Psion Wavefinder

Can I stream DAB broadcasts to Squeezebox?

Yes, with a Psion Wavefinder.

How do I set up Squeezebox with a Psion Wavefinder?

These "get you going" notes are based on using another application called DABBar to control the Wavefinder. We have heard that WinDAB (http://www.windab.co.uk) works, although you might not be able to retune the Wavefinder directly from Squeezebox across multiplexes using WinDAB. Perhaps someone could post on that. DABBar does not need to be on the same machine as your SlimServer.

Download the latest version of DABBar from http://www.dabbar.co.uk abd install and check that it all works as expected.

Make sure you can access the inbuilt DABBar webserver from your machine using an address of http://localhost:8080 (the last bit is the port that the server is running on and can be set from the http server tab in the DABBar Options. What you set it to is not critical; 8080 is a favourite standard choice.)

Now try http://192.168.1.100:8080 replacing the ip address (192.168.1.100) with the ip address of your machine. This will help later in the cut and paste operations. You should see the same page as before.

There are two tidy ways to incorporate radio stations within Squeezebox: either you can create a file for each station and place them in your playlists folder on the SlimServer, or you can add several (or all) stations to one playlist (.pls) file and place that in your playlists folder. If you do the latter, then we suggest you name the file DABRadio or something similar. Then from the Squeezebox "Saved Playlists" menu you can press RIGHT to navigate into the playlist folder and press RIGHT again to navigate into the DABRadio playlist, then choose which station to play. When you select it the Wavefinder will retune automatically and start to play that station.

Create a blank text document with NotePad or a similar text editor.

Currently displayed in your web browser should be a list of all the stations that you can currently receive. Now I'm afraid for a little tedious copying of information. First we will create a single file for one station. RIGHT click on the top statio n name (in my case 1Xtra – BBC) and select `copy shortcut' – now move to your blank text document and paste the link there – probably something like http://192.168.1.100:8080/49706.m3u - the last 5 digit number is the crucial "ID" of the station and is the only bit of information that changes between all the different stations. Now you must alter the .m3u on the end of the pasted text to .mp2 so your text file now contains http://192.168.1.100:8080/49706.mp2 Save the text file with a name of "1Xtra.m3u"- note the extension .m3u. For each station that you want to receive you will have to create a text file , paste in the link, change the end bit and save it with a .m3u extension.

Now move this newly created file into your playlist directory on your SlimServer. It is not necessary to stop and start the server.

You should now be able to select the Squeezebox's "Saved Playlists" menu , press right arrow and using the up and down arrow you should find your new file. If you press play when it is selected (DABBar must be running) you should be rewarded with the station playing from Squeezebox, it may take a couple of seconds to tune in the Wavefinder.

For each station that you want to receive you should repeat the above steps 5) to 8).

Creating one playlist file allows all the stations to be incorporated in one file. It also allows the stations to be named in the file which may be useful later, (he said hopefully). Again create a blank text file with NotePad and create a document that looks like this below. We have chosen to include the first 4 stations. Note that the pasted links from your DABBar web page still have the .m3u replaced with .mp2

[playlist]numberofentries=4File1=http://192.168.1.11:8080/49706.mp2Title1=1Xtra - BBCLength1=-1File2=http://192.168.1.11:8080/49707.mp2Title2=BBC 6 MusicLength2=-1File3=http://192.168.1.11:8080/49708.mp2Title3=BBC 7Length3=-1File4=http://192.168.1.11:8080/49697.mp2Title4=BBC Radio 1Length5=-1Version=2

Then save this file as say "DABRadio.pls" – note the .pls extension, that's what makes it a recognisable as a playlist file. Again put this file into your SlimServers playlist directory and now you can select "Saved Playlists" and press right arrow, use the up and down arrows to find the new "DABRadio" file and you can press right arrow again to `navigate' into the file – once within the file you can use the up and down arrows again to select and then play a station. If you have a lot of items already in your playlists folder this tidies all the DAB radio stations into one place. The title information that's in the playlist file is not currently fully utilised by Squeezebox. It appears to select the station and then remains for a while on the bottom line of the Squeezebox display.

In version 1.4 of DABBar the metadata information or extra radiotext information transmitted by the station is relayed to Squeezebox and scrolls along the bottom line of the display. This currently overwrites the station name from the playlist. This is the same information that scrolls across the bottom of the DABBar display on the DABBar window on your PC. Version 1.4 is in `beta test' currently – keep watching the DABBar site for more information. - or contact me offlist.

