From Newsgroup: uk.rec.motorcycles

In the U.S. members of the Republican Party have fomented hate against
Federal subsidies for Public Radio and Public Television. They object
to Liberal political agendas of programming directors there, and they
argue that subsidizing those agendas is a misuse of public funds,
which come from tax revenues, because tax payers are not served
equally. It's difficult to refute the notion that such agendas do
exist. It's probably the reason I listen to Public Radio and Public
TV. It's not the lack of commercials. Public Media have long e'er
since sold public air time to commercial sponsors to stay in business
and pay lavish salaries to programming directors.

Now comes the 119th Congress and rCo with Republican control in both
houses (the first since the first half of Trump's first term in
office) rCo passes a bill to cut $1 billion from funds previously
allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This is likely
the death knell of many radio and television in the midlands, which
serve a rural demographic.

+ https://www.npr.org/2025/07/18/nx-s1-5469912/npr-congress-rescission-funding-trump

Well, at least we won't have Barney, the Teletubbies, and Sesame
Street to kick around anymore. IMNSHO it's unlikely that state and
local governments can step up in time to replace the Federal
rescission set to go into effect in October. IT IS LIKELY that many
PBS radio stations will convert to commercial FM broadcasts, which
have always been a wasteland of country music and religious
programming.

I leave my radio tuned overnight to BBC World Service (for its Liberal programming), which is delivered by a local PBS FM radio station. If
that station goes dark or changes to Hillbilly Rock, I'll loose sleep,
so it's serious.

Naturally, it occurs to me that I can receive BBS World Service
through a smart speaker. I am therefore in the market, and I want to
be sure I place an order before everyone else in this country comes to
the same conclusion. Can anyone suggest a smart speaker that isn't
joined at the hip with Amazon, Google, or Apple? (I already have
OpenHAB home automation installed.) I am asking on Szoci|il Media
because nothing that comes up on Google appears to be sold in the U.S.
--
Moreover I'm convinced that Reddit must be destroyed.

Worst Case

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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.motorcycles

"Worst wrote:

Naturally, it occurs to me that I can receive BBS World Service
through a smart speaker. I am therefore in the market, and I want to
be sure I place an order before everyone else in this country comes to
the same conclusion. Can anyone suggest a smart speaker that isn't
joined at the hip with Amazon, Google, or Apple? (I already have
OpenHAB home automation installed.) I am asking on Szoci|il Media
because nothing that comes up on Google appears to be sold in the U.S.

I listen to all sorts of radio streams through a software program
called 'rAudio' that runs under Arch Linux on a Raspberry Pi dedicated
to being a 'radio'.

I usually pair the Bluetooth of the Pi with my non-smart Bluetooth
portable speaker. The Pi sits in one spot and I can drag the speaker
over most of the house. You can also hook up a DAC to the Pi and then
an amp or a powered speaker.

https://github.com/rern/rAudio/

It's quite easy to install on an SD card, follow the instructions on
the githib page. The trick is to find the proper URL to access the
streams you want, vs. listening to them through a web app. But there
are directories out there listing the URLs you need to add to the
"Web Radio" section of the music library. Of course it can also play
all sorts of local files on a USB drive or on a network file server
(CIFS/SMB or NFS).

I would be happy to share my list of radio streams with you. Some
of my favorites are Radio Caroline Flashback and KVF/KVF2 from the
Faroe Islands. The app comes pre-populated with 4 streams from Radio
Paradise, which I keep going back to.

I did at one time have some stream URLs for BBC Radio channels but
I rarely listen to the BBC.


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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.motorcycles

On 20/07/2025 04:08, Mark Olson wrote:

"Worst wrote:

Naturally, it occurs to me that I can receive BBS World Service
through a smart speaker. I am therefore in the market, and I want to
be sure I place an order before everyone else in this country comes to
the same conclusion. Can anyone suggest a smart speaker that isn't
joined at the hip with Amazon, Google, or Apple? (I already have
OpenHAB home automation installed.) I am asking on Szoci|a-il Media
because nothing that comes up on Google appears to be sold in the U.S.

I listen to all sorts of radio streams through a software program
called 'rAudio' that runs under Arch Linux on a Raspberry Pi dedicated
to being a 'radio'.

