Another POI problem (wav files with 3597)

OK, let's assume sox is correct (although we may need to troubleshoot this later if things continue to not work).

No, in addition to downloading a csv or gpx (POI) file, you also optionally need to download the wav audio alert file (oftentimes, you will have a choice of several pre-made files) and a bmp icon file (also oftentimes with multiple choices available), of course, making sure all filenames match.

Your 1450 probably could use mp3 audio files (which you also had to download manually) and with mp3 audio files, no sox was needed. Maybe that's what you had done with the earlier nuvi. The 3597 can't play mp3 and therefore needs wav files and sox (if using a PC). I'm not sure what you're saying about the viewing files or opening the gpi.

Here's a wav file for you. Right click and SaveAs to download the file to your PC:

http://www.poi-factory.com/files/WAL-MART.wav

For the icon, I see two pre-made options in the Walmart POI page. For the 3597, the 48x48 pixel one may be best for you.

the soc file in poi loader is sox with no extension for the heck of it i added the .exe and tried again I got the wav file could not be loaded and you will have no audio. So I assume the sox is good.
The latest is loading the files the new load should over write all old files or is that just the files with the same name? I have deleted all old poi files by a different name before trying the simulator mode. No luck

Not sure what I am now doing different but the custom files show loaded on H drive but there are no custom files shown on the Where To. Earlier today they were there and the icons were on the map just no sound.
I did load the attached wave files but have no way of knowing if the match the data file exactly. No way to view gpi.

No mention of what version of Sox you downloaded.

The sox.exe must be version 14 or Poi Loader will not wok correctly. You only need the .exe file - not all the .dlls, etc.

You may have to hunt around the web for the correct version. Search for "sox-14.3.2".

Try https://sourceforge.net/projects/sox/files/sox/14.3.2/

Might not be the problem though.

I thought the only version of sox that works with wav files and POI Loader is 14.0.1, not to be confused with 14.1.0.

Also for garry1p: if you say sox has no extension, you may have your PC folder options set to hide extensions for known file types. If so and if you add a .exe, you will end up with a nonfunctional sox.exe.exe. These two FAQs should help:

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

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25730

I have the 14.0.1 at least the file size is correct and I clicked on a site for the link to 14.0.1.

Still don't know why I can't see custom POI's from the GO TO screen when I know they are loaded on the device, I do have mass storage checked.

If I see the file on the H drive they must be loaded on the device! Why would the device not use them?

I assume they are .cvs files since others have no problems downloading as is.

To find your loaded custom POis on a nuvi 3597, tap:

WhereTo/Categories/Down arrow maybe three times/Custom POIs.
Once you find them, note that you can customize the WhereTo page and add a direct Custom POIs icon to avoid the need for the Categories/down/down/down taps.

When all is working, POI Loader (with sox.exe) will convert and load your POI files (csv or gpx), as well as any optional audio and icons (wav and bmp) and install them to the the 3597 as a gpi file.

Since you say you have converted the nuvi from MTP to MS mode and you're still not seeing many files when connected to a computer, can you tell us if you see a .system folder. If not, your PC's Folder Options need to be tweaked:

http://www.poi-factory.com/garmin/problemsolver#system-folde...

more specifically:

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

and most specifically: Computer Settings for PC, Step 6:

Step 6:
Make sure that check box next to “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)” is NOT selected

Make sure you have followed the instructions in the FAQs in Craig's post above.

Create a folder called MyPOIs on your computer

Put one of the .csv files from poi-factory into that folder

Run POILoader and pointing it to your device and also to the MyPOIs folder. Assuming you get a final message from POILoader say you have loaded xxx points of interest, see if they now show up on the device.

Report to us, please.

Well that's the problem my laptop shows the files on the 3597 "H" drive but the 3597 will not show any custom files on the "Go TO" screen.

I download from POI factory into 3795POI folder in downloads then use POI Loader to transfer to the 3597.

I tried resetting the micro SD and that was no help.