So – before anyone asks the obvious – can you listen to different stations on different Squeezebox's or on your PC ?? Surprisingly the answer is YES ! as long as the stations are on the same multiplex. On the DABBar web page http://localhost:8080 you will see a column showing you on which multiplex the stations are located – I can currently receive three different multiplexes. All the BBC stations for example are on one multiplex. I guess you may even be able to leave your Wavefinder running at home and listen to your local station with your Squeezebox on the beach !

Finally – there is a record option within DABBar allowing you to save the stream to disk. Just select `Record' by right clicking on the station banner and chose a filename and MPEG Audio (Layer 2) – and away you go. Stop the recording and then move the file to your Squeezebox and you can play it ! There is an interface to DigiGuide too allowing you to schedule recordings so that they happen in your absence – it just keeps getting better.

Hope that helps a few – we are truly fortunate that Slim Devices provided mp2 capability within Squeezebox (thanks guys) – one of the few players that does – and also an ability to play 48Khz bitrates – again one of the few players to do this. If you managed to buy your Wavefinder at one of the recent discounted prices you have ended up with an awesome solution based on two very capable products that know nothing about each joining as one. Now how often does that happen ??? My thanks to Alistair MacDonald, author of DabBar for the magic that makes it all work !

We have pasted my complete playlist file below – maybe Slim Devices have a place on their website to store it as a downloadable file. While my station list will be somewhat different to yours I think that most of the stations are national and the ID's are consistent.

My local multiplex TWG-EMPA W.Yorks offers Classic Gold KISS Sunrise Radio and The Pulse so these probably won't work for you unless you're in Yorkshire ! Just paste the following into a text file and name it DABRadio.pls. If your Wavefinder is on the same PC as your SlimServer then tit should works as is – pop it in your Playlists file on SlimServer and navigate into the file, select and play ! If it's on a different PC then search and replace "localhost" by "192.168.1.100" or whatever ip address your Wavefinder is on and then save and move the file. There should be 24 replacements. Happy listening - Kevin

[playlist]numberofentries=24File1=http://localhost:8080/49706.mp2Title1=1Xtra - BBCLength1=-1File2=http://localhost:8080/49707.mp2Title2=BBC 6 MusicLength2=-1File3=http://localhost:8080/49708.mp2Title3=BBC 7Length3=-1File4=http://localhost:8080/49697.mp2Title4=BBC Radio 1Length5=-1File5=http://localhost:8080/49698.mp2Title5=BBC Radio 2Length5=-1File6=http://localhost:8080/49699.mp2Title6=BBC Radio 3Length6=-1File7=http://localhost:8080/49700.mp2Title7=BBC Radio 4Length7=-1File8=http://localhost:8080/49701.mp2Title8=BBC Radio 5 LiveLength8=-1File9=http://localhost:8080/49718.mp2Title9=BBC Asian NetworkLength9=-1File10=http://localhost:8080/49720.mp2Title10=BBC World ServiceLength10=-1File11=http://localhost:8080/49825.mp2Title11=Classic FMLength11=-1File12=http://localhost:8080/52683.mp2Title12=Classic GoldLength12=-1File13=http://localhost:8080/50112.mp2Title13=CoreLength13=-1File14=http://localhost:8080/50368.mp2Title14=D1 TempLength14=-1File15=http://localhost:8080/50624.mp2Title15=D1 tenLength15=-1File16=http://localhost:8080/49612.mp2Title16=KISSLength16=-1File17=http://localhost:8080/50880.mp2Title17=LifeLength17=-1File18=http://localhost:8080/51136.mp2Title18=OneWordLength18=-1File19=http://localhost:8080/49856.mp2Title19=Planet RockLength19=-1File20=http://localhost:8080/51392.mp2Title20=PrimeTime RadioLength20=-1File21=http://localhost:8080/52939.mp2Title21=Sunrise RadioLength21=-1File22=http://localhost:8080/49344.mp2Title22=talkSPORTLength22=-1File23=http://localhost:8080/51632.mp2Title23=The PulseLength23=-1File24=http://localhost:8080/49600.mp2Title24=Virgin RadioLength24=-1Version=2