Actions

RadioFeed Setup Instructions

From The RadioReference Wiki

Introduction

RadioFeed can be downloaded here

RadioFeed is a free program with two powerful features; Source Client and Web Server. Both of these features gets the audio from the audio input jack, encodes it, and sends it out to the internet. Optional Metadata (text tags) from supported scanners is embedded in the audio stream and the supported Media Players will display the Metadata.


The Source Client streams real time audio to Broadcastify, Icecast, and ShoutCast servers. Source Client can replace Edcast/Oddcast and SimpleCast types of programs. If you are a Broadcastify stream provider then the Source Client can be configured automatically.


The Web Server is a server that doesn't require an external server. The Web Server serves a web page, near real time audio stream, and serves folders & files.

System Requirements

  • Operating System - Windows 7 SP1 or above
  • Serial Port - For streaming scanner Metadata (If using the BCD536HP or SDS200 Ethernet connection then a serial port is not needed)
  • Display - Minimum 960 x 720 screen resolution
  • Mouse
  • Sound Card (If using the BCD536HP or SDS200 Ethernet connection for audio then a sound card is not needed)
  • Internet Connection

Installing RadioFeed

Steps

  • Download RadioFeed and either Save or Open the compressed .zip file from https://www.proscan.org/
  • Click the .exe setup file and follow the prompts.
  • Choose a folder for the install.

Notes

  • There is never a need to uninstall RadioFeed if any previous version of RadioFeed is installed prior to installing.
  • The existing configuration files will be retained after installation.
  • On 64 bit systems, If installing in the folder: "\Program Files (x86)", The OS will put all the RadioFeed generated files (Configuration) in "\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\RadioFeed" unless RadioFeed is elevated to administrative rights.
  • RadioFeed is designed for the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8.

Audio Setup

For reference, see the excellent articles; Connecting Radios to Soundcards and Setting up your Broadcasting Station.

If using the BCD536HP or SDS200 Ethernet connection then see the BCD536HP / SDS200 Ethernet Audio Setup section.


Use an audio cable with 1/8inch (3.5mm) connectors on both ends. Connect the audio cable from the scanners' Tape Out / Speaker / Headphone jack to the computer's sound card Line In (light blue) or Mic (pink) jack.

Steps

  • Go to the Source Client or Web Server tab.
  • Select the Input Sound Device. In most cases, this will be the Primary Sound Device which is the 1st item in the selection.
  • Select the Mode; Mono or Stereo. It's recommended when streaming to the public, the mode should be mono.
  • Select the Samples Per Second. A higher number will give better quality but uses more bandwidth. It’s recommended that this setting be kept at the default setting of 22050.
  • Select the MP3 Bitrate. A higher number will give better quality but uses more bandwidth. It’s recommended that this setting be kept at the default setting of 16 (mono) or 32 (stereo).


Listening With The Computer Speakers

  • Go to Audio Monitor & Test tab.
  • Click the Capture Audio Service combo box and choose one of the audio services using.
  • Click the Loopback control.

If using the Source Client feature with the Server Type set to Broadcastify then the Samples Per Second is fixed at 22050 and the MP3 Bitrate is fixed at 16 (mono) / 32 (stereo).


Audio Level Adjustment Procedure

  • Start with the RadioFeed input level controls. Turn up the connected input (left or right) to 100% and turn down the non connected input to 0%.
  • Click the Windows Mixer Control and go to the Recording side, not the Playback side. Insure that the input is enabled and set to 100%. If using a microphone input then the level control should be turned way down to minimize distortion.
  • Tune the scanner to a constant channel such as weather or a control channel frequency. Turn the scanner volume up until you hear distortion and back off about 10%.
  • The audio is setup correctly when the level indicators changes with the audio level. If it doesn't change then check the Windows Mixer controls and cables.


BCD536HP / SDS200 Ethernet Audio Setup

  • Ensure the Scanner Type is set to BCD536HP or SDS200.
  • Go to the Source Client or Web Server tab.
  • Click the Input Sound Device combo box.
  • Choose URL.
  • Click the URL Setup button.
  • Enter the IP address of the scanner. Example: --> rtsp://192.168.1.5/au:scanner.au
  • Click the Reconnect button.
  • If successful, "TCP Not Connected" and "UDP Not Connected" messages should disappear and "Bytes RX" increment.

