POI newbie assistance (not pinging / proximity alert)

One way to do this is to set alerts for the POI's you want. I'm not sure of your computer proficiency, but these links might help:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/4360

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/1278

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/6764

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

Hopefully this isn't information overload for you. Perhaps someone else can offer a simpler approach.

Thanks for the reply and the links. Do I really have to find my own sound files? As I read this it sounds optional but set me straight.

I tried to do Manual Alert Settings today. I uninstalled the POI files. Then I started POI loader in manual mode. I set distances for the alerts on all three of the POI files.

I took a drive but still no alerts given. My next guess is that I need to add those sound files.

many poi files have the appropriate warning wav linked from the pge

I see this now. Thank you!!

Notifications on too many things have the potential to drive you crazy.

Here ibn Canada, if you had notification on Tim Horton Donuts, it would ding every second block. LOL

I put proximity alerts only on things like Rest Areas, Red Light Cams, etc.

Just to make sure you have the custom pois set up correctly. Do a simulated route to see if the alarm goes off. For your unit see https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=ur1MkGBkAm8bHrmToXCHg7...

Yes using Poi Loader in manual mode and setting a alert by distance will work. Not as nice as using a wav fil to get a voice alert.

While navigating, the proximity point will need to be within 30 meters of the route, regardless of the distance set in the POI Loader, to trigger an alert. This helps to reduce false alerts that can occur if you are traveling on a road close to a proximity point, even if it is not affected by the alert. See https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=WD2LKu2LpZ4uWqDCDffwaA...

For voice alerts see http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25730

Now I won't have to waste more gas! I was using 100 ft and 200 ft for my POI distances so that checks out. Thank you.

I made a wav file using the Text 2 Speech. I named it the same as the .csv file. I made sure it had the .wav file extension. I placed the SOX file into the same folder as the POI Loader app. When I run the POI Loader to install the .csv file for the chicken restaurant I get an error message that says it could not incorporate the wav file.

I have DriveSmart 65. Am I right in thinking that I can use wav files?

Where did you get the sox.exe file? POI Loader only works with the old sox version 14.0.1, not to be confused with a newer 14.1.0. You can get 14.0.1 here at the Factory:

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

The error message you get would be expected if you have the wrong sox version, if the sox.exe is in the wrong folder, and I think if the wav file was incompatible. One thing you could test is downloading a wav audio alert from here at the POI Factory and test it to rule out a problem with your home-made wav file.

Less common causes of issues are double extensions [e.g., test.wav.wav] on Windows PCs. The Factory's abundant FAQs will help as will our responses to your future tests.

One more issue is common with folks just starting with custom POIs and it's the failure of some POI locations to give an alert. This can be due to the POI file author's setting of a POI more than 30 meters (about 98 feet) from the center of the roadway.

Stick with this and keep reading and asking questions. You will be rewarded.

Keep in mind if the alert distance is set to a value less than the EPE (estimated position error) of your GPS, you run the risk of missing the alert. This can be a problem in areas with poor GPS reception.

[Still struggling with alerts Cruncher

Review this video and see if it helps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuHHgAnOeMo

I noticed the sox file was NOT with the POI loader when I started working on this again this morning. I reinstalled the .csv and the screen said it the install went to 100% completion.

I then ran the simulation to the chicken restaurant which I know is listed in the .csv file. No alert sounded.

I got the sox file from the first commenter to this post who suggested the same sox file as you. Downloaded it off of this site.

There are no POIs listed on this GPS. That install did not complete. I must have exited the window too early. Will try again.

During the installation of the .csv file I reach the screen that says "Writing databases..." It says 100% complete but won't let me advance past that. Only options I have are BACK and CANCEL. NEXT is grayed out.

It's like I have gone backwards in this whole process as now I cannot even install the .csv!

Continue to push down on the GPS off button until the gps restarts . Then continue the process.

If that is all I have to do that would be great. Away from my DriveSmart for now but will get back to it soon.

I am back at this and still not able to download the POI.

To be sure:

I ran POI Loader. I set my alert distances while in Manual mode. I got the 100% completion graphic but could not click NEXT.

I pushed the GPS off button and let the GPS restart. Then the GPS displayed a window about staying in the file transfer mode. I selected "Continue".

But the POI Loader screen on my computer did not change. It did not allow me to hit NEXT and finish up the install. The POI file is not on my GPS.

Going to rewatch your video.

From your earlier posts in this thread, you had successfully installed POIs with POILoader in the past (but didn't get an alert when testing it), but now POILoader fails without loading any files to your GPS. Is this correct?

