CMBCRadio FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is CMBCRadio?
2. How does CMBCRadio work?
3. What do I need to run CMBCRadio?
4. I cannot connect to the broadcast? What next?
5. I can connect to CMBCRadio, but I only get a few seconds then it cuts off. How can I fix this?
6. When I connect, I can hear it, but it constantly pauses or says rebuffering. What's wrong?
8. What about my PDA? Can I stream from my Pocket PC?
CMBCRadio is a 24-hour internet broadcast of various Sunday services and Bible Studies of Christ Missionary Baptist Church. It also provides various news and announcements that may be of interest. If you would like to obtain anything you've heard on CMBCRadio in its entirety, please contact media@christmbc.org to place an order of a Cassette, CD, Video, or DVD.
As a little background, let's next look at some history. In order to send our audio feed to the Internet it is necessary to convert the analog audio signal into a digital format. This is done using Winamp software running on a PC that is equipped with a sound card. The process is known as encoding.
We feed our audio signal into the encoder computer's sound card. It gets converted to an MP3 format and then it gets sent via the CMBC Network connection to a server computer that is running a companion software product call Shoutcast. Shoutcast software is provided by the same folks that distribute Winamp software that you need to listen if running MS Windows. Check out www.nullsoft.com to learn more. It is the Shoutcast software that multiplies the signal and sends it to each listener's computer. We are running our own shoutcast server and encoders and a very high speed T1 line.
We try to accomodate as many users are possible, so we are streaming the signal at only 24k each second, which should suffice for anyone using a 56k modem or better. Most often CMBCRadio will broadcast recent and "classic" sermons, bible studies and annoucements. During specific times you will hear will be live broadcasts of Sunday Services and Life Application Bible Studies. When you click the "CMBCRadio" link at the www.christmbc.org web site you are actually instructing your computer to make contact with our Shoutcast Streaming Server. Then the digital audio signal is sent to your computer as an MP3 Audio Stream and viola, you are able to hear our radio station on the Internet!
3. What do I need to run CMBCRadio?
4. I cannot connect to the broadcast? What next?
The easiest way, of course, you must have Winamp installed and your computer must be configured to use Winamp to automatically play files that end with the extension .m3u and .pls. If you do not have Winamp already installed on your computer you can download a free copy of the software at www.winamp.com. Check the free icon on the site. The installation is brief and easy. If you are currently using a different type of media player you will have to make certain that your computer is configured to use Winamp for playing files that end with ".PLS".
This is easily accomplished by starting Winamp and then navigating to the Options, Preferences menu. If Winamp is running you can use Control + P to quickly get to the Preferences Menu. Once in the Winamp Preferences Dialog Window, choose "File types" and then associate file types m3u and pls. You just click on the file type once to select and once again to deselect. That's all there is to it. Close the Preferences Window and now Winamp will automatically start when you click on the "CMBCRadio" icon on the CMBC web page. You may need to reboot in order for this to take effect. If you need more help with Winamp and/or streaming, click here for instructions on the Winamp website.
If you are an AOL subscriber, please do the following:
AOL 6.0 and above uses their own streaming player. We recommend you disable AOL's streaming player and install a preferred music player.
Instructions:
- Find your Settings it should be on your AOL toolbar,
- Look for Multimedia under the By Category tab
- Click Multimedia again,
- Uncheck the box that says "Use AOL media player for supported file types",
- Click Save
If you still have trouble, call AOL support so they can make the necessary changes in their server
24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Phone support at 1-800-827-6364
5. I can connect to CMBCRadio, but I only get a few seconds then it cuts off. How can I fix this?
Update your player!!
You can update your players for FREE at:
This should take care of your problem.
6. When I connect, I can hear it sometimes, but it constantly pauses or says rebuffering. What's wrong?
Whenever you get rebuffering or pauses, chances are that your internet connection is slow. You may be on a dial up connection where your modem speed is at or below the 24k rate that the stream is playing. One possible fix if you are using a slow connection is to make sure you are only listening to the broadcast and not downloading or browsing the web at the same time. Each time you use the internet simultaneously with the broadcast, you may take away from the streaming rate on your PC.
7. Trouble with Windows
Media Player?
Although we have not had much success testing CMBCRadio with Windows Media Player,
if this your the music player of choice, you may need to reset Windows Media
Player to play the audio file types.
Instructions:
You can also set your Windows Media Player to download the codecs automatically by:
Firewalls and Other Connectivity Solutions
Firewall Configurations
If you have a firewall or internet protection software installed on your computer, please visit one of the links below for your particular configuration.
8. What about my PDA? Can I stream from my Pocket PC?
Yes! If you have an internet connection, you can use PocketMusic for your PDA. It's free and and easy to use!
9. Can I advertise my business or company on CMBCRadio? Can I have my church broadcast on your station? What about getting my music played here?
Of Course You Can! Please contact us at media@christmbc.org for your specific needs.
Overall, our recommendation is using Winamp which is a very powerful and versatile media player. The Winamp web site has lots of information and enhancements for Winamp and almost everything is free. We like it a lot. If you need further help please write us at media@christmbc.org