Wi-Fi / Ethernet Audio Gain 15 dB option - It's recommended to turn this option on. The audio from the scanner is low and this will increase the level to normal range.

Source Client Setup

Before connecting the Source Client, check the audio format options in the Audio Control - Source Client tab. See Audio Setup.

If streaming Text Tags then the Metadata Source needs to be setup. See Metadata Setup.


Configuring The Source Client Manually

  • Server Type - Select the server type that you attend to stream the audio to. Broadcastify, Icecast2, or ShoutCast.
  • Broadcastify Auto Configuration - This button will be hidden unless the server type is set as Broadcastify.
  • Server IP Address or Name - Enter the IP address or name of the server. Broadcastify provides this info if streaming to RR.
  • Server Port - Enter the port number of the server. Broadcastify provides this info if streaming to RR.
  • Mount - Enter the mount name configured in the Icecast setup. Broadcastify provides this info if streaming to RR.
  • Password - Enter the password configured in the Icecast setup. Broadcastify provides this info if streaming to RR.
  • Stream Name - Any title of your choosing. This will show on the Icecast web page.
  • Stream Description - Any description of your choosing. This will show on the Icecast web page.
  • Genre - Any genre of your choosing.
  • Website URL - Any website URL of your choosing. This will show on the Icecast web page.
  • Auto Reconnect - If the connection from the Source Client to the server is interrupted then this option will try to reconnect at 10 second intervals.
  • Broadcast Lockout - Click this button and enter frequencies (conventional) and talk group IDs. The red light will illuminate when the scanner is on the freq or TGID and will not stream the audio.
  • Connect - Click the Connect button. A successful connection is indicated with a entry to the Status Logging grid "Source Client Connected".


Broadcastify Automatic Configuration

If you are a Broadcastify stream provider then the Source Client can be configured automatically.

  • Select Broadcastify as the server type.
  • Click the Broadcastify Auto Configure button. A dialog will appear as shown.
  • Enter your Broadcastify User Name and Password.
  • Optionally check the Remember Me box.
  • Click the Connect button. If the RR login is correct then you will see the boxes populate with data.
  • If you have more then one feed associated with your RR User Name then the Description box will show all your feeds. Select the feed to stream.
  • Click the Set button.
  • Click the Close button.
  • Genre - Any genre of your choosing.
  • Website URL - Any website URL of your choosing. This will show on the Icecast web page.
  • Auto Reconnect - If the connection from the Source Client to the server is interrupted then this option will try to reconnect at 10 second intervals.
  • Broadcast Lockout - Click this button and enter frequencies(conventional) and talk group IDs. The red light will illuminate when the scanner is on the freq or TGID and will not stream the audio.
  • Connect - Click the Connect button. A successful connection is indicated with a entry to the Status Logging grid "Source Client Connected".


Notes

  • Web Server works best with Chrome. If the Web Server page doesn't work correctly, try the latest version of your favorite browser.
  • JavaScript should be enabled in the browser for some of the features of Web Server to work.
  • The remote audio playback may have slight delay due to the Media Players built in buffering.

Web Server Setup

Steps

  1. Configure the audio format options in the Web Server tab.  See the Audio Setup section.
  2. Set the passwords in the Password tab.  See the Password Logic section.
  3. Optionally set up the Secure mode in the Secure (HTTPS) tab.  See the Secure Mode Setup section.
  4. Optionally configure the metadata (or text tags) to be streamed.  See the Metadata Setup section.
  5. Setup the Web Server configuration.  See the Web Server Configuration section.
  6. Getting the Web Server to work locally.
    1. Start the Web Server. If the port is in use then a message will appear, advising to use another port.
    2. If your computer has a firewall running, RadioFeed must be added to the firewall exception list.  The firewall software may show a prompt asking for your permission to allow RadioFeed in the exemption list.
    3. Using your favorite web browser, in the URL area, enter in the computer address followed a colon and port number like this: 192.168.1.4:5000 If the browser fails to connect with the Web Server, troubleshoot before continuing.
  7. Getting the Web Server to work remotely.
    1. Configure your router to allow incoming TCP connections. Log in to the router and look for a section called Port Forwarding, NAT, Applications, or Port Routing.  Consult your router manual. Enter in the server port number.
    2. Using your web browser, in the URL area, enter in the outside address followed a colon and port number like this: 71.165.76.211:5000 If the browser fails to connect with the Web Server, troubleshoot before continuing.
  8. Optionally use a free DNS service. For those with a dynamic IP address, it may change periodically.  It's recommended that you use a free DNS service such as noip.com or dyndns.com where you can choose a name that will never change.
    1. Using your web browser, in the URL area, enter in the address followed a colon and port number like this: radiofeed.dyndns.org:5000


