Broadcastify Calls New Infrastructure Features - 2025-12-13

[blantonl]

We're announcing some new features are available on the backend of Broadcastify Calls. All of these features are managed and implemented by administrators only.

1. We now have the capability to turn a single Broadcastify Legacy feed(s) into a calls node. This means that we can send a feed to a calls group and have it populate individual calls there. This is ONLY appropriate where an audio feed is monitoring a single talkgroup or frequency. We've implemented this for a number of aviation feeds in Dallas County TX, as well as the main Los Angeles County Fire Department channels. You'll see they show up in calls now that can be assigned to playlists etc
2. We now have the capability to create a legacy audio feed from a Broadcastify Calls playlist. This allows us to create legacy feeds coverage for areas that have great Broadcastify Calls coverage but no real regular feeds. We've deployed some stuff in the DFW metroplex where we don't have coverage for regular feeds for some of the larger agencies in that area. We also brought up a Boston Fire Department feed from the trunked system patches that are captured via Broadcastify Calls.

If you are interested in us implementing either of these features for your feeds / playlists, open a support ticket at support@broadcastify.com outlining what your thinking is and be detailed in your request why. Please don't bombard me with requests to create 400 new audios feeds from 500 calls playlists. I want to be targeted here and patiently progress where it makes sense to utilize these new back end features. Some of you get pretty overzealous about this stuff, so temper your enthusiasm and be patient and don't be upset if I put something that you want to do on the back burner to focus on more needed coverage using those above new features.

One of the most important uses for #2 will be the ability for us to create legacy audio feeds from sources that have a lot of backup (potentially lots of calls nodes) as well as less reliance on broadcasters to provide legacy feeds and instead send us everything via SDRs and we can manage the feeds from here.

Thanks!

 

[Enforcer52]

I like and understand the new implementation to the system has to have all the details worked out and get to an automated operation, but here is my suggestion for expansion in the future:

Would be nice to be able to convert a Legacy feed that is a trunked P25 system, or multi frequency feed, to the Calls Platform, such as SETRRS in southeast Texas (Jefferson, Orange, Hardin counties). I have spoken with the provider of the SETRRS feed and asked that he also setup to Calls, but his concern was there would be too many Upload Errors with his feeds. Having been raised in the Port Arthur/Bridge City area, I am only interested in those two departments, but end up having to listen to a bunch of other agencies. I have also made the offer here on RR to help out with some equipment if someone would setup the Calls Platform for SETRRS, with no luck.

There are several of these types Legacy of feeds that cover large geographic areas across the USA, which is good. But I'm sure listeners would like to be able to pick and choose.

My own Legacy feed covers 7 counties, but I also have Calls setup so one can pick and choose agencies if they want too.

I agree that the future of Broadcastify/Calls lies in the use of SDR's to upload feeds, that then can be distributed in several ways.

Enforcer52

 

[AB5ID]

Could this mean that someone could set up a legacy feed using only the Calls platform, without having any physical RF receiver hardware at their location, solely to obtain a premium RadioReference subscription?

 

[Enforcer52]

Could this mean that someone could set up a legacy feed using only the Calls platform, without having any physical RF receiver hardware at their location, solely to obtain a premium RadioReference subscription?

My understanding from reading Lindsay's post is that the admins would have to setup the legacy feed, so I don't think someone could circumvent the system.

 

[blantonl]

Could this mean that someone could set up a legacy feed using only the Calls platform, without having any physical RF receiver hardware at their location, solely to obtain a premium RadioReference subscription?

Nope, because I control all the administrative aspects of both features

 

[KI5IRE]

I would like to see the return of the feed provider section for the calls platform nodes so I can try to PM them on the forums rather than having to report a problem that may not necessarily be a problem. I may have rubbed a few feed providers the wrong way using the report "other problem" to inquire about some talkgroups that are missing from their node feeds.

There are several talkgroups I hear on my own radios on certain sites that are not coming through the Calls platform and it is very frustrating not to be able to listen when I am away or don't have a radio with me.

One is a fire department, I will hear them responding to a call, but their dispatch channel is not routed into the Calls platform.

The other is a police department that patches encrypted talkgroups to an unencrypted interop talkgroup for priority calls. Works clear as day on my radio.

 

[iceman977th]

I could only see this being useful for single agency legacy feeds. Other than that, it sounds like it would not be worth the hassle without a dedicated Calls ingest.

Now, I don't know the legalities of this, but maybe BCFY offering a "package" for an official agency to set up a Trunk Recorder or SDRTrunk ingest for their official feeds may not be a bad idea instead. I know some departments like to archive their calls for review after the fact. The department I was on had a "professional" archiver.. but the damn thing never worked.

 

[AB5ID]

I would like to see the return of the feed provider section for the calls platform nodes so I can try to PM them on the forums rather than having to report a problem that may not necessarily be a problem.

There is also many feeds with severe distortion.

 

[Napalm]

Thanks Lindsay. It's working great.

If you are proactive and manage a good public Playlist, convert yours to a legacy stream. There are folks who don't like apps or prefer to listen to a conventional stream on a PC.

I've had a hard time getting listeners, especially the older ladies, to get on the apps.

