"Missing" Alerts from PGPSW Garmin Database

[MaFt]

Recently there have been a few threads regarding some cameras not giving
alerts when using the PGPSW database on Garmin Nuvi units.

After some testing it appears the default behaviour is as follows:

If you are under the speed limit then there is NO Proximity Alert and NO Overspeed Alert of any kind.

If you are over the speed limit on approach to the site an initial Proximity Alert is made (Low 'Bong, Bong' Sound and grey alert banner "xx mph Speed Alert Ahead"). Once inside the Proximity Alert, if you remain over the speed limit then the OverSpeed Alert is made (Higher 'Bong, Bong' and red alert banner "xx mph Speed Alert Ahead"). Dropping below the speed limit after the Proximity Alert and before the site results the in the Overspeed Alerts stopping.

This has been tested in the real world and on simulated runs with a Garmin Nuvi 760T on a road with many Gatsos, Monitrons and Mobile sites.

Resolution:

Convert the database to GPX format and make sure you have a database for
Approach Alerts and Overspeed Alerts

You can either use CBROMs GPX Convertor (http://cbrom.myby.co.uk) or Ash10's Camera Manager (http://www.zen19255.zen.co.uk/cm_help/).

With CBROMs GPX Convertor make sure you select 'Alert Type' from the main menu at the top and make sure 'Always Shown' is ticked otherwise you will not get the Approach Alert. This can be used with any Garmin compatible CSV file from PGPSW (UK, EUR, USA etc)

Ash10's Camera Manager has a few extras functions including the facility
download the database for you although it currently only supports the UK database.

Another advantage of this method is that the alerts will state 'GATSO:12345@50' which is useful for reporting any changes to the database.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The GPX files will not only double up the number of entries being loaded but the individual file sizes are huge compared to the original database! When uploading with POILoader it is common for it to take a few minutes to complete. It may even report it is "Not Responding". Leave it until it completes.

MaFt

Thanks to PaulB2005 for endless hours of testing and troubleshooting and to everyone who reported their issues and helped us eventually find the cause!

[mike170469]

Hi just logg on to get the latest Speed Cam update and seen this.

I have been using your speed cams for a long time with the voice warning and I think there the best thing since slice bread.

I don't have any problems with them on my Nuiv or other Nuiv's I have had
if you are less the 5mph below the speed limit then the icon will appear but know sound.

I get this a lot Driving my wagon as it can be slow off from lights or roundabouts and if there is a speed cam just after my nuvi dose not tell me as I'm going to slow but if I pass the same camera when empty therefore faster it tell me

Hope this helps
_________________
WAZE app
GARMIN NUVI 465T (Truck) CN EUROPE NT 2014.10
Citeron C8 in car Navteq 2011/12

[MaFt]

hi mike,

the recent forum posters have been 'concerned' that there was an error with the database which meant they were missing warnings. yes, it does make sense that there is no warning if you are not fast enough but it seemed to be un-nerving people that they were 'missing' the warnings.

it was more of a "if you're not happy with the standard garmin way of alerts then try this instead"

MaFt

[mike170469]

[Ash10]

[eyeQue]

My Unit [Oregon] gives a visual and audible proximity warning when under the speed limit!

It gives both additional Audible and Visual overspeed warnings.

I'm using 'zoned' database.
_________________
Garmin Oregon 300 + Garmin iQue 3600
My Zoned Speed Camera Icons, available here.

[PaulB2005]

and the i3 would only give you an alert and icon if over the limit. Under the limit no alert AND NO ICON.

[HDRW]

If you are under the speed limit at the "outer marker" when the Proximity warning would have been given, but accelerate over the limit before reaching the camera, will the Overspeed warning be given? I'd hope so, but I thought I should ask anyway! :-)

Cheers,
Howard

[roadrash-uk]

[PaulB2005]

Depending on the timings you set then it might. It you have set a long enough alert time you should get a warning. If you quickly accelerate 3 foot before the capture area for a GATSO i wouldn't bank on it....

[nchadwick]

I'm happy with the standard Garmin alert method, but regarding the database I've never been sure why some redlight cameras are listed with a speed designation and some are not (in the csv file some have @30 after them and some don't). This seems to mean that if you approach a red light at 20 mph you wouldn't be alerted if it was one of the sites with the speed added. It's easy enough to write a macro in excel to remove or lower the speeds but I wondered why there was this difference between different redlight camera entries.

[JockTamsonsBairn]

[nchadwick]

That makes sense, thanks. Because of the way the Garmin alerts it means you miss the redlight alert unless you are close to the speed limit. I've always used Garmin but I'm guessing other PNDs don't alert this way, if they all did it would make sense to split the speed and redlight functions of a RedSpeed into 2 entries, but obviously not if only one make of PND has this behaviour. Oddly i3 and Nuvi seem to behave slightly differently in this respect.

[GerryC]

[adrianmol]

Hi ,

I've been using PocketGPSWorld speed cameras on my Nuvi 360 since 2007. I have used Ash10's excellent GPX converter for 3 years to get voice alerts on my Nuvi but it does not work with Windows 7 on my PC. So I switched back to using the standard POI loader. This results in 4 alerts per camera and sometimes no alert if under the speed limit, irrespective of my manual settings. On the A14 from Huntingdon to Cambridge I can get up to 40 alerts from the 10 Mobile and Specs camera sites which is not much fun.

I have just tried CBROM's GPX converter and it works well as an alternative to ASH10's. I use the Graham voices.

I also have a TomTom Go730, all I need do is download the PocketGPSWorld file and it works with plenty of voice options and no messing around, just load and use. I know Garmin have their own speed cameras but when I tried it my Nuvi missed 4 out of the 7 cameras I passed I prefer to use the PocketGPSWorld database even if I have to mess around to load it to my Nuvi.

Adrianmol

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