When I run POI in manual mode with csv and gpx files, plus custom audio and custom icons, I see the screens on my computer showing Reading, Writing, and Initializing Transfer, then when complete, I'm taken to a Success screen where I click Finish which closes POILoader. I am not seeing any screen with a NEXT button which you see but can't click because it's grayed out.

My suggestion is to go back to basics and see what works and what doesn't, especially since you're seeing a screen that I don't see.

Step one: move everything in your data folder to a new location leaving nothing there.
Step 2: Download and place one of the POI Factory's csv files in the data folder that POILoader uses.
Step 3: Run POILoader without setting it to Manual Mode.
Does this work? If it fails, where in POILoader's screens does it occur and what does it say?

If this works, then repeat the about process but use POILoader's Manual mode. What happens?

Assuming this works, now download and add a was file from POI Factory, renaming the file to match the csv file. Run POILoader in auto mode first, if successful, in Manual mode, and report back.

Of particular interest to us is whether your POILoader works as I've described above, or if you see the screen with a NEXT button and whether NEXT is grayed out.

Something with your computer, GPS, cable, chosen csv and wav files, POILoader program or something else is very odd.

Your seeing a screen with a functional BACK, CANCEL, and non-functional NEXT screen suggests to me that there's an error, maybe in a csv or wav file, especially since my success with loading POIs never shows the Back/Cancel/Next screen.

PS: Did we ever check to see what version of POILoader you're running? For Windows PCs, POILoader is v2.7.3.0.

I do see screens with Back/Next/Cancel at the beginning of running POILoader, but never after the screen showing Reading, Writing, Initializing.

CraigW, I am working down your list. I can download a custom POI onto my Drive Smart 65 in Express Mode. I cleared out everything that was previously in my POI Folder.

I am wondering if this step I am doing is the source of my trouble. While installing my POI file in Manual mode, I reach a window that gives me a box I can check - "The file contains proximity alerts". From there I can choose an alert based on speed or distance.

I have been checking that box but I honestly do not know if the file has proximity alerts built into it. When I download this chicken POI file from this site it has a wav file you can download too. So I assumed it contains proximity alerts. Bad assumption?

I was able to download the POI file in Manual Mode. I set the proximity alerts to 250 ft.

Note that I am now downloading a different POI file than the one I had been for the past week or so. I have moved on from a chicken establishment to BBQ.

I am going to test the chicken one again- just to see if it will download in Manual mode.

I downloaded the chicken restaurant POI file successfully in Manual Mode. I set the proximity alert to 250 ft.

That's the one I got.

POI folder on my computer contained : the csv file and the wav file. Both were downloaded from this website.

I ran the POI Loader software in Express mode and reached that screen that said "Writing databases .. 100 % complete" which does not allow me to click NEXT.

I'm supposed to have sox.exe in the POI folder in order to get the wav file to work, right?

sox.exe goes in the POI Loader folder with the POI Loader exe.

From what I remember from past users having problems getting custom audio alerts due to no sox, wrong sox, wrong sox location, etc., I remember them getting an error message which Cruncher hasn't mentioned.

I do think we're approaching a solution.

Cruncher, if you're a Windows user, I expect the POILoader program files are in the multiple subfolders of your main drive:

C:

Program Files (x86)

Garmin

POILoader
...........................
[Later]

Oh wait, back in January, Cruncher wrote that a Mac is being used, not a Windows PC.

If so, then sox should not be needed, unless Apple has changed something. Can someone with custom audio alerts with a Mac computer chime in with a response, please ?!?

I now use a PC. I am not using a Mac for any of this. You really do your homework, CraigW !

My sox.exe is not in the Garmin folder.

The Garmin folder is under C:/ Program Files. This is where I keep POILoader.exe.

The POI Loader folder I created is on my Desktop. That is where I previously kept sox.exe, the .wav and the .csv.

I clicked the Learn tab on this website to understand how to install the POI files. It suggests to make a new folder for the POI files that are downloaded off this site. I understand that to mean separate from where POILoader sits.

I made a folder on my desktop. Am I right in thinking that this is where I place my .csv and .wav files and nothing else?

In other words, I keep sox.exe and POILoader.exe in its Garmin folder (under Program files) apart from where I am storing the downloaded POI files.

I have tried combinations of these things tonight but I still get that screen that says "updating databases...100%" and a greyed out NEXT.

If it makes any difference at all I have been trying to get the KFC POI file with alerts.