I usually pair the Bluetooth of the Pi with my non-smart Bluetooth
portable speaker. The Pi sits in one spot and I can drag the speaker
over most of the house. You can also hook up a DAC to the Pi and then
an amp or a powered speaker.

https://github.com/rern/rAudio/

It's quite easy to install on an SD card, follow the instructions on
the githib page. The trick is to find the proper URL to access the
streams you want, vs. listening to them through a web app. But there
are directories out there listing the URLs you need to add to the
"Web Radio" section of the music library. Of course it can also play
all sorts of local files on a USB drive or on a network file server
(CIFS/SMB or NFS).

I would be happy to share my list of radio streams with you. Some
of my favorites are Radio Caroline Flashback and KVF/KVF2 from the
Faroe Islands. The app comes pre-populated with 4 streams from Radio >Paradise, which I keep going back to.

I did at one time have some stream URLs for BBC Radio channels but
I rarely listen to the BBC.

BBC used to be quite easy to stream via a URL on something like "Screamer"
radio but they kept changing the streams to make it more difficult. I used
the BBC Sounds app for a while but that is changing soon for non UK
residents. R4 and World Service will still be available for non-residents
on the main BBC website though.
--
Geoff
NTV 650
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.rec.motorcycles

On 20/07/2025 01:48, Worst Case@dizum.com wrote:

Naturally, it occurs to me that I can receive BBS World Service
through a smart speaker. I am therefore in the market, and I want to
be sure I place an order before everyone else in this country comes to
the same conclusion. Can anyone suggest a smart speaker that isn't
joined at the hip with Amazon, Google, or Apple? (I already have
OpenHAB home automation installed.) I am asking on SzociN++N++l Media >because nothing that comes up on Google appears to be sold in the U.S.

Radio.garden ?

Online or in app.
Covers the globe.
Simples!

HTH

Chris

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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.motorcycles

geoffC <me@home.nl> wrote:

On 20/07/2025 04:08, Mark Olson wrote:

I did at one time have some stream URLs for BBC Radio channels but
I rarely listen to the BBC.

BBC used to be quite easy to stream via a URL on something like "Screamer" radio but they kept changing the streams to make it more difficult. I used the BBC Sounds app for a while but that is changing soon for non UK residents. R4 and World Service will still be available for non-residents
on the main BBC website though.

I found the same.

It appears that at least a couple of people are maintaining lists of
working BBC streaming URLs:

https://gist.github.com/bpsib/67089b959e4fa898af69fea59ad74bc3

Unfortunately, the World Service URL from the above link appears
to be dead, but some of the other work for me.

https://gist.github.com/stengland/8705765


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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.motorcycles

On 20/07/2025 11:38, Mark Olson wrote:

geoffC <me@home.nl> wrote:

On 20/07/2025 04:08, Mark Olson wrote:

I did at one time have some stream URLs for BBC Radio channels but
I rarely listen to the BBC.

BBC used to be quite easy to stream via a URL on something like "Screamer" >> radio but they kept changing the streams to make it more difficult. I used >> the BBC Sounds app for a while but that is changing soon for non UK
residents. R4 and World Service will still be available for non-residents
on the main BBC website though.

I found the same.

It appears that at least a couple of people are maintaining lists of
working BBC streaming URLs:

https://gist.github.com/bpsib/67089b959e4fa898af69fea59ad74bc3

Unfortunately, the World Service URL from the above link appears
to be dead, but some of the other work for me.

https://gist.github.com/stengland/8705765

Thanks for that.
Yes it was the m3u8 ones that queered my pitch:-)
I'll try them on the PC when I get back home. I actually quite like the BBC
Sounds app. All the content is easily accessible and some of it is high
quality stuff imo. I listen mostly to R4 though. I registered my email
address some time ago with a post address in UK so I'm hopeful.
--
Geoff
NTV 650
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.rec.motorcycles

On 20 Jul 2025 08:06:15 GMT, Chris Deuchar <chrisnd@privacy.net> wrote:

Radio.garden ?

+ https://radio.garden/

Nifty geo maps! Thanks.
--
Moreover I'm convinced that Reddit must be destroyed.

Worst Case

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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.motorcycles

On Sun, 20 Jul 2025 09:38:20 -0000 (UTC), Mark Olson <olsonm@tiny.invalid> wrote:

It appears that at least a couple of people are maintaining lists of
working BBC streaming URLs.

It seems that audio streaming directories are manifold and multiform.
I tried eight or nine and couldn't find one that would play BBC World
Service through the TOR browser. ... no big surprise. From reading
the docs for the Roberts Stream 63i radio, it seems the manufacturer
curates its own online database of streaming stations that can be
searched from the front panel of the device.