I do see the .system file.

Please confirm that you've searched for the custom POIs on your 3597 by tapping

WhereTo
Categories
Down Arrow (about three times)
Custom POIs

Unless and until you customize the WhereTo page, Custom POIs will not be shown directly on the initial WhereTo page. But before we tinker with the customization of the WhereTo page, let's see if you can find them using the above multitap method.

If you have and still don't see them, then jgermann's question of seeing the confirmation statement at the end of a POI Loader run is very important.

When you run POI Loader, where are you choosing to install them? I suggest installing them to the nuvi itself and not the SD card although they should run from the SD as well. If you accept the default name offered by POI Loader, the file will be called POI.gpi.

If your H drive is the SD card in the nuvi, it is NOT where any csv files should be. The csv or gpx and optional wav and bmp files reside on your computer only and are installed to the nuvi or its SD card with the POI Loader program. If I'm reading your reply wrong, ignore this paragraph.

With your nuvi 3597 connected to a PC and opening My Computer, double click the nuvi drive icon and look for a POI folder. Assuming you accepted the default installation location and file name, your custom POIs will be in POI folder with the filename POI.gpi and the POI folder is in the root directory of the nuvi itself.

The H drive is the SD card in the nuvi and the GO TO screen only goes down once NO custom POI's shown. Earlier today they were there but no sound so I deleted and started over.

Yes the POI loader does state XXX files loaded.

Right now the only files I have on the SD card is Rest Areas and that is for testing.

It is located in garmin/ POI/ 3597pois.gpi

After tapping the WhereTo icon on the main menu, do not tap the down arrow.

From the main menu, tap WhereTo. Now tap Categories (probably a small non-colored icon at the upper right just under 'Searching Near' and above 'Saved'). Now tap the down arrow about three times and see if Custom POIs is offered.

YIKES We just had a house shaking earthquake here in OK.

YES the Custom POI's are there!
This is what is fun about new equipment the learning curve.

Still no wav sounds but plan to load Walmart and see what happens.

I download poi walmart then download attachment wav file put them both in same folder for POI loader.

OK, let's add a Custom POIs icon to your main WhereTo page:

From the main menu, tap WhereTo.

Now tap the Add Shortcut (which may require tapping the down arrow once).

Tap the Custom POIs under Search Tools.

Tap Save.

Now Custom POIs will appear on the main WhereTo page.

Good luck with the custom audio and icons next.

I did that as soon as I found the POI's. Thank you for that I never would have found them or forgot if I ever did find them.

Loaded the Walmart and they are there.

I did change the wave file name to match the walmart file they were not exactly the same.

Making progress they show up on the map but no alerts.

@CraigW

You are correct. The 14.3.2 file was in my "Downloads" folder - but not any longer (and I don't remember why it was there). Sox file is 1672 bytes.

Just installed a new Mother Board and had to do a fresh install. Used the file from "Downloads" directory on another drive and it would not work. Copied the file from the old HD Poiloader directoryand Bingo, no errors!

Wish me luck as I'm still installing software, but system seems stable now. Something glitched yesterday and I had to start over due to many, many problems.

Well good luck with your project.

I do see the Walmart but no alerts.

Will have to wait until tomorrow battery is down.

Thanks for the help.

Lots of good suggestions. Just thought about 1 simple question. Is this walmart file the only one that has the sound problem or is it also other files. If more than one file has this problem, have you checked to see if your volumn is either turned down or is on mute?
I have done this in the past.

Try this video and see if that helps https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dsJTUmvb6_o also https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhhb5FPyLW0 other supporting videos http://www.poi-factory.com/node/45601

It's likely that you're right and your Walmart custom POI is not offering custom audio alerts due to a problem with loading the POIs and with time, we can figure it out. Compared to your old 1450, the 3597 with its need for wav audio and sox.exe installed in the right folder, has many more potential ways to mess things up.

