Icons and Sounds

Once you are comfortable with POI Loader, you will probably want to add Icons for your POI files and perhaps get an audio alert when one is nearby.
Many longtime users will tell you that this is not as good as it first seems to be. To see the Icons, you have to be zoomed in pretty close. And, are you sure that you want to be notified every time a McDonalds is nearby? Many don’t, but knowing that a Rest Area is coming up in a couple of miles does give you enough time to decide if a pit stop is advisable, so many seem to employ that particular alert.

POI-Factory has lots of interesting and useful POI files - that you already know. The site also has various Icons and/or Sound files to go with them. And, you can make your own - more on that later.

Since the technique for downloading Icon and Sound files varies by the browser you use, we will use the example of downloading the Icon and Sound files for AAA. You might choose another POI than AAA or just follow along with this exercise.

An Icon file for AAA can be found at
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/11718
If you will hold the shift key when you click the link above, a new window will open so you can continue to read from this exercise as you work.

In most browsers, if you left click on AAA.bmp, you will be shown the Icon. It will appear very small and it is. That is why you have to be zoomed in so close on your GPS. The maximum Icon size seems to be 24 X 24 pixels.

To download the file in Internet Explorer, right click on AAA.bmp and then left click on ‘Save Target As..” to get the download dialog. From there, you can save the file wherever you want. NOTE you will need to save both the Icon and Sound files to the same folder in which you have saved the POI file.

To download the file in Firefox, right click on AAA.bmp and then left click on ‘Save Link As..” to get the download dialog.

To download the file in Opera, right click on AAA.bmp and then left click on ‘Save Linked Contents As..” to get the download dialog.

If you are using another browser, you may need to experiment to find the correct selection after the right click. You will recognize the correct selection because the download dialog will appear.

A sound file for AAA.MP3 (as well as AAA.wav) can be found at
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/14333

If you right click on either file, it will be played for you. To download it, follow the same download procedure as for the Icon file.

Why are there both AAA.MP3 and AAA.wav? This is because some GPS units do not have a MP3 player and the .wav file is the only way to get audio alerts. If you do not have the capability to play MP3s, then you will want to go to How do I get voice alerts using wav files for units without mp3 capability? by charlesd45. Find this tutorial at
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25730

Now that you have downloaded some Icon and Sound files, you will need to know how to use them in conjunction with the associated POI file. To find out how, look at How Do I Load BMP Icons into my Garmin GPSr?
by Motorcycle Mama
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/4359

and then at How do I load custom alert sounds for POIs on my Garmin GPSr?by Motorcycle Mama
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/4360

Just in case you want to make some alerts for a really “custom” POI file, you are directed to How do I make an MP3 Sound file? by RhythmTip
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/10169

thanks everyone for your help

Is there any way to get the GPS to warn when you're driving over the speed limit?

What GPS unit?

I was wondering the same thing for my Nuvi 350. the map loaded into the Garmin has speed info. I think there should be a way to access that information somehow.

I believe this would depend on FW, not just map info. Older units may not support this feature.

Keep the sound extremely short.