RadioGram

Console Radio Broadcast Management System Version: 1.0a Author: Jason Page Started: Thanksgiving Day 2020 License: GPL-3+

Overview

RadioGram is a comprehensive radio broadcast system designed for console Linux environments. It provides professional radio automation capabilities including music rotation, scheduling, live input, and streaming - all from a text-based interface.

Features

• Automated Music Rotation - Uses MPD (Music Player Daemon) for playlist management
• Scheduler - Schedule content to play at specific dates and times
• Sound Pad - 0-9 programmable pads for live sound effects
• Live Microphone - Space bar toggles microphone input on/off
• Streaming - Built-in Icecast/Shoutcast encoder support
• Rotation System - Automatic jingle and commercial insertion
• Device Selection - Choose input/output audio devices on the fly
• MPD Configuration - Full control over MPD connection settings

Quick Start

• Ensure MPD is running:

bash
   systemctl --user start mpd
   

• Run radiogram from any directory:

bash
   radiogram
   

• Press 'C' to configure:
- Set up streaming (option 1) - Select audio devices (options 2-3) - Configure rotation/shuffle (option 4) - Configure MPD connection (option 5)
• Press 'H' for help on keyboard controls

Installation

From .deb Package

bash
sudo dpkg -i radiogram1.0aamd64.deb
sudo apt-get install -f  # Install dependencies if needed

Dependencies

• mpd - Music Player Daemon
• mpc - MPD command-line client
• mpv - Media player
• ffmpeg - Audio encoding for streaming
• alsa-utils - Audio device utilities

Configuration Files

RadioGram stores configuration in the current working directory:
• radiogram.cfg - Main configuration (audio devices, streaming, MPD settings)
• radiogram.sch - Scheduler entries (date/time and file paths)
• radiogram.pad - Sound pad mappings (pads 0-9)
• radiogram.lst - Current playlist file path
• ~/Music/pads/ - Default location for sound pad audio files

Keyboard Controls

| Key | Action | |-----|--------| | SPACE | Toggle microphone on/off | | ENTER | Add scheduled content | | 1-9 | Play sound pad 1-9 | | SHIFT+1-9 | Program sound pad 1-9 | | ALT+1-9 | Preview sound pad 1-9 | | C | Configuration menu | | R | Rotation/shuffle configuration | | E | Toggle streaming encoder | | S | Set/remove config lock | | H | Help | | A | About | | Q or ESC | Quit program | | UP/DOWN | Change output device | | LEFT/RIGHT | Change input device |

MPD Setup

RadioGram requires MPD (Music Player Daemon) to be installed and running.
• Install MPD:

bash
   sudo apt install mpd mpc
   

• Configure MPD (usually in ~/.config/mpd/mpd.conf or /etc/mpd.conf)
• Start MPD:

bash
   systemctl --user enable --now mpd
   

• In RadioGram, press 'C' then '5' to configure MPD connection:
- Host: localhost (or remote IP) - Port: 6600 (default) - Music Directory: /path/to/music (optional)

Streaming Setup

To stream to an Icecast/Shoutcast server:
• Press 'C' for config, then '1' for stream configuration
• Enter server URL (without http://)
• Enter port (default 8000)
• Enter mount point (e.g., /stream)
• Enter bitrate (e.g., 128)
• Enter source password
• Choose 'Y' to enable streaming immediately
Press 'E' to toggle the encoder on/off during operation.

Rotation/Shuffle Mode

To set up automatic music rotation with jingles and commercials:
• Press 'R' for rotation configuration
• Set Music Folder - Browse to your music library
• Set Jingle Folder - Browse to jingles directory
• Set Commercial Folder - Browse to commercials directory
• Set Jingle Interval - Play jingle every X songs
• Set Commercial Interval - Play commercial every X songs
• Press 'S' to start shuffle mode

Supported Audio Formats

• MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, M4A (via MPV and MPD)

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:
• Check system messages in the status line at the bottom of the screen
• Verify MPD is running: mpc status
• Check audio devices: arecord -L and aplay -L
• Ensure sound files are accessible and in supported formats
• Check /tmp/radiogram_*.err files for error details

Tips

• Use ALT+1-9 to preview sound pads before triggering them live
• Set a config lock password (press 'S') to prevent accidental changes
• The scheduler uses format: MM-DD-YYYY HH:MM:SS
• Audio files in sound pads should be short (under 30 seconds recommended)
• For best streaming quality, use 128kbps or higher bitrate

Contact

Author: Jason Page Email: jsp@pagetelegram.com Source: https://github.com/pagetelegram/radiogram

License

RadioGram is free software licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3 or later (GPL-3+). See /usr/share/doc/radiogram/copyright for full license information. --- RadioGram - Professional radio automation for the console