Yes, you want your POI files (csv and gpx) plus any custom audio wav files and custom icon bmp files to be in a folder of their own...and when running POILoader, you will assign this new folder as the place where POILoader will find the files. You can choose to locate the new folder in your Desktop folder, or if you like a less-cluttered desktop, put it elsewhere. I have mine in my User folder along with the normal Windows user files like Documents folder, Pictures folder, Downloads folder, etc.

As I wrote earlier, your grayed-out NEXT screen is not something I ever see after the Read/Write/Initialize screens. After reading and writing files, there's a Initializing Transfer followed by a Success screen saying I have installed xx,xxx POI locations, and it has has a FINISH button. When you've successfully loaded a custom POI without a custom audio wav file, do you see the Initializing Transfer screen and Success screen, but when trying to add a custom audio alert, these screens don't appear?

When running POILoader, do you see a screen saying it will write a file to your GPS and let you accept the default POI.gpi or let you create a new file? If choosing the default POI.gpi and your GPS already has a file of that name, it'll warn you that the POI.gpi in the GPS will be overwritten?

There's one other odd thing missing from this thread and maybe thinking about it will jog someone into an epiphany to help you, so here goes.

Back when you tried to install custom audio alerts to a POI file and your sox.exe file was not in the right folder, I think you should have received an error message along the lines of "unable to create audio."

Am I correct that you've never seen this or any other error message? Your grayed-out NEXT with only a BACK or CANCEL makes me think POILoader knows that what you're trying to do won't work until you discover and fix a missing or incorrect issue.

Also, I have only downloaded a .csv file not a .gpx file.

Has that been my problem this whole time?!

I will investigate this further either today or tomorrow. I have to rush off to work where unfortunately even during downtime I cannot use the computer to do anything GPS related...

You can download csv or gpx files .

See if this video helps on how to install custom pois https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxlkiVQU41Q

Supporting videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuwJsCDnUXQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuHHgAnOeMo

I didn't download the .bmp files..

Watching your videos, charlesd45.

You don't need the bmp file

Cruncher, the videos describe what I see and what you're not seeing. Watch the videos carefully and if you don't get the POILoader screens shown later in the first video link, go back and restart the YouTube to check that you've correctly set up your PC and GPS. Pause the YouTube when needed to check and see that the POILOader screens' options you can select in the video are what you are using.

Note that there's a message about skipping to Step G if you don't want "Categories" and to simplify your effort, I suggest skipping Categories for now until you get things working with audio alerts.

It is odd that you can successfully load POI files with POILoader when there's no custom audio wav file, but adding the wav file causes your installation to fail.

As Charlesd45 said, you don't need gpx or bmp files. The gpx file is just another type of POI file that POILoader can handle besides csv files. Some POIfiles offered at The Factory are gpx. And the bmp file is a custom icon for the POI to appear on your GPS rather than a tiny black dot.

The second video describes hidden extensions that can result in double extensions and a double extension on a wav file makes the file:

ChickenRestaurant.wav.wav instead of ChickenRestaurant.wav which is what POLoader needs.

@Cruncher

When you run POI Loader, make sure you are you directing it to the My Pois folder and downloading all the pois at once.

At the suggestion of CraigW I watched the video made by charlesd45 carefully. This morning I deleted my previous sox.exe file, re-downloaded it, unzipped it. My thinking was that something got screwed up during the unzip. That is when I noticed the blue and yellow shield blinking on the Taskbar. I clicked on it and had to give an Admin permission to proceed with the download.

I ran POI Loader with the .bmp, .wav and .csv file in the same folder. I made sure sox.exe was in the same folder as POILoader.exe.

I got to the same darn screen that said "writing databases..100% complete " with a greyed out NEXT bar. Then I noticed the blinking blue and yellow shield on the Taskbar. Clicked on it and I was asked if I would give Admin permission to change the POI Loader file I think? I said yes and then POILoader completed the install!

Windows 11 is new to me guys!

Glad the video were able to help you out. Enjoy your custom pois.

Make sure you have proximity alerts set on basecamp or you have custom POIs checked in the proximity alerts settings on the gps.

Good for you. Yes, it's happened here before but it's been quite a while since their computer's User Account Control affected what someone was trying to do related to the computer and GPS device.

I am unfamiliar with the term. Also I do not hear the alerts despite having installed the .wav file. I do see the .bmp files working though.

I miss the old days where permission requests were more obvious.

Yup, one of a Windows UAC warning "features" is that it's a small popup that can hide behind other open programs.