Tutorial: Using a Dialup Skype account for broadcasting from locations that do not have internet access.

Transcription

1 Tutorial: Using a Dialup Skype account for broadcasting from locations that do not have internet access. This tutorial will work as long as you have a remote computer setup at your base facility with internet access and a Skype account. You will have to test and test and test before you can go live with this setup. I am copying this guide from various sources to help you get this done. if you do not have internet connectivity at your remote broadcast site, all you need is a quality cell phone to get this going. If you are using our Sam Broadcasting software you will need a patch cord from the speaker jack to your cell phone. You will make a phone call to your Skype number back at your site where another computer is setup to receive a phone call automatically on your Skype client and streaming software. All PC s are not the same, and you have to play around with various settings to get this process working. The workaround I came up with was to use the Stereo Mix function which is common in many PC soundcards, which allows recording of any sounds being played. (Note: Some computer sound cards do not allow Stereo Mix, whereas others just have it disabled). This guide is for Windows Vista/7 computers, and you will need the following software installed on your home base computer back at your office or anywhere you have a good internet connection: Skype WinAmp Shoutcast DSP Plugin for WinAmp You will also need two audio devices (for example, headphones), to plug into the Headphone and Microphone jacks on your computer. Note that this tutorial will not work with USB devices. Make sure both the input and output jacks have devices plugged into them, and there are no USB audio devices plugged in.

2 Lets setup your base computer first. The first step is to open the Shoutcast plugin through WinAmp. Open WinAmp, and then select Options > Preferences. In the Preferences window, scroll down to Plug-ins > DSP/Effect and if the Shoutcast Plugin was installed correctly, you should see Nullsoft SHOUTcast Source DSP listed. Double click this to open it. In the new window that opens, select Output, to enter in the details of your Shoutcast stream. If your stream is Version 1 (i.e. doesn't have a username or stream ID) then be sure to tick the box for this.

3 Select the Encoder tab, and then select your Encoder Type and the quality of the audio you desire. It must match the bit rate you have purchased.(i like to set MP3 Encoder and 64kbps, kHz, Stereo for this). A regular phone line voice call will not pass any more bandwidth than 64K, and many cellphones will only use 32k.

4 You can test your stream details are correct by clicking the Connect button. It should begin sending data, and display the number of bytes being uploaded.

5 Once the Shoutcast stream is configured, you can begin setting up the Soundcard Mixer. To do this, you need to access your Sound settings. Go to Start > Control Panel > Sound. Select the Recording tab, and then right click the Stereo Mix, and set it as both the Default Device and Default Communication Device. Then click OK.

6 (If you don't see the Stereo Mix option, right click the window and select Show Disabled Devices and Show Disconnected Devices. Right click Stereo Mix and select Enable, and then follow the above instruction. If Stereo Mix is not listed, your soundcard does not have this capability). On the WinAmp Shoutcast plugin window, select the Input tab. Under Input Device, select Soundcard Input. This will activate extra settings where you can select your Capture Device set this to the microphone port that your audio device is plugged into.

7 Click the Lock button at the bottom of the window. From now, any sounds played on your computer should be picked up by the plugin, which will be shown in the Input Levels (by movement of the green bars). Remember that if you can't hear sound through the output device plugged into your computer, your soundcard won't upload anything to the Game Time Radio server. If you will be calling your Skype line from your remote broadcast location without someone manually answering the call you will configure Skype to answer all calls automatically, which means your computer can act as a voice conference server which people can connect to without someone needing to answer calls. To do this, open Skype and select Tools > Options. In the Calls section, select Call Settings and then the Show advanced options button. Check the Answer incoming calls automatically box and then Save your settings.

8 This should now allow you to host voice conversations and stream them online. Also click to answer all calls. If you check only numbers in your contact list and your caller ID is not sent properly, then Skype will not answer your call. Make sure you turn off sound from other applications, as any sounds which are played on your computer will be broadcast onto the stream! Test and test this until it is automatic for you to setup. It is a simple process but can be difficult to get right. The sound levels need to be adjusted so that the end result is right. OK lets review.

9 1. Get a Skype account setup on the computer with internet access. (it is free) 2. Get a cellphone with good sound quality. (Sprint, Verizon, or T- Mobile all have good plans for doing this) 3. Get a patch cord from your broadcasting computer to your cell phone. 4. Make sure Skype is running on your base computer and will answer automatically unless you have a person to stand by. (That is a good idea for a live broadcast.) 5. Winamp software and the dsp plugin for the base computer. 6. Sam Broadcasting software for the remote broadcasting computer.(if you want to insert advertising spots) 7. Now get a bag of peanuts and get ready for Game Time Radio. You can always call us at for further support.