How do downloaded POI files work

Did you set an alert by running POI Loader in Manual Mode instead of Express Mode.

Regular Custom POIs do not alert by default. You must SET and alert if you want to be alerted.

You may want to review the information on this website:

http://home.comcast.net/~ghayman3/garmin.gps/pagepoi.02.htm

I have some POIs with alerts (I used to do it for my house but that got annoying so I think I only have the rest stops on the interstate alarming at this point) but I do this infrequently enough that I need to go back and review how to do it. The above website will reference you back here some but also has handy step-by-step directions for key steps with explanations of why. Very handy IMHO.

Jim

I was not aware that the Starbucks file from poi-factory claimed to have verbal components. In order to do that you would have to download a .wav file (as your unit does not support .mp3 files) into the same folder as your starbucks.csv file and make the name of the .wav file exactly the same as that of the poi file except from the .wav extension.

Where did you get a file that claimed to have verbal components?

The 855 has mp3.

Charlesd45 is correct (my bad). That means that you can use a .mp3 file (which is easier that a .wav file because the .wav file also requires sox.exe in the poiloader folder).

OK jg..., COWs are allowed to make an occaisonal misteak...Just don't mess up NeXT weEk!

Your question of where the OP heard of verbal components remains a valid one.

Pretty sure OP means voice alerts.

I have never downloaded POI files but discovered them recently and think they are great. Wife and I get frustrated trying to find places (seems like Starbucks a lot!) and found that file and I though voice alerts were part of it.

so once I install (and it appears using manual mode is recommended to set them up) it should alert me when we are close, right?

Any other recommendations on how to maximize these features and set it up correctly?

See http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25721 for custom pois. Dis-regard the wav file selection since you need mp3 for voice alerts.

If you go to the main Starbucks POI page (http://www.poi-factory.com/node/6021) you will find links to several components.
- POI file (csv or gpx)
- Sound file
- Icon file (bmp)

You can download all three into the directory on your computer you are installing POIs from. All three must have the same file name (except for the extension). When you run POILoader, use manual mode and choose alerts for Starbucks - you can also change the default distance where you will get the alert. Now, when you are driving, and get within that alert distance from a Starbucks, your GPS should give you a verbal alert (using the sound file you loaded) and if your map is zoomed in to the appropriate level (on my 760, it's the 300' view) you will see the Starbucks icon at the location.

Let me warn you though - after a bit, you might get tired of hearing that alert go off every two blocks (there's a Starbucks every other corner, right...) The only POIs I use a verbal alert for are RLCs and Speed Cameras.

or do they need to be copied to the garmin separately? If so, how is this done?

Sometimes they are listed with the file. You have to download them separate. You can also find them in the sounds file located top right. It is covered in the link on my above post. Need to right click and click save as.

OK. So I need to make sure they have the same file name except for extension. Which folder on my Garmin are the POI files kept in? I see the POI folder but I downloaded more than a few and don't see them in there.

POIloader bundles all of the .gpx/.csv, .bmp, and .mp3 or .wav files together and by default, creates a file called poi.gpi. It could be another name but it will always have a .gpi extension. That is possibly the only file you'll see in the POI folder on your GPS.

If you go to the GPS and select Where To - Extras - Custom POI's you will see the list of all the POI files you downloaded to the device.

Because you do not wont to do that.

Download them to a folder on your computer.
Make sure they are all named the same except for the extension.

Example:

My Pois
My files.csv (or gpx)
My files.bmp
My files.mp3

Point poi loader to the "My pois" folder and run in manual mode and select a alert distance.

A few more questions:

Is a csv file better than a gpx, or visa versa, or no difference. GPX files seem a lot larger.

Multiple custom POI files are basically "bundled" and saved to the Garmin as a single poi.gpi file, correct? They aren't showing up individually.

If I don't have a corresponding .wav or .mp3 to go with the csv. file, there won't be any audible alerts, correct?

Do these POI files basically work "passively" once installed, meaning once done, you don't need to turn them on/off, etc. via TOOLS. They just appear whenever you are using the GPS. Can they be managed via the GPS to turn any on or off as desired?

Depending on your unit GPX files offer more information along with the ability for a unit paired with a phone to actually call the location. As far as functionality, there is no difference. CSV files are limited to 4 fields, Lon, Lat, POI Name and an optional description field. GPX files can control how data is displayed, add dialable phone numbers and allow the setting of individual proximity or speed alerts to the different POI in the file. As an example, you can assign a 3500 foot proximity alert for wal-Mart locations with fuel and a 1000 foot alert for those that don't without creating two files. It can't be done with CSV format files.

VMultiple custom POI files are basically "bundled" and saved to the Garmin as a single poi.gpi file, correct? They aren't showing up individually.

1. Doesn't matter which you use. GPX allows for more information to be stored with each point and is more or less Garmin's default format.

2. Multiple POI's - I answered this for you in my post above. One poi.gpi file created each time you run POIloader and it overwrites the old one. The only place you'll see individual POI files is under Where To - Extras - Custom POIs on the GPS.

3. .WAV or .MP3 - Correct

4. Yes, they will just appear on the map screen. No, for most Nuvi models you can't turn them off or on.

so for the reasons you mentioned, do most people opt for the GPX format?

learned a lot from you guys for my first foray into this area - thanks!

A lot of users use the gpx files for various results they want to get for their custom pois.Able to phone from the gps and depending on the file.Getting more information to display.Also a lot of us like to take our custom pois we want alerts for and build the alert distance into the gpx file. That enables the user to run poiloader in the express mode instead of manual see http://www.poi-factory.com/node/28521