Proximity alerts

Rename the file. For example; QuikTrip_2000.csv. The file should work now. It will now alert at 2000 feet on the route that you are on. Also, rename the sound files and the bmp files exactly the same. Ex.: QuikTrip_2000.wav and QuikTrip_2000.bmp. This should solve your problem. If you want alerts set further out change the 2000 to 4000 or 5000. I have found that 1500 to 2000 works well for me. 2000 feet will be close to one half of a mile.

Rexdee, here are a few thoughts:

I'm pretty sure you've done this, but just to confirm and rule out the obvious, when you removed the TourGuide from your POI file, did you also remove it from your wav audio alert file (and bmp, if you have an icon as well)?

Also, just to be sure, if using a PC, have you installed sox.exe? If you got a new PC since you last updated the file, you may have forgotten sox.

Here's what I think is most likely, and you should check to see what the POI file uses for locations. If the POI file places individual POI locations based on the location of the QuickTrip building, and if the building is more than 98 feet from the center of your route's roadway, an alert will not occur.

See: http://www.poi-factory.com/node/42425

If this is the problem, the easiest fix is to go back to TourGuides but set your alert distance for a smaller distance, maybe 1 mile or whatever reduces your false positive alerts while still giving you an alert that helps you. The tougher fix is to go into the POI file and manually change each point's location to be the driveway into the QuickTrip rather than the actual building.

Many thanks to jgermann for creating such a complete and understandable FAQ for an issue that has caught quite a few folks here.

I read the linked post. I have a few questions. So poi's that are on interstate exits will not alert me if I'm reading this right?
And when it says along route, does that mean that a destination has to be entered?
I drove right by a poi down the street from me and no alert, entered Tourguide to the files and I get alerts.
TourGuide works great, the only problem with shorting the distance is that in my experience while driving in Dallas is that 1 mile alert is that I'm already past the exit for that location.
Thanks

POI’s along an interstate will not alert unless you have TourGuide in the file name. You do not have to have a destination entered for the alerts to be triggered along the route. Let’s say that you are driving north on Route 289 from Route 12. Any QuikTrip’s along 289 will trigger an alert even though you don’t have a destination entered. Another thought is that you can experiment with the distance. Instead of a mile, try 7500 feet and see if that works for you. If not 7500 feet, try 10000 feet. By experimenting, you should be able to use TourGuide and get it to work for you.

Regarding the POI down the street from you:

When in non-TourGuide mode (which kicks in the 98-foot issue), what happens if you drive into the POI rather than just drive by?

If you get the lat/lon from the POI file itself, then enter that into Google Maps or some other program, where is the actual POI? If the point is more than 98 feet from the center of the roadway you traveled, there will be no alert.

You could also just use your Drivesmart, tap custom POIs, click on the POI in question, but rather than tap the Green Go, tap the letter 'i" in a circle which will take you to a map with the POI at the center. How far does the POI appear to be from the street?

Another thought would be to create a route to that very POI when in non-TourGuide mode. You should get an alert when you arrive at the POI but not necessarily while you're still on the road before turning into its driveway. This would be a test to show that the audio alert is working.

I have an old School Zone FAQ I created back before Garmin had built-in School Zones. It may help with the TourGuide false positive vs too late issue you have:

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

A couple excerpts from it:

Load to your GPS with POI Loader in manual mode and set an alert distance for the Schools_TourGuide file. I use 550 feet. I find that if I use a larger value, I get false positive alerts for schools on adjacent streets parallel to me. You can tinker with this setting but for me 550-600' is what works best for me. If you live in a rural area with small towns rather than large cities, a larger radius should be tried. Some in rural areas use a quarter mile.

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.

Thanks for your input. I deleted everything on my computer and started over. I added TourGuide to my files that are not so numerous such as QuikTrips. As for the poi that is near my house, I changed the coordinates to a point on the curb and it now alerted me. Drove by another one and entered the parking lot and no alert. I guess it's just something that I'm going to have to deal with.
Thanks again.