The Return of Streaming Audio

The last time streaming audio was tried for the MARCO net was in 2009.  Subsequently, the sunspot cycle dropped so low that I could not hear Warren and there was nothing to stream or record.  A beam antenna is just not going to happen in uptown New Orleans, so this project has been on hold until the past few weeks when Warren and the 'topic of the week' have been booming in.

Note that Bruce, KM2L is already providing net audio through Skype, which is high-quality and has the potential for being 2-way.

The audio stream coming out of New Orleans will be in Icecast or Shoutcast MP3 format.  It is one-way only.  It has the advantage of being playable on any computer or portable device with an internet connection, without subscribing to a service, simply by clicking on a link.  Hopefully this will entice some non-members to get involved, and will provide a service our members who are traveling or without a radio.

Initially, I will stream it from my home computer and ADSL line which can serve about 10 simultaneous 32K streams.  If the demand ever becomes consistently higher than that, space on a commercial Shoutcast server can be rented fairly cheaply.

Audio quality is directly proportional to the stream bandwidth.  32K should handle the full spectrum of a SSB signal and is a good compromise between number of users and quality.  Additional bandwidth will be purchased if there are complaints.

Another advantage of an MP3 stream is that it can be recorded.  The software I am using now: BUTT! (Broadcast Using This Tool) is open-source and has the ability to stream and record simultaneously.  The goal is to make these recordings available as podcasts on demand for people who miss the nets due to conflicts.

Access the stream by clicking on: http://tkeister.net:8000/stream

or type this link into the music player on your computer, phone, or pad.

I am interested in feedback on quality of the link and of the audio.  You should hear everything I hear on my radio with about a 15-second delay.  I might miss some mornings due to on-call, social, or religious obligations.  I am also fast to pull the plug if there is lightning nearby.  Finally, I still have to rebuild the monitor bypass for my own audio, so now when I press the Mic, you will hear dead air.  Within these limitations -- Enjoy!

Chip, N5RTF.