EDM -RDS FM Transmission Application

[Sparky Griswold]

To All,

Thank you in advance for any advice and or direction you can point me. I am upgrading from the W.H.T. to the EDM FM transmitter and utilizing the RDS feature. I have the Advanced LOR Software and MiniRDS software loaded. I'm trying to understand what files need to be created and how they need to be stored for the software to pick them up and push them out. I have downloaded the EDMRDSLORsetup.pdf (attached) file that has directions however they aren't that clear.

Hoping someone has already completed this and can tell me what needs to be done to make this happen. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Bryan
Chandler, AZ


Attached files EDMRDSLORsetup.pdf

[ItsMeBobO]

Hi Bryan
Happy to help try to explain. I dont have a RDS transmitter but I have used LOR windows commands. I looked at your doc and I think I get what its doing.

I will try to explain the example given. But I must point out there are several other ways this can be done.

The RDS service will always look in the same file for the text to give to the transmitter to display. RDS.TXT The other text files and batch files are used to replace the contents of that file. The LOR windows command is way to send instruction to other software. But you still need to set up all those instructions.

In the example given

You will have one text file for each song containing the words you want to display using RDS during that song.
And you will have one batch file for each song to execute a copy command to replace the contents of RDS.TXT with the text for the playing song.

--
The RDS file creation is a feature I would like to add to my software MIIP. If you are brave enough to work with me on it I will make it work for you.

[Greg]

I use miniRDS to send a RDS file to my ramsey. Here is what I do. I have several .txt files saved in a folder called LOR RDS that only contains the text string I want to send to the transmitter. What I then do is have LOR run a batch file from the windows command line that simply copies the text file associated with the particular song into a watch folder the the mini RDS software watches. Here is an example of the batch file

copy "C:Program FilesLight-O-RamaLOR RDSchristmas everyday.txt" "C:Program FilesZaraSoftZaraRadioCurrentSong.txt"

The mini rds looks at the text file CurrentSong.txt. This is set up under the text sources tab. I have it sending from that file when a change is detected.



hope this helps

greg



Bob, you beat me to it!! Must be a faster typer

[Sparky Griswold]

Hey Bob,

Thank you. And yes, I'm game. I really am pretty computer literate. Once I get a little push in the right direction I'm off and running. Really appreciate the help. Let me know what I can do/offer on my end. Look forward to hearing from you.

B

[Sparky Griswold]

Thanks Greg. I really appreciate it. If you would, please let me know if this is correct;

Create a file on C:
Name it C:lorrds.txt
Then Create a .txt file for each song (with note pad) and type out the songs name in note pad and save it as example; whitechristmas.txt.

Thus the directory for the MiniRDL software would be

C:lorrds.txtwhitechristmas.txt

Is that correct?

[Greg]

yes and no.

the file that I call LOR RDS is simply the storage location for the text strings that will be copied from to the watch file. In my case it is a folder located in "C:Program FilesLight-O-Rama

The Batch file that runs at the start of your song will then copy the text string form the LOR RDS folder to the currentsong.txt file

mini RDS software then watches the currentsong.txt file, when it detects a change it will send the data to the transmiter.

As far as locations of files that really doesn't matter as long as the batch copies to the same file that mini rds is looking at for the text update.

yes creating seperate text strings with the data you will send to the transmitter is a start

greg

[Steven]

You don't have to create a separate .TXT file for each sequence.

Last year, I used this RDS.BAT file:

@echo off
SET FILE="C:Light-O-RamaNow Playing.txt"
SET LINE1=
SET LINE2=
IF "%*"=="" GOTO END

SET LINE1=%1
:LOOP1
SHIFT
IF "%1"=="" GOTO END
IF "%1"=="n" GOTO LINE2
SET LINE1=%LINE1% %1
GOTO LOOP1

:LINE2
SHIFT
IF "%1"=="" GOTO END
SET LINE2=%1
:LOOP2
SHIFT
if "%1"=="" GOTO END
SET LINE2=%LINE2% %1
GOTO LOOP2

:END
IF "%LINE1%"=="" ECHO. > %FILE%
IF NOT "%LINE1%"=="" ECHO %LINE1% > %FILE%
IF NOT "%LINE2%"=="" ECHO %LINE2% >> %FILE%

Then, in the sequence command line, I use this:

rds.bat Joy to the World Bob Rivers n Joy to the World by Rob Rivers from album Twisted Christmas

In miniRDS, I have it monitor the "Now Playing.txt" file. It uses the first line for dynamic PS, and the last line for Radio Text. Dynamic PS can only show 8 characters at a time, so I keep it short, but Radio Text can be 64 characters. However, Radio Text is only shown on a limited set of car radios.