Web Server Configuration

  • Server Port - Select any port 1 to 65535.  Some residential ISPs may block port 80 on incoming traffic.
  • Maximum Connections - Limits the number of Media Players that will be allowed to connect simultaneously. -1 will allow unlimited amount.
  • Web Page Header - This text will appear on the web page.
  • Stream Description - This text will appear on the web page.
  • Home Page - This text will appear on the web page.
  • Comments - This text will appear on the web page.
  • Stream Name - This text will be part of the audio stream URL like this: radiofeed.dyndns.org/stream
  • Web Page HTML Head Title – This text will appear in the browser caption area.
  • Broadcast Lockout button - Click this button then enter the frequencies (conventional) and talk group ID's. The red light will illuminate when the scanner is on the freq or TGID and will not stream the audio.
  • Start button - Click this button.  Check the status log for errors. If "Port In Use" message appears, then select another port.


Password Logic

Serve Audio Stream and Audio Players on Web Page

No Audio Stream password entered in the setup

OR

Logged in with the Serve Audio Stream password

OR

Logged in with the Super User password


Serve Folders & Files

No Serve Folders & Files password entered in the setup

OR

Logged in with the Serve Folders & Files password

OR

Logged in with the Super User password


Serve All - Includes the Client Connections box

Logged in with the Super User password


The Stream Description Box will serve under these conditions

If option 'Always Serve Stream Description' is checked

OR

Serving the Audio Stream


Secure Mode Setup

The server running in Secure mode will prevent the web browsers from showing not secure (in the URL area). It also encrypts the web traffic from the RadioFeed Web Server to the Web Browsers.


Steps To obtain a Let's Encrypt certificate

  1. Use a service such as noip.com or dyndns.com to obtain a domain name.
  2. Enter in your email address. This is for the Let's encrypt site sending admin and renewal notices.
  3. Enter in your domain name obtained from step 1. It must be a name and not in dotted decimal notation. It must be reachable for the Let's Encrypt validation process.
  4. Click the 'Get a Let's Encrypt Certificate' button. If no error messages then the 'letsencrypt' certificate file will be automatically placed in the application folder. This will overwrite any other cert. named 'letsencrypt.pfx' in the application folder. Another file named letsencrypt.key is also placed in the application folder. It is used for renewing a certificate.
  5. That's it. Start the server then use your browser to access the Web Server. The URL box should indicate a secured connection as in the image below.


When starting RadioFeed Web Server in the Secure mode, it will look for a certificate file named 'letsencrypt.pfx' in the RadioFeed application folder. If missing or expired then a message will appear and the web server will not start until corrected.


Renewing a Let's Encrypt certificate

Renew before the expiration date but not before 30 days from expiration date.

It's recommended to backup the certificate ('letsencrypt.pfx') and account key ('letsencrypt.key') files to another location.


External Audio Player

The URL can be entered directly in Media Players. If not password protected then enter in the IP address like this: radiofeed.dyndns.org/stream If password protected then enter in the IP address like this: radiofeed.dyndns.org/stream mypassword On a few types of media players, spaces may not be allowed so use + in place of a space like this: radioFeed.dyndns.org/stream+mypassword The stream name 'stream' can be named anything as long as it's the same in the Stream Name box in the Web Server main setup tab.


Using a mobile device/smart phone

Use the Web Browser on your mobile device or smart phone to access the Web Server. If you are using your device locally on your network then connect using the phone WiFi and use the local IP address to access the Web Server. If you are using your device remotely (world wide) then use the phone cell data.


Notes

If the Web Server page doesn't serve correctly, then check if a later version of the browser is available or try another browser. JavaScript should be enabled in the browser for some of the features of Web Server to work. The remote audio playback may have a slight latency due to the Media Players built in network buffering.


Troubleshooting

To test if the Web Server can be seen from the outside of your network and the Router Port Forwarding is setup correctly: Start the Web Server then go to https://canyouseeme.org/ Enter in the same port that's in the Server Port box. If the web site does not see the Web Server then that must be resolved first. Try connecting with the browser on the same computer with the Local IP address in the browser. If it does not work that must be resolved.