 

[Deziel0495]

We now have the capability to create a legacy audio feed from a Broadcastify Calls playlist. This allows us to create legacy feeds coverage for areas that have great Broadcastify Calls coverage but no real regular feeds.

2 questions on this...

1. Does the playlist have to be public?
2. Does the metadata get passed along to the legacy feed or is it audio only?

 

[Napalm]

2 questions on this...

1. Does the playlist have to be public?
2. Does the metadata get passed along to the legacy feed or is it audio only?

I can answer the meta data question: yes.

 

[Lllsssrrr000]

I like and understand the new implementation to the system has to have all the details worked out and get to an automated operation, but here is my suggestion for expansion in the future:

Would be nice to be able to convert a Legacy feed that is a trunked P25 system, or multi frequency feed, to the Calls Platform, such as SETRRS in southeast Texas (Jefferson, Orange, Hardin counties). I have spoken with the provider of the SETRRS feed and asked that he also setup to Calls, but his concern was there would be too many Upload Errors with his feeds. Having been raised in the Port Arthur/Bridge City area, I am only interested in those two departments, but end up having to listen to a bunch of other agencies. I have also made the offer here on RR to help out with some equipment if someone would setup the Calls Platform for SETRRS, with no luck.

There are several of these types Legacy of feeds that cover large geographic areas across the USA, which is good. But I'm sure listeners would like to be able to pick and choose.

My own Legacy feed covers 7 counties, but I also have Calls setup so one can pick and choose agencies if they want too.

I agree that the future of Broadcastify/Calls lies in the use of SDR's to upload feeds, that then can be distributed in several ways.

Enforcer52

This is a great move, however I do second this poster. Would be great to be able to convert feeds that cover multiple agencies to calls nodes.

 

[blantonl]

This is a great move, however I do second this poster. Would be great to be able to convert feeds that cover multiple agencies to calls nodes.

We cannot convert any legacy feeds to calls nodes unless the feed is dedicated to a single trunking talkgroup or conventional channel

The purpose of Broadcastify calls is to capture all transmissions on talkgroups and channels. If a feed is scanning between channels then that defeats the purpose.

 

[Lllsssrrr000]

We cannot convert any legacy feeds to calls nodes unless the feed is dedicated to a single trunking talkgroup or conventional channel

The purpose of Broadcastify calls is to capture all transmissions on talkgroups and channels. If a feed is scanning between channels then that defeats the purpose.

Yes that's a good point. Sorry I kind of forgot that.
Ok no problem.

 

[jasonpeoria911]

Any chance of listing those legacy audio feeds from calls section into the broadcastify.com website interface? Right now they are only visible on scanner radio apps and not in a web interface. For instance Peoria County on the scanner radio app has about 8 extra legacy feeds derived from calls talkgroups that isn't listed on the broadcastify web interface.

 

[blantonl]

Any chance of listing those legacy audio feeds from calls section into the broadcastify.com website interface? Right now they are only visible on scanner radio apps and not in a web interface. For instance Peoria County on the scanner radio app has about 8 extra legacy feeds derived from calls talkgroups that isn't listed on the broadcastify web interface.

I don't know which feeds you are referring to here.

All legacy feeds would show up as normal on all services that we provide, otherwise they aren't our feeds.

 

[jasonpeoria911]

On the scanner radio app under Peoria County in Illinois their is a number of feeds that are not listed on the Peoria County section on broadcastify audio feeds. They appear to be feeds created from calls talkgroups but they aren't listed on broadcastify feeds section also, just scanner radio app Peoria County section. For instance Peoria County Animal Control, Peoria City Fire, Peoria County Fire, Peoria County Highway Construction, Ameren and so on. They appear to be public playlists created but just not viewable on broadcastify feeds section.

 

[mtindor]

On the scanner radio app under Peoria County in Illinois their is a number of feeds that are not listed on the Peoria County section on broadcastify audio feeds. They appear to be feeds created from calls talkgroups but they aren't listed on broadcastify feeds section also, just scanner radio app Peoria County section. For instance Peoria County Animal Control, Peoria City Fire, Peoria County Fire, Peoria County Highway Construction, Ameren and so on. They appear to be public playlists created but just not viewable on broadcastify feeds section.

If you want to see Calls feeds on broadcastify.com, navigate to that section - Broadcastify Calls

 

[cavmedic]

I would like to see the return of the feed provider section for the calls platform nodes so I can try to PM them on the forums rather than having to report a problem that may not necessarily be a problem. I may have rubbed a few feed providers the wrong way using the report "other problem" to inquire about some talkgroups that are missing from their node feeds.

There are several talkgroups I hear on my own radios on certain sites that are not coming through the Calls platform and it is very frustrating not to be able to listen when I am away or don't have a radio with me.

One is a fire department, I will hear them responding to a call, but their dispatch channel is not routed into the Calls platform.

The other is a police department that patches encrypted talkgroups to an unencrypted interop talkgroup for priority calls. Works clear as day on my radio.

I know for my feeds, I do NOT stream every single talk group regardless of being in the clear. Other providers may have their own reasons for it as well.

 

[mtindor]

I know for my feeds, I do NOT stream every single talk group regardless of being in the clear. Other providers may have their own reasons for it as well.

Ditto. There are things better left unstreamed.