But let's start with a few quick questions:

1) With your nuvi 1450, were you able to get audio alerts around Walmarts? If so, then the problem is almost certainly the wav file or the version or installed location of the sox.exe file. If not, then many more issues could be the cause.

2) Are you expecting an alert when within a certain distance of a Walmart? For this to occur, regardless of your alert distance, the POI location (quite likely, the Walmart building) must be within 100 feet of the roadway you're on. If the building is set back over 100 feet, no alert will sound as you pass by. Try creating a route to a Walmart and see if the audio alert occurs as you arrive. If so, then your audio alerts are working but not for drive-by alerts. The solution is to make the POI a TourGuide which creates a radius alert that will work as long as the POI point is within your radius regardless of the POI setback from the roadway.

3) When you load the Walmart files (csv and wav and maybe a bmp) with POI Loader, are you using Manual Mode and setting a distance alert for the Walmart file? POI Loader's Express mode doesn't allow setting up alerts.

Beyond this, a careful reading of the FAQ described in earlier replies regarding installing custom alerts with wav files is the way to start, followed by a careful step by step confirmation that your procedure exactly follows the FAQ's instructions. Once again, if you had custom audio alerts with your old 1450, then many of the pitfalls possible are less likely to be the cause, so hearing from you if you've had success with your older nuvi will guide us in making suggestions.

Thanks for the help.

No problems with the 1450 and I use all features.

So far I renamed all files to make sure they match.

Experimenting found if I select custom poi's then GO from there then everything works.

Doing a drive by routing to a location down the road it doesn't alert.

The Walmart's were off to the side and when routing to them (I have tried two so far)the icon's show but no voice until pretty close. Alert is set for 2500ft.

When viewing the custom POI file I find it says alert .5 miles and that seems to be for the icon's.

Think I am going to have to figure out Tour Guide as you suggest. Any good info on TOUR GUIDE never used it but willing to figure it out. I am have been using GPS since before they had street views and everything was point to point. Learning curve for me is longer Im getting old.

Making progress.

Since you know you have audio alerts with Walmart as a destination, it means you're all set for TourGuides.

All you need to do is change the filenames. If the csv file is Walmart.csv for instance, just rename the csv, wav and if present, the bmp filenames to Walmart_TourGuide; e.g., Walmart_TourGuide.csv, Walmart_TourGuide.wav, etc. Now run POI Loader and Walmart will be a TourGuide with the radius you set. You could even set a larger distance if you want. The only trick is to remember to capitalize the T and G in TourGuide for it to work.

If you do other POIs in the future as a TourGuide, know that TourGuides must have an associated audio file. Unlike standard POIs where a custom audio alert is optional, TourGuides won't work if the audio file is missing.

Don't go too crazy with TourGuides. A TourGuide for McDonalds or Starbucks will drive you crazy in even small cities with the constant alerts. It's also been guessed by folks here that TourGuides put more of a stress on the GPS processor and too many TourGuide POIs may end up with spastic GPS operation with crashes and reboots, etc.

An explanation for TourGuides is included in this FAQ:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/42419

Why TourGuides? With this schools POI file, the locations identified are the actual school buildings which are oftentimes set back quite a ways from the roadways, meaning that driving past the school will not result in a GPS alert if the POI location is approximately 100 feet (30 meters) or more from the centerline of the roadway. As an approximation of School Zone locations, using the Schools file as a TourGuide with a 550' distance will set a radius large enough to include the streets adjacent to the school and will offer an alert. I find in general that I get an alert about 50-100 feet before I see most schools' 15mph School Zone warning signs. A larger warning distance would be desirable but that would increase the number of false positive alerts (schools on adjacent parallel streets, for example). If you primarily drive on rural roads, experiment with using alert distances larger than my suggested 550 feet designed for use on city streets.

Of course, with your 3597, you don't need or want to create a custom TourGuide for School Zones since the 3597 already has built in school zone alerts.

Thanks for the quick response.

I will do that and get back.

