Don't know where to post this question. If I have an input of a CD player and another like a weather radio to simulcast NOAA, is there a way to do that without me being at a board in the studio?
Yes, broadcast tools makes an audio switcher that is computer controlled. How to interface it with your automation is another problem.
Zara Radio's line in function can also do this.
Are you saying you'd like the weather radio to interupt programming with weather?
By "simulcast" it kind of makes me think you want the weather to play at the same time as the music? But I'm thinking that's not what you mean.
If you're trying to get the forcast on you'll never know when it's coming from NOAA. Some NOAA stations in the country have the forcast uploaded as an mp3 and you can set up your automation to download it automatically and play as programmed.
If you want to get weather warnings on the air -- I did this for years with a weather radio that had terminals for a relay that would close during a weather watch or warning, which I wired to a relay box I built that switched my audio feed to the transmitter from the computer to the weather radio audio. When the warning announcement was over, the relay in the radio opened and switch back to regular prgramming. I don't do it that way anymore since I got a SAGE EAS box.
Just not sure exactly what you're trying to do.
TIB
I like hearing Zara can do this. I want NOAA on at say 8 am and at 8:30 have a music schedule pop on without me having to move dials and leavers.
Tim I think he wants to be able to automatically switch audio sources. Like for example at the full power our switcher autonmatically clicks over to the satellite news feed, TV News, UT Sports, Automation Playback, ect.
Seems odd to want to switch over to and back from NOAA, since they don't do anything on a set schedule. It would be an awkward jump into the middle of what they're doing, and an awkward jump back into music or whatever.
At the stations I work at we have such an amazing array of automated stuff happening half the time I can't even figure out what I've wired up over the years. 5 Satellite receivers two with multiple audio feeds and a vast array of relay closures for spots, jingles, weather, news, all major sports and all their breaks. We autodown load weather and temperature several times and hour and all are spoken in the real voices of our meterologists. It's a somewhat mind numbing mass of wires and miracles!
TIB
I'd like to be able to broadcast the Warnings to my Transmitter. It has a 1/8th inch Jack. So what I'd need is a audio switch that will detect the audio of the Weather Radio and switch to it so that the warnings will broadcast.
Since the weather will be broadcasted only on the transmitter it should be an easy thing to rig up.
You should be able to use the external jack that is normally used for an external alarm as a signal to switch a relay to cut out audio from the main source and allow the audio from the alarm radio to carry thru the transmitter.
I haven't built the interface yet, but I think others have done this. The key is having a WX radio that is self silencing after a short period of time. Otherwise, you will have to manually shut it down or build the relay interface with a timed circuit that returns to normal regardless of WX input. That, however would not air multiple alarms without intervention...
Anyway, its not as complicated as it sounds, I just need some time and to find my SAME WX radio.
Great Radio for the money.
Midland WR-120EZ S.A.M.E Digital Weather /All Hazards Weather Radio
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzRiT8fHwT9NQXRQNjhYQWFqazQ
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzRiT8fHwT9NVjlLdEstWDdsMVk
Barry of BBR World Wide
If it helps any the NWS uses a 1050 hz tone but i am not entirely sure how the S.A.M.E. system works. The 1050 hz tone is what activates your receivers alarm.
That will probably be the unit I work with on this project. I ordered a few parts today. Like most projects the little parts add up to more than you think. Relays 10, timed circuit 15, rca plugs 6, plastic enclosure 6... I have a wall wart, but if not, thats a few extra bucks..
Once I get it working...I will post details etc. But, don't get in a hurry, I have several things on my plate, and its not storm season here.
Is that one of those Radio's where you can program for your county? And does it auto silence after a bit? One good way to do this is a simple FOX type of relay. Since I don't see well I wonder if such a thing may be on the market so I could simply use that?
Because my town is so small many of the commercial stations don't cover this town and this is a fact. Now sometimes the TV stations do but if we lose cable I'm up a creek.
I'd really like to serve this town with some weather alerts when storms are near.
I am not sure. I thought I had one (WX radio) stashed, but havent found it yet. The Midland 120 series is a S.A.M.E. radio, so it is programmable for a specific county or counties. I am not sure about the self silencing. I am going to build my interface to be programmable to shut down the audio after a time I choose since these things often go for much longer than I would want.
I will also have to rethink my on air and streaming setup a bit. I stream direct from the RadioDJ computer and simultaneously use its audio feed to send to the on air transmitters thru a mixer. I will have to send the audio to a separate streaming computer to easily get the warnings to go out over the stream. This will also make it easier for me to do direct to air voice work.
I use a Uniden WX100 radio. It has connections for an external alarm and keeps it on for 5 minutes. I wired up a relay to switch audio from my programming to weather, that switched back after 5 minutes.
Just took that system off line as I picked up an older SAGE EAS unit, that will also air the alerts and reset to normal. It also monitors EAS for other types of alerts like Amber alerts, or things not associated with the weather.
These old EAS units are available pretty cheap on eBay, as they're no longer legal for commercial radio (they don't connect to the internet and don't work with the latest advancements in EAS) but for weather alerts and others, they work fine. Mine received the national test last week and relayed the message just fine.
TIB
Hmmm you say it auto switches back to normal? Well this is something I could use for my little town for weather reports.
Only hard thing is to get a unit in really good condition. Ebay may be something I'll have to check into. How much is cheap?