I can also call rds.bat with no arguments, in which case it will remove everything from the Now Playing.txt file, and miniRDS will then make the transmitter send the default. I do this in my shutdown sequence.

[Greg]

Steven,

Interesting approach, never thought of using the command file to update the .txt string. I tried to do what you were last year but couldn't quite figure it out so I took the approach I mentioned, a little more typing but I found it easier for myself to follow.

[Sparky Griswold]

Hey Steve,

I really appreciate you forwarding your code. Thank you. Still not sure how to set up the path for it capture. Would it be possible to give you a ring and maybe walk me through it? I'm not sure if that's etiquette or not but for me it would be easier to walk through. If not no worries, I understand. Thanks again for everything Steve.

Bryan

[Steven]

bryanblake wrote:

Still not sure how to set up the path for it capture.

My answer to that question is on my show computer, at home, in the garage, because once I got it working I forgot how I did it.

I'll check the show computer later and get back to you.

[Sparky Griswold]

Thanks again Steve. I really appreciate it. Look forward to hearing from you.

[Steven]

Here's what I did:

1. I use the sequence editor on 3 different computers (work, home, and laptop), and run the show from another computer in the garage. I use different usernames on the computers, so to keep things simple so that file transfers would work right, I created the same folder on all computers: C:Light-O-Rama
2. I put my sequences in C:Light-O-RamaSequences, and the audio in C:Light-O-RamaAudio.
3. In C:Light-O-Rama, I put the RDS.BAT file I copied above.
4. I went to Start -> Control Panel -> System, and selected the Advanced tab.
5. I clicked Environment Variables, and in the User variables, I clicked New.
6. In Variable name, I put Path, and in Variable value, I put C:Light-O-Rama.
7. I saved this and logged out and back in.

This lets me use the sequence command I showed above, and it finds the RDS script since it's in the path.

For testing purposes, I added the line

pause

at the end of the RDS.BAT file, and selected Normal, no focus in the windows command section of the sequence editor. This let me see if there were any errors.

Did I answer your question?

[Sparky Griswold]

Thanks Steve. I appreciate all the help. I'll mush through this. Have a great weekend.

[Sparky Griswold]

Hey Steve,

I think I have everything set regarding what LOR needs for path, sequences and audio.

I downloaded the MiniRDS program magicrds.exe from http://pira.cz/rds/ it appears to be an updated version from some of the past screen shots I've seen around.

Do you by chance have available your program settings from your MiniRDS software?

Again, thank you for all your help.

Bryan

[Sparky Griswold]

Hey Steve,

Hope your week is going well. Thank you again for your time in assisting me on this issue. I truly appreciate it. I have the EDM RDS feature working and have it set up like you instructed with the normal.txt file. I also have the windows command in the sequence editor as rds.bat 20th Century Fox Intro (for example) however when I create a show it plays the show in the sequence I've set and the RDS text shows up for the first song but the RDS text doesn't go to the 2nd song etc. Can you tell me what I'm doing wrong? Thanks again Steve for any input.

Bryan

[Sparky Griswold]

Hey Steve,

Hope your week is going well. Thank you again for your time in assisting me on this issue. I truly appreciate it. I have the EDM RDS feature working and have it set up like you instructed with the normal.txt file. I also have the windows command in the sequence editor as rds.bat 20th Century Fox Intro (for example) however when I create a show it plays the show in the sequence I've set and the RDS text shows up for the first song but the RDS text doesn't go to the 2nd song etc. Can you tell me what I'm doing wrong? Thanks again Steve for any input.

Bryan

[Greg]

Bryan,

are all your songs edited together in one sequence or are you using different sequences for each song. If you are using seperate sequences you need the windows command set up for each sequence for this is only run once at the start of the sequence.

greg

[Sparky Griswold]

Hey Greg, Thanks for quick response. All sequences are individual of one another. I have the Windows command file addressing each sequence seperately. As I mentioned, the RDS is showing up on my radio display but it doesn't cycle to the next song when it starts playing? Thus far, its the only action that doesn't seem to be working correctly. Everything else works great.

[Sparky Griswold]

Hey Greg, Thanks for quick response. All sequences are individual of one another. I have the Windows command file addressing each sequence seperately. As I mentioned, the RDS is showing up on my radio display but it doesn't cycle to the next song when it starts playing? Thus far, its the only action that doesn't seem to be working correctly. Everything else works great.

[Greg]

bryan,

are you still using mini rds software? if so make sure you have the box checked "send on change" under the text sources tab.

greg