How to Maintain a Good Feed

A Good Feed is Online with Good Audio

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

Disable 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 (OFF or Mute)
• 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
• Mic Boost if using the Mic input on the computer
• 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.

How to set the audio level for your feed:

If you are using a Windows PC, you can download the: - Audio Test Generator to help with setting your feed audio level.

This is a Level Meter with Digital readout combined with a Sine Wave Test Generator. (Scroll down about 1/2 way down the page).

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 into the red. 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.

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.

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.