Metadata Setup - Optional

Metadata is text embedded in the audio stream. Not all media players support Metadata. Windows Media Player does not support Metadata. WinAmp does. Metadata can come from the scanner, another program (or another instance of Radiofeed), a file, or a program that puts descriptive information such as the channel name in the title / caption bar of that program.


Text Tag Source

  • Scanner
    • Type - Select the scanner type.
    • Port - Set to the same as the computer port connect to the scanner.
    • Baud Rate - Set to the same as the scanner baud rate.
    • Custom Format: Use the custom format specifiers on the right side to custom format the type of info for the text tags.
    • Text To Show During Scanning - Check the box and enter in text when the scanner is scanning.
The green indicator will flash indicating the scanner is communicating with RadioFeed.
  • Another Program Selected In Grid Below - Click on the program appearing in the grid that's capable of putting channel information in the caption/title bar area.
  • File - Any text file with channel info.
  • None - Will not use text tags.


Text Tags will show at the bottom of RadioFeed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Radiofeed do this or does it do that?

A: The best way to find out is to download RadioFeed and try it. Your questions may be answered by using RadioFeed. If still in doubt then email or post the question.


Q: Can I run multiple copies of RadioFeed on one computer?

A: Yes. Many instances of RadioFeed can run on the same computer. 1) Copy and paste an existing folder and rename the new folder. 2) Run from the new folder and change the options specific to that instance.


Q: How can RadioFeed automatically start streaming after the computer reboots?

A: Add a RadioFeed shortcut to the Windows Startup Group. Ensure that the option 'Source Client Auto Connect Upon Startup' is checked.


Q: How can I stream multiple feeds at the same time?

A: By running multiple instances of RadioFeed.


Q: Which scanners are supported for the text tags?

A: BCT8, BCT15, BCT15X, BC250D, BC296D, BR330T, BC346XT, BC346XTC, BCD325P2, BCD396T, BCD396XT, BCD436HP, BCD536HP, BC780XLT, BC785D, BC796D, BC898T, BCD996T, BCD996XT, BCD996P2, SDS100, SDS200, SDS100E, SDS200E, UBCD3600XLT, USDS100, HomePatrol1, HomePatrol2, PRO18, PRO106, PRO107, PRO197, PRO651, PRO652, PRO668, PRO2052, PSR310, PSR410, PSR500, PSR600, PSR800, WS1040, WS1065, & WS1080


Q: Should I run RadioFeed as administrator?

A: It's recommended that all instances of RadioFeed are not elevated to administrator.


Q: I can't find the config file or the logging files.

A: If RadioFeed is installed in the Program Files(x86) folder AND running 64 bit OS AND not running RadioFeed in admin mode then Windows puts all program generated files in the VirtualStore folder located at C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\RadioFeed


Q: When using the Web Server, the text tags don't appear in sync. with the audio.

A: The audio player network / latency buffer delays the audio. To compensate, the Web Page has an option "Display & Metadata Delay". Change it to the amount of audio delay so the text tags and display on the Web Page are in sync with the audio. You may have to experiment to get it right. If using an external player, the Player may have an option to decrease the amount of delay. Search on-line your type of media player to see if the network / latency buffering can be changed and how to change it. WinAmp (desktop) version seems to be the best latency that's about 3 seconds.


Q: Where can I find the Serial Port driver for my scanner?

A: The driver for these scanners: BCD325P2, BCD996P2, BCDx36HP, BCD536HP, & SDSx00, can be found here. Serial Port Driver See the Serial Port Section.


Q: I'm using the Source Client feature to stream audio to Broadcastify. I'm experiencing intermittent dropped connections.

A: Intermittent connections could be caused by your computer, NIC card, cables, router, ISP, far end, etc. It's suggested by a few users to use a tool called PingPlotter to isolate where the problem is.

Ensure you're not using AVG Anti-Virus software as that will interrupt TCP traffic.

If using the BCD536HP Wi-Fi, click the URL Audio Setup button and see if excessive Packet Loss shows in the dialog. Wi-Fi interference or a flaky Dongle could cause excessive packet loss. Move the dongle and scanner to another location to see if the packet loss decreases.


This post by radioreference member Ubbe may help BCD536HP WI-FI Interference

Retrieved from "https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php?title=RadioFeed_Setup_Instructions&oldid=294869"