How to Maintain a Good Feed

A Good Feed is Online and with Good Audio

The following is recommended advice to help keep a feed up and running.

While you can most certainly use your regular use computer for the feed and other things, the best feeds are done with a dedicated feed computer. While the streaming software does not take a lot of resources on the computer, other software can cause feed problems.

For a dedicated feed computer, you can use an old one you may have that is not in use or you can buy an inexpensive used computer.

Weather you use a dedicated or general use computer, this information will help you keep a good feed up and running.

Disable, turn or or mute the following on the feed computer:

To help ensure you always have a good working feed, it is recommended you disable the following on the feed computer:

• All Microphones
• Mic boost if using the mic input for your feed
• Computer Sounds (navigation sounds like keyboard clicks etc, Windows start up and shut down sounds, any and all sounds and effects)
• Scanner Sounds (keyboard sounds etc)
• Automatic OS updates
• Automatic software updates
• Bluetooth access and devices
• Antivirus and antispyware and other similar applications
• Auto scans
• Games, VOIP and other applications and services

The reason for disabling the above is other running software like music, games or VOIP services (Skype, Magic Jack, Vonage, OOMA), automatic software updates, antivirus and anti spyware programs, playing music etc, can disrupt your streaming software and computer sound card settings, taking your feed offline or broadcasting audio you do not want to be broadcast.

Computer input timing, audio input selection, volume levels are just some of the aspects that can be changed to the point of poor audio, no audio or your feed going offline completely. Basically, these and other applications can take over control of you sound card preventing audio from the scanner audio to not be broadcast or the feed itself from not connecting.

The desired Audio Level and Quality

You want to avoid too low of a volume or the audio will will not be heard well.

If the audio level is too high, it will cause distortion and will not sound good.

The best sound is at the correct level and without other noises or hum.

Best setting is the volume should be about 1/2 and your broadcast audio is full & bright but not distorted and that the listener can raise their volume more without distortion.

Make sure that Mic boost is OFF if using the mic input for your feed. It will add gain that will cause distortion to the audio

How to set the Audio Level for your feed:

There are two audio levels that need to be set correctly:

• The scanner volume level
• The computer sound card level

There are several ways to set audio levels: You will need to listen to your feed via a separate computer to here the audio quality. Do not use your mobile device for this because you cannot get good audio on the device to determine audio quality.

• You can use a good NOAA Weather Chanel in the scanner for a sound check. Listen to the feed with another computer and adjust the sound so that is sounds good. Not to high nor not to low.

• If you are using a Windows PC, you can download the: Audio Test Generator to help with setting your feed audio level. It is located about 1/2 way down the page.

This is a Level Meter with Digital readout combined with a Sine Wave Test Generator.

Install and then play the tone generator and adjust the scanner and sound card audio levels so the meter just goes into the red. Then stop the tone generator & start the feed. If you need to, readjust the scanner & sound card levels so the feed audio just goes from -2 to 0db. A little peaking into the red is OK. This is OK as long as the audio is not pegging the meter. You are looking for a max of 0db. This is about where the commercial stations are.

Hum On the Feed

Hum can be caused by any of the following:

• A bad scanner AC power supply.
• A difference in potential between the radio and computer.
• Bad cables or a bad connection.
• Other

To fix a hum problem, you can try these suggestions:

• Try a new power supply or use separate 12VDC power supply for the scanner.
• Make sure you have the correct type cables.
• You may need to install as audio isolator between the radio and computer.

See here for: Setting up your Broadcasting Station.

Listen to your Feeds:

To help ensure you always have a good working feed, it is recommended that you listen to your feeds often as possible via a separate computer or other Internet device.

If you do not check your feed, then you cannot fix a problem. The sooner you fix a problem, the sooner your feed will become and stay a success.

Items to Check

• Check your equipment and or set up once a week to see if everything is connected correctly. This includes cables, power etc. Make sure you have the correct sound card settings.

• Check to make sure the encoding software is recording from the correct sound card input, that the scanner is turned on and connected to the correct sound card and input. If using the RR Branded ScannerCast, see those instructions.

Rebooting Fixes many Feed Problems

• Reboot the computer, ScannerCast or other broadcasting software and the scanner once a week or whenever you are having a feed problem.

• Reboot your ISP modem and router once a month or whenever you are having a feed problem.

This clears memory leak and other problems that corrupt the feed and helps with in keeping good audio on the feed.