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Old 11-03-2003, 01:57 PM   #1
Bill
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Default Old Radio Shows

I'm having a great time today. I ran across a web site with a ton of old radio shows available for free download. There are a number of these sites, but this one seems especially easy and fun. Check out [dead link]. Each show is about 20 minutes long. - ie, the original half hour, but with the ads and station breaks removed.

You'll find Bob Hope, Abbott & Costello, Gene Autry, Charlie Chan ... If you don't recognize these names, feel free to go on to the next post. But if the idea of listening to these appeals to you, you can download the shows, make your own CDs, and play them in the TM (or the TV) when you are on the road.

Do you have a CD burner on your computer? If you don't, they are cheap to buy, easy to install, and fun to use. With one of these units, you can make a CD in either standard audio format or MP3 format. In standard format (same as the CDs you buy in the store), each CD will hold one