New to the site and could use some guidence

I suggest you browse the site and find answers to your questions. It is a learning experience but all you should need is a spreadsheet program and the csv. file will meet a lot of your needs. Setting alerts is something else to research on this site. Good luck.

Welcome to The Factory!

Creating a school zone alert is one of the more difficult POI tasks given that most POI files are for schools, not school zones.

First, I'd make sure that you're comfortable installing standard POI files with POI Loader in manual mode, that you can also add custom bmp icons and custom wav audio files (requires sox.exe). and that you can receive custom alerts on your nuvi.

A good way to see if you're ready to advance to school zones is to install MrKenFL's Rest Areas Combined file with a custom bmp and custom wav file, then have alerts sound with, say, a 15,000 foot alert distance. Besides being a good test of your skill level, the Rest Areas Combined is a great POI file for folks who travel highways a lot. If this works (alert sounds your custom wav audio and shows an icon) when driving or simulating a route past a rest area, then proceed to school zones.

Unless you wish to create your own school zone csv or gpx file for the areas in which you travel (the best, but most labor intensive solution to your question), I've found that using the schools poi file and using it as a TourGuide will give you school zone alerts most of the time. See:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/39621

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/39287

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/37386

POI Loader:
http://www.garmin.com/us/maps/poiloader

Rest Areas Combined:
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/6643

General tips on audio alerts:
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25730

General tips on TourGuide:
Go to the Garmin faqs and search for the word TourGuide.

Good luck. Report back with your results, whether success or temporary glitches that require more input from us.

[Edit]
Final thought: do the things jgermann suggests later in this thread and you will probably avoid several glitches that could severely delay your school zone alert quest.

You could display a special logo for the school locations which you can construct yourself. Not sure how you would do the audible alert, though.

Welcome aboard.
Fred

Welcome to the site.

There is a Getting Started button in the upper right of this page right under POI Files. It is worthwhile visiting this page.

To make navigation easy, most browsers provide the following option. When you want to follow a link - but still keep your current page open - you can hold down the "Ctrl" key as you left-click on a link. That action will open a new "Tab" in your browser up on the "Tab" bar. When you then left-click on that new "Tab", you will follow the link - leaving the "Tab" you are now reading open and available to click on and return here.

So, using the "Getting Started" link, you might try the "Ctrl" - left-click sequence and then return here. You can return by either "X-ing" out of the "Getting Started" page (using the "X" on the "Tab" itself) or just left-clicking on the "Tab" for the page you are on right now.

Since you are new here, I encourage you to go through a couple of the Beginner Education FAQs.

The first link makes sure the settings on your computer are such that you can do more advanced POI loading.
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/30393

The next link helps you make a backup of your GPS by attaching it to your computer. (NEVER do anything to your GPS until you have a backup)
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/30394

About the schools, you might look at
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/1278 for one idea on building a POI file with your school locations.

Let us know how we can help you enjoy your GPS.

BEST place to know ur GPS .. any and all questions answered in one place

This guy is a regular user and has gone to great lengths to simplify using

http://bit.ly/garmin_gps_tricks

Welcome to POI-FACTORY.