Author Topic: WUnderground WX Radio (Read 4536 times)

racenet · « **on:** December 09, 2009, 11:49:37 AM »

Take a listen to this:

http://audioplayer.wunderground.com/NHWeatherData/Lisbon.mp3.m3u

Have been streaming this for a long time, without any issues. Now, for some reason, it has some sort of echo or background bleeding noise. I can not find the cause of this, as it is not heard on the stream locally. Locally, it is crisp and clear. It appears to get into the stream somewhere between me and WU. How is that even possible?

Bob

kray1000 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 09, 2009, 05:40:54 PM »

I checked your stream last week and it wasn't happening then. Weird.

Are you using any noise filtering or amplifying software?

W3DRM · « **Reply #2 on:** December 09, 2009, 06:33:07 PM »

Wow, that is really annoying audio... Sounds like someone trying to rewind an old audio tape while the main stream is playing.

racenet · « **Reply #3 on:** December 09, 2009, 10:33:26 PM »

Quote from: kray1000 on December 09, 2009, 05:40:54 PM

I checked your stream last week and it wasn't happening then. Weird.

Are you using any noise filtering or amplifying software?

No, nothing at all. Just runs to the line in jack and gets streamed with oddcast, just as it always has. I thought it might be some bleedover from a cordless phone or cell phone, since I have an external antenna on the roof. But, as I said, it isn't heard locally. Only once it gets to WU.

I'm sure scratching my head on this one. I think I will change to a different station to see if it does the same thing.

racenet · « **Reply #4 on:** December 09, 2009, 10:35:38 PM »

Quote from: W3DRM on December 09, 2009, 06:33:07 PM

Wow, that is really annoying audio... Sounds like someone trying to rewind an old audio tape while the main stream is playing.

Don't know what it is, but yeah, it is really annoying to say the least.

Mark / Ohio · « **Reply #5 on:** December 10, 2009, 12:37:18 AM »

Might try switching from mono to stereo or vise versa depending on your current settings in Oddcast and see if that changes anything.

kray1000 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 10, 2009, 12:42:26 AM »

It does sound like an encoding issue.

Anyone know a good way to listen to the stream as(before) it is sent to WU (but after Oddcast/Edcast is done with it)?

92merc · « **Reply #7 on:** December 10, 2009, 09:15:47 AM »

I agree. Problem definitely sounds digital to me too. Encoding or streaming problems. I'd lean more towards encoding issues.

racenet · « **Reply #8 on:** December 10, 2009, 09:25:55 AM »

Quote from: Mark / Ohio on December 10, 2009, 12:37:18 AM

Might try switching from mono to stereo or vise versa depending on your current settings in Oddcast and see if that changes anything.

Been there, done that.

kray1000 · « **Reply #9 on:** December 10, 2009, 05:27:01 PM »

I wonder if Bob's feed is being compressed somehow.

His feed reminded me of this one:
http://www.camstreams.com/asx.asp?user=weather42353

As you can see, it's co-mingled with a video feed, which you can see is compressed.

Any chance that the bitrate might have been changed in Oddcast? If not, I think either a system restore or an Oddcast/Edcast reinstallation might be in order. A Windows/flash/java/Obama update might have fouled things up.

kray1000 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 10, 2009, 05:35:01 PM »

Something else that might be worth a try:

In Oddcast, try right-clicking on the entry under "Encoding Settings" (MP3: 16kpbs/22050Hz/Mono) and delete, then rebuild the encoder.

WeatherGoose · « **Reply #11 on:** December 10, 2009, 05:36:10 PM »

I think Wunderground is having "issues" with their streaming servers lately which may or may not be related to this. (What else is new)

Anyway... Although I have not any issues with my stream's audio quality, I have been seeing my connection get dropped by their servers on a pretty regular basis over the last 5 days. Far more than usual. I've got a script on my streaming machine that reconnects within 60 seconds of getting dropped, which has really come in handy lately.

92merc · « **Reply #12 on:** December 11, 2009, 09:57:45 AM »

I wonder if there is some way you could connect another PC directly to the outgoing stream. That would verify if the PC is encoding right, and not the server having issues with redirecting the sound.

In my old electronics class, we had a troubleshooting technique that would take a circuit with a problem and "cut in half". If the half way point worked, then go forward half way. If not, go back half way. You keep halving things until you find the answer. Worked back then, it should work now on this issue.

WeatherGoose · « **Reply #13 on:** December 11, 2009, 02:20:11 PM »

There is DEFINITELY an issue with Wunderground's radio stream servers right now. My feed keeps pausing and the connection to the server is getting repeatedly dropped every 60-90 minutes. Although my audio quality is as clean as it normally is, I am getting occasional digital distortion popping in from time to time.

I have submitted a trouble ticket to Wunderground, so hopefully they take a look at everything and fix whatever is causing this unreliable performance right now. I would not be at all surprised if the audio quality issues you are having is directly related to the same server stability issues I am seeing with my feed.

racenet · « **Reply #14 on:** December 11, 2009, 02:45:47 PM »

Re-installed Oddcast and still have the same issues. Last night it was the worst it has ever been, ever. The feed sounded like a Chipmonks movie trailer.

If this continues and WU can't find a cause, I guess I'll just stop streaming, since it isn't worth anything like this. Just eats up bandwidth.

Bob

WeatherGoose · « **Reply #15 on:** December 11, 2009, 03:00:24 PM »

Quote from: racenet on December 11, 2009, 02:45:47 PM

Re-installed Oddcast and still have the same issues. Last night it was the worst it has ever been, ever. The feed sounded like a Chipmonks movie trailer.

If this continues and WU can't find a cause, I guess I'll just stop streaming, since it isn't worth anything like this. Just eats up bandwidth.

Bob

I am sure it will eventually be corrected. Always seems to happen in the middle of a storm! I keep getting emails saying "Did you know that your radio link isn't working?"

Bunty · « **Reply #16 on:** December 11, 2009, 04:53:31 PM »

Lucky you. I have yet to get any email concerning how my web site is doing--good or bad--after it being up for close to a year.

WeatherGoose · « **Reply #17 on:** December 11, 2009, 06:28:06 PM »

Quote from: Bunty on December 11, 2009, 04:53:31 PM

Lucky you. I have yet to get any email concerning how my web site is doing--good or bad--after it being up for close to a year.

Well... Living in a resort community helps!

In addition to all the local residents up here in the Central Sierra, we have a lot of folks from all over the world that stop here during their trip up to Yosemite.

The weather is always a big topic of conversation with all of them, and since we live in such a changeable area, a weather station dedicated to the Central Sierra Nevada is definitely a popular place! Being tapped by the NWS to provide Bass Lake's weather data to Hanford didn't hurt either.

kray1000 · « **Reply #18 on:** December 13, 2009, 12:42:11 PM »

Sounds like Bob's audio is back to normal.

racenet · « **Reply #19 on:** December 13, 2009, 02:25:59 PM »

Quote from: kray1000 on December 13, 2009, 12:42:11 PM

Sounds like Bob's audio is back to normal.

LOL

And I didn't do a thing.

LOL

WeatherGoose · « **Reply #20 on:** December 13, 2009, 03:23:03 PM »

Quote from: racenet on December 13, 2009, 02:25:59 PM

Quote from: kray1000 on December 13, 2009, 12:42:11 PM
Sounds like Bob's audio is back to normal.

LOL

And I didn't do a thing.

LOL

Told ya!

Wunderground appears to have fixed whatever was going on, as my connection to their streaming server has stabilized and I am not getting dropped all the time like I was over the last several days.

News:

Author Topic: WUnderground WX Radio (Read 4536 times)