Internet CB Radio: Stock Cobra 148 GTL, Astron RS-20A PSU, RG-213 Coax, Hy-Gain Model 500 (Penetrator) 5/8 Vertical, crfelectronics serial PTT interface, W2m.. audio interface, TX audio via Soundblaster 7.1 w. 10 band EQ and effects, RX audio via 20 band EQ & filter. Live Aircraft Radio: Uniden Beartracker, Soundblaster, 5/8 Wave Aircraft Base Antenna
LIVE HAM RADIO + HAM RADIO CAM (Live Video): -Shortwave: Icom, PS-52K PSU, MFJ-949E ATU, , AS-2 10-160 meter all band HF antenna, soundblaster, 5WPM General Class Amateur Radio License. HF SWL fanatic since age 4. Streaming Police Scanner: Radio Shack PRO-94 Trunking Scanner, dipole antenna, soundblaster. Live 2 Meter / 440 "Storm Chaser" Scanner: Realistic Pro 2011 Scanner. Ground System: Three 10ft. Ground Rods less than 1/4 wavelength from all rigs. 4 gauge solid copper feed. Server/Workstations: Server P4 with 4 soundcards-XP2/Apache, Workstation: P43000 desktop running XP2, Linux Live and Macromedia. Workstation 2: P4 Laptop-XP2, wifi, macromedia. Two P3 machines on deck for backup / equipment failure. Internet: Cable Connection: Tested 6868 kb/s download and 466 kb/s upload at speed test.
Station Elevation : 1250+ ft. Lincoln, Nebraska USA
HOW DOES THE LIVECBRADIO WORK?
The way the Livecbradio Internet Broadcast Capable CB Radio works may seem complicated but can be explained very easilly.
When you speak in to a cb microphone your voice goes down to the radio on two wires. A mono computer speaker line from the soundcard has 2 wires. Disconnect the microphone element and join those two wires. Now what comes out of the computer is broadcasted over the cb. Easy enough. Some simple electronics are placed in line to keep the line voltages down.
How do people on the internet "key up" the cb radio? This gets a little more complex. When you press the push to talk button on a cb microphone two things happen. Number one is two wires short out to put the cb radio in transmit. The second thing is two wires open up (unshort). The two wires that unshort are the receive wires. The receive wires are shorted when the PTT is not pressed to bring the radio's receive on. When you press PTT they unshort and the PTT wires short. The mic button acts as a DPDT "Double Pole, Double Throw" Relay.
Livecbradio.com has paid the code writer for "Voiperized" a considerable sum of money to write a special version of the software. The special version of Voiperized puts 2 volts to two pins on the livecbradio.com server pc when anyone presses PTT. This 2 Volts goes to a 5V powered relay system designed by CRFelectronics and built by livecbradio.com. When you press PTT in voiperized, in one third of a second the livecbradio transmitter goes in to transmit mode because that 2 volts trips the relay, shorts out the tx wires and opens the rec. wires. This allows the audio output of the soundcard to make connection to the audio wire and shield into the cb radio's mic input socket. It's exactly as if you were at the livecbradio.com station talking. It's literally nothing but a cb radio with a mic cord thousands of miles long. The DPPT relay is powered by a 5V wal wart and excited by the 2V from the computer's serial ports. I also use isolation and W2M. interface on all audio lines.
The software and interface plans are not for sharing or for sale. The software mod we use is a paid one off and the code writer will not be updating works. We are under License from crfelectronics to use the interface plans. Both of these brilliant works of software & electronics are Copyright Protected and not for sale.
Livecbradio Broadcast Audio: When someone speaks over the livecbradio station their voice in run through an EQ and effects. This gives livecbradio "broadcast quality' audio. Livecbradio sounds near AM quality on SSB. Livecbradio SSB TX frequency is beat synced with the Icom receiver to make sure it's spot on everytime.
Livecbradio Receive Audio: Livecbradio RX Audio Runs through a 11 Band EQ before going into the soundcard. The receive audio in voiperized is "digital sounding". Sometimes static will make some strange bleeping noises. "Digital Audio" of this sort is only meant to transfer voice. This is why the software seems to have an automatic noise blanker. A digitally encoded noise blanker for lack of a better description. The EQ helps a lot, but, we could better benifit by an expensive DSP audio unit. This is only a receive side issue. We are always working to improve the receive audio of the radio in the Voiperized program.
Police Scanner: The Police Scanner is programmed to receive the Police only. Scanning the entire public service band clogs up the listening with the gas company and things you don't want to hear. Rest assured the livecbradio.com scanner is only scanning the police.
Live Ham Radio with Live Video: It's Streaming HF Ham Radio Audio, with a 24 hour Live Webcam on the Frequency Display of the Radio. The challenge is trying to get the S-Meter in sync with the audio. It's close. Sometimes it's right on the money, sometimes it's delayed a couple seconds.
The Future of Livecbradio.com : Live Video on the Ham Radio was a testing ground. The plan is to put a cam on the cb radio as well. Adding more radios has always been on the agenda. Why don't we do VHF/UHF Ham Radio? Local Hams have that covered. In the future I will be testing to see what people want to hear. Prison, Jail, Taxi, Security, Etc. Yes, more radios and cameras are coming. We are even considering a second internet connection to appease the load on adding more radios and cameras. I am even considering things like Live Streaming "Outdoor Sky Cam" with Nature Monitor Audio. The view from the top of the roof is worthy of a video camera.