+ https://www.aeldownloads.com/robertsradio/userguides/STREAM%2063I%20ISSUE.1.pdf
--
Moreover I'm convinced that Reddit must be destroyed.

Worst Case

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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.motorcycles

On Sun, 20 Jul 2025 02:08:56 -0000 (UTC), Mark Olson <olsonm@tiny.invalid> wrote:

I usually pair the Bluetooth of the Pi with my non-smart Bluetooth
portable speaker.

There's a thought: A Bt speaker with USB-C dock to keep the phone
alive all night streaming from WiFi. I'm sure apps are available.
Don't know for sure whether or not they are merely browser launchers.
I wonder if it's possible to keep a browser window open all night
(with the screen saver running) with the phone on power.

My motivation for buying a dedicated stand-alone cheap internet radio
(smart speaker) was to simplify the software stack that the end user
(me) has to deal with.
--
Moreover I'm convinced that Reddit must be destroyed.

Worst Case

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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.motorcycles

"Worst wrote:

On Sun, 20 Jul 2025 02:08:56 -0000 (UTC), Mark Olson <olsonm@tiny.invalid> wrote:

I usually pair the Bluetooth of the Pi with my non-smart Bluetooth
portable speaker.

There's a thought: A Bt speaker with USB-C dock to keep the phone
alive all night streaming from WiFi. I'm sure apps are available.
Don't know for sure whether or not they are merely browser launchers.
I wonder if it's possible to keep a browser window open all night
(with the screen saver running) with the phone on power.

My motivation for buying a dedicated stand-alone cheap internet radio
(smart speaker) was to simplify the software stack that the end user
(me) has to deal with.

The user experience of rAudio in my experience does not require much
in the way of technical knowledge to install and use. Based on what
I have seen through our in person meetings and what you post here,
I believe you should have zero difficulty getting it to work.

I have 3 Raspberry Pi Zero 2 Ws and one Pi 2 running rAudio at the
moment. The Zero 2 Ws are all hooked to cheap USB headphone adapters
and feeding the line input of a power amp. The Pi 2 is hooked to my
TV through an HDMI output so I can use either the TV's soundbar or
a Bluetooth speaker.

The most technical part of all of it is burning the software image
onto an SD card for the Pi. When you first power up the Pi, since
it doesn't know your WiFi details (but you can pre-populate them via
editing a file on the SD card if so inclined), it will set itself up
as an access point which you can connect with your phone or a PC and
then give it your WiFi SSID and password.

When setting up a Pi with rAudio, I prefer to hook up a USB->Ethernet
dongle to the Pi to make it easier to see on my network, then enter
the WiFi details via its wired IP address without having to use the
built-in WiFi access point functionality.

After that, it's very easy to use via its web interface.

And with this application, it will be able to access all the sources
that the Roberts Stream 63i can for a small fraction of the cost,
admittedly without the built-in database(s) that they provide.



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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.motorcycles

On 20/07/2025 01:48, "Worst Case"@dizum.com wrote:

<snip>

A secondhand Sonos Play 1 or similar? Preferably one that is on S1
software. Though it's unclear to me which BBC stations will still be
available overseas in the near future, as it's all changing again.
--
/Simon
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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.motorcycles

On 20/07/2025 11:38, Mark Olson wrote:

geoffC <me@home.nl> wrote:

On 20/07/2025 04:08, Mark Olson wrote:

I did at one time have some stream URLs for BBC Radio channels but
I rarely listen to the BBC.

BBC used to be quite easy to stream via a URL on something like "Screamer" >> radio but they kept changing the streams to make it more difficult. I used >> the BBC Sounds app for a while but that is changing soon for non UK
residents. R4 and World Service will still be available for non-residents
on the main BBC website though.

I found the same.

It appears that at least a couple of people are maintaining lists of
working BBC streaming URLs:

https://gist.github.com/bpsib/67089b959e4fa898af69fea59ad74bc3

Unfortunately, the World Service URL from the above link appears
to be dead, but some of the other work for me.

https://gist.github.com/stengland/8705765

Well, true to their word, the BBC cut access to their Sounds app for those
outside the UK last monday. Only R4 and World Service are available via
their main site. But.....
VPN works a treat :-)
--
Geoff
NTV 650
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