Only have Walmart, rest areas and Goodwill for custom POI.

Since you are interested in sound alerts, I am asking you to read the following FAQ:
Comparing Alerts - Speed, Along The Road, And TourGuide {G}
Hopefully this FAQ will solidify your understanding on what is possible - and why.

I loaded the Walmart file into Extra POI Editor (EPE) to check out where the "marker" for each location's coordinates was situated. After doing a "replace all" for Proximity at 30 meters, I sorted the file by state, then chose a location in your state to look at. As I suspected, very few of the entries had locations that were within 30 meters of any road on which you would likely to drive.

Thus, if you are wanting an "alert" whenever you are near a Walmart, then you will have to use TourGuide in the name of the Walmart file. In my opinion, the best way to create such a file will be by using EPE.

Each of the following FAQs has information that will help you understand TourGuides.

TourGuide alerts using csv files {G}
TourGuide Radius Alerts {G}
How do I set up a TourGuide? {G}
School Zone Alerts for Garmin devices w/o Garmin provided school zone alerts

Keep at it - you will get there

The Rest Areas Combined is a great POI and works well with alerts. It can use a standard POI and doesn't need to be a TourGuide. In fact, it's better as a standard POI with an alert than as a TourGuide. I have Rest Areas Combined set as a 16,000 foot alert to give me about three miles advance notice, about two miles before the first highway sign is seen.

What a great FAQ! That is so much better than having folks wade through the 'SchoolZone' FAQ for a description of why TourGuides are sometimes the best choice. The 'rolling rectangle' down the roadway is so clear to imagine and understand.

Two corrections for the FAQ if you're interested:

1) Vito no longer maintains the Rest Areas Combined POI file.

2) Of all the written 'TourGuide's in the FAQ, one is missing the capital G and could be corrected.

One more question do I use automatic or manual an put in alert distance?

GOT IT!

Reading about TourGuide and found you do have to input distance.

Hope this thread helps someone else.

Thanks to all.

Ever since I updated my Garmin. No issues here.

good eye!!

Thanks. Corrections made

John

Thank you for putting the links to all of the relevant discussions. They are a very helpful "How To" guide for making custom POI's. I didn't transfer my bookmarks from my last computer and rebuilding them was getting tedious.
Also...
He already said it but thanks for helping resolve this specific issue for garry1p.

It's often been said (and is so true) that The POI Factory has few troll/flame members and is unusually helpful to both newbie and experienced users with problems and the help offered is usually taylored to the abilities of users with the question.

As its name suggests, the site is the best source of very current POI files, custom audio and icons. It also has morphed into a great source for easy to understand help regarding other issues including map updates, understanding new device features, etc., etc. This thread has been a good example of installing and using POIs. Lest we forget, a gazillion POI files offered on the site here do little if a user can't install and use them. Kudos to all.

...suggestion that you keep TourGuides to a minimum. If you set two many, it will drive you bonkers. I have a couple of restaurants, Costco, and some state police posts set up in my units. It lets me know when I am getting close to a Cracker Barrel or in the area of a state police posts. (This keeps me honest when I am on a freeway close to a state police post.) If you set one up for say, Mickey D's, it will literally drive you nuts! Also, I have never had an issue with any of my units shutting down due to an overload of TourGuide points.

Knowing that your a retired LEO your pretty safe anywhere on this continent or elsewhere

It has been years since I set this stuff up, but what I have been doing is, I have 4 files for red light cameras:
1. Redlight-Cameras.bmp
2. Redlight-Cameras.csv (updated regularly from poi-factory)
3. Redlight-Cameras.mp3
4. Redlight-CameraS.wav

And similarly 4 files for speed cameras, etc..

I custom made the mp3 and wav files. I included both mp3 and wav files because years ago I read that some model Nuvis will only play mp3 and some only play wav. By including both mp3 and wav files my resulting gpi file should work on all model nuvis.

Support for MP3 pretty much died with the 3 digit Nuvi models about 6 years ago.