pre testing nuvi rlc audio alert

You can easily test your alert sound from the comfort of your living room couch.

Once the alert has been installed in your unit CORRECTLY, just place your unit in GPS Simulator mode and find a spot on the road of your alert that is outside the alert influence (about a quarter to half mile) and do a Set Loc/Set Location at that spot.

Now set up a route that will take you past the alert spot (or even to it -- but the real test is PAST the spot) and when asked, tell the unit to Simulate the route and watch your vehicle begin to move.

When it reaches the correct distance from the location that you have set, the alert will sound -- provided you have enabled your Alert Audio to sound (Tools Section).

So you don't even have to get into your car to do this.

Remember the location of your Custom POI should be on or close to the road on which you are traveling. Suggestions, in the past have been between 0 and 50 feet, and 0 and 75 feet. Recently Garmin Support has quoted the figure of 98 feet, but that may only be for some of the newer units such as the 3700 series. Your best bet would be to set your location point on the road and not in the interior of some shopping mall.

Now if you only want to HEAR the tone and aren't interested in testing it then simply, using your computer's file management system, double click the .wav file of the tone and your 'media player' will open and play the tone.

Have fun.

Gary Hayman
Garmin Tricks & Tips website
http://bit.ly/garmin_gps_tricks

Just to hear it on the computer.Just left click on the file and it will play.

Thanks. I'll definitely give this a whirl. Will report back on results.

Happy 4th.

Thanks, I did run GPS simulator test and unit did alert usually about .2 miles before camera light, no matter what distance alert setting, (in my case about 2340 feet), I had my unit set to, during most recent download of rlc pois.

I could see on the download prompt that the default alert distance eems to be 1320 feet and it always displays that distance when I try to download newer pois.

Anyhow thanks for the tips, I'll try to test the .wav file once I figure where they are located on my gps or computer.

The word Redlight in the file name forces an alert distance of 1/4 mile (1320 feet).

From the POI Loader Help file:

POI Loader determines whether or not a file contains speed and proximity alert points based on specific criteria. Use the following information to help you create Custom POI files:

• If a file name contains a valid speed number or if all records in a file have speed encoded in the name, then all records in the file will include speed and proximity alerts. For example, a data file with the file name "Speed_30" generates speed alerts of 30 mph (or kph, depending on the type of units selected in POI Loader) for each POI in the file.
• If the file name contains "redlight", POI Loader assumes all records in the file have proximity alerts with a distance of 400m/0.25 miles.
• If a file contains "GATSO," "mobile," "SPECS," "safety," "speed," or "camera," but does not have a speed, POI Loader uses a default alert speed of 0, which means you will always be alerted. You can override this default value by entering the speed in Manual mode.
• You can also enter speeds for each POI individually by adding the @ symbol and a number after the name of the POI. For example, a Custom POI named "Ridgeview@25" would create a POI named "Ridgeview" with a 25 mph speed alert.
• POI Loader calculates proximity alert distance based on speed. You can enter proximity alert distance for individual Custom POIs in a .gpx file. You can also enter proximity alert distance for all Custom POIs in a data file using Manual mode.

Thanks, now where are the wav files located?

The word Redlight in the file name forces an alert distance of 1/4 mile (1320 feet).

"I see that when I'm updating the pois"

If a file contains "GATSO," "mobile," "SPECS," "safety," "speed," or "camera," but does not have a speed, POI Loader uses a default alert speed of 0, which means you will always be alerted.

"Not sure where this file would show up in the update process".

You can override this default value by entering the speed in Manual mode.

"That's where I entered 2320 (for example). Question is - does nuvi recognize my changed distance for current download". I'm not sure, as each time I use poi loader to update, at that screen, it shows 1320 feet when I opt for distance.

Thanks

You are confusing speed with distance. With POI Loader in manual mode you can enter either a speed or distance. From your posts it appears as if you are entering a distance which is not recognized in a file containing the "redlight" keyword. You need to enter a speed value to trigger the alert.

The alert for a red light camera will always trigger, the type of alert will change depending on the value you enter for the speed. If you are traveling faster than the trigger speed, the alert will be red and keep repeating until you are at or below the trigger value. If you approach a speed camera and are at or below the trigger value, it will only play once - unless you exceed the speed when it will begin repeating.

The .wav file on your GPS is part of the poi.gpi file and isn't accessible using the computer. POI Loader combines the poi.csv and the .wav files before loading them onto the GPS. The .wav file on your computer will be in the same directory as the .csv file.

Actually I'm quite certain of the distinction between speed or rate of movement, vs distance or proximity to or from the rlc.

Notice I wrote that the loader displays a default 1320 feet (distance), but I'm in this instance opting for manual selection - I was trying to adjust that default distance (1320)from the rlc to some other preferred setting, in my case I typed in 2320 feet.

In the download process, that screen offers me that option, so I simply wanted to determine whether my unit actually did "learn" that newly selected distance and would likely alert me from approx 2320 feet from rlc or not. This has nothing to do with my speed at that time.

Did you try the simulation technique suggested by Gary?

If you have not and need more info on simulations, we will be glad to help you.

There is an order of preference for commands in POI files. The highest is keywords in the file name like "Redlight" or "Speed". The keyword "Redlight" will over ride anything else in the file name. You should be able to find a listing of preference by doing search here in POI Factory.

If you want any other alert distance than the default for Redlight then you will have to remove the keyword from the file name first.

Thanks

I did try the simulation and unit did alert. Thanks

Of course most people know what kind of sound they put into GPS. But, we want to make sure that's correct format, and installed correctly. That's the reason we want to hear the sound coming out of the GPS.

I'm wondering if terrain etc. might be a factor which could affect alert distance from rlc to my unit, eg approaching an rlc which is on the other side of a hill or rising, or around a lengthy corner.
It seems I don't get alerted till I'm at the brow of, or over the hill approaching an rlc, (pardon the pun), even if I have not adjusted my alert distance on my most recent rlc update.
Usually, if I'm on level ground as I approach, I seem to get alerted from a greater distance from rlc.
Any ideas?

topography should not make any difference.