205w questions

Garmin is not into cluttering the screen with icons.You have to zoom in close to see them.When you get to end destination the icons will show.

The proximity alert will sound if you have set them up correctly.You can select manual mode in poiloader instead of express to set the distance for the alert.Also you can build the alerts in with key words or the use of gpx files.Voice alerts for the 205 require a sox.exe to be located on your computer in the same location as poiloader is.A wav file will needs to be included in the folder with your custom poi file you want the alert for.

Note.The alert will not sound unless the coordinates are located within 50 ft of the road of travel unless you have selected the location as a go to.You can improve that but using TourGuide in the file name to set up a radius alert.

A lot of this information is covered in the FAQ.Here are a few to start with. http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25730 and http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25721

I did try zooming in all the wayand never did see any icons while I was moving. Is this normal?

Did you name the bmp the same as the csv or gpx file except for the extensions?

Example

My Pois

Cracker Barrel.csv
Cracker Barrel.bmp

The biggest problems with the alerts and icons 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. This is for Windows XP.

Thanks, I'll try to set it up like you said.

Easy way to check if you got the bmp right.Go to your custom poi file on the gps under custom pois with the bmp and select one of the locations.Don't touch go.Touch map at bottom and you will see the bmp

Not seeing BMP, just a dot. Will keep trying---thanks.

Check for the double extensions I outlined above.Set computer to show them.If you don't change the settings on the computer just type in the name and the extension will take care of itself.

You don't have a Mac computer by chance?

You don't have your contact tab on.If you want email me by using my contact tab.I will set up a few of the files and email back to you .

You may have double extensions.

Regardless - please do this exercise.

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/30393

unless you are on a Mac. And, if you are, please let us know.

Last night I renamed all the BMP files and I can see them when I do the search. I will take it on the road today to see if they show up while I'm moving.

Thanks for all the help.

The question was if you checked for double extensions and JGermann provided a tutorial for PC users to display common file extensions. Did you complete this before renaming the files? If you didn't, renaming will have no effect on the problem you are having of displaying icons.

Remember you will have to zoom in close.If you checked them by touching map and they showed you should be good to go.

Yes, I changed the settings you guys recommended. I have a PC not a Mac. I went to town this morning and did see the icons when I got there. I will test it further later in the week. I live in the sticks and don't get near civilization every day.

Thanks again for the help.

Sounds like you got it liked you want.You may want to try the sound alerts next.

I didn't mean to sound harsh, but your response of renaming the files wasn't clear you had eliminated double extensions and ensured the file, alert, and icon all had the same name except the extension.

No offense taken Box Car. I'm just happy to get the help I needed. Might try for some alerts now.

If you are considering doing much with POI other than the basic loading and having alerts, you need to play with making your own and different formats.

The easiest way to build a POI file is to start with a small one from here. Load it into a spreadsheet program so the fields show up in columns. A CSV has 3 mandatory fields and an optional 4th. The first two are the position data in decimal degrees. The 3rd column or field is the display or POI name for that location. The 4th field is the optional description field and it will hold just about any information you want to stuff into less than 250 characters. Most put in the address info such as street, city, state/prov, post code (zip) and phone number.

When you get ready to move to the next level, you can start playing with the GPX format which allows a lot more information to be displayed and formatted along with making telephone numbers dialable through bluetooth if your unit supports it. D/L Extra_POI_Editor from TurboCCC's website for an excellent and free editor. (Turbo does accept donations so feel free to contribute!) There are several of us here that are more than willing to help you get started in building your own POI files for fun and profit.

try this

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/30395

OK, I have the POI Icons loaded and running. When I get into town and zoom down to where the icons are displayed, the screen isn't keeping up with with speed of my vehicle. The icons seem to be about a block off and never catch up, even if I stop the vehicle. Is the processor in the 205W too slow to handle all the Icons? I didn't have to use a SD card to put them in the unit. Would it run faster if the Custom POI's were on a SD card?

I was once told by Garmin Tech that using the SD card will slow down the unit loading up.Many members here have stated they saw little or no difference.I load my custom pois to the unit.

Try setting the unit for 2d if you have it set at 3d and see if any difference.

By chance did you set map detail to more under your settings instead of normal?

Some users have stated they get more performance from their unit by clearing the trip log regularly.I do that all the time.It does seem to make a difference.Tools,my data then clear trip log.