broadcast quality

[holweger23]

I currently run the Richland County Police, Fire, and EMS, Wilkin County Sheriff Live Audio Feed. ND-Richland county. i have a pro-652 hooked up. i have the unit threw a 3.5mm spliter so we can hear it with powered speakers in the house and that sounds great. but when it comes over the computer it sounds so bad you can hardly understand it. Any help would be great!

 

[902]

My experience comes from connecting my radios for IRLP and Echolink, but it might help you.

Check your level coming in from the scanner and the record level on the Line In (or whichever port you're sending audio to). It may be a fine adjustment to get them both to the sweet spot.

If adjusting those still sound distorted, you may need to consider the impedance between the scanner and the computer's audio input, especially since you've added something in parallel with the scanner's output. There was one instance where I had to use a 600 ohm audio transformer that I was able to pick up at Radio Shack (but would have to order online now if the one that's still open didn't have it).

You might find that what sounds good to the scanner may not sound good to your speakers, too.

Good luck.

 

[cmjonesinc]

Running to mic in or line in can make a difference too
Line in is preferred. One of my machines only has mic in and it took a bunch of level tweaking to get the audio right.

 

[flythunderbird]

Running to mic in or line in can make a difference too
Line in is preferred. One of my machines only has mic in and it took a bunch of level tweaking to get the audio right.

+1. The mic input can be tough to get right, especially if the computer's on-board audio has a Realtek chip. My feed PC, an HP thin client, has a Realtek chip and only a mic input; I got frustrated trying to get it right, so I tried this:

Amazon.com: Sabrent USB External Stereo Sound Adapter for Windows and Mac. Plug and play No drivers Needed. (AU-MMSA): Computers & Accessories

with little success as far as audio quality is concerned. I then tried this:

Amazon.com: Behringer UCA202 Audio Interface: Musical Instruments

and it works FABULOUS, as long as you get the volume level from the scanner adjusted to where it's not too strong (1/3 of full volume seems to be about right). It's a little pricey at $30, but to me, it's worth it if you don't have a line input. You can actually run two feeds through one interface, if you want. I run both of my feeds through it - see links below.

 

[cmjonesinc]

+1. The mic input can be tough to get right, especially if the computer's on-board audio has a Realtek chip. My feed PC, an HP thin client, has a Realtek chip and only a mic input; I got frustrated trying to get it right, so I tried this:

Amazon.com: Sabrent USB External Stereo Sound Adapter for Windows and Mac. Plug and play No drivers Needed. (AU-MMSA): Computers & Accessories

with little success as far as audio quality is concerned. I then tried this:

Amazon.com: Behringer UCA202 Audio Interface: Musical Instruments

and it works FABULOUS, as long as you get the volume level from the scanner adjusted to where it's not too strong (1/3 of full volume seems to be about right). It's a little pricey at $30, but to me, it's worth it if you don't have a line input. You can actually run two feeds through one interface, if you want. I run both of my feeds through it - see links below.

I was looking at those. Glad to hear it works good. Might have to actually make a purchase. I run my 996xt on volume 8, to my one mic input, and with some other tweaking it sounds fine but I want to add another radio.

 

[flythunderbird]

I was looking at those. Glad to hear it works good. Might have to actually make a purchase. I run my 996xt on volume 8, to my one mic input, and with some other tweaking it sounds fine but I want to add another radio.

Behringer says that it uses generic USB audio drivers included with Windows, but some PCs may require the drivers. I had to install them on my thin client, which runs XP. A search will turn up the drivers.

Installation is easy, but the interface will only run on the specific USB port it is originally installed on. If it is moved to another port after installation, it will stop working, and you'll have to reinstall it (not a big deal).

I use the left-side input for one feed and the right-side input for the second feed. One RadioFeed source client is set to use the left side with the right side muted, and vice-versa for the second RadioFeed source client. It works great, and there is no crosstalk.

I'm using the rear-panel external-speaker jacks on my 197s for the audio signal.

If you have any questions, please PM me and I'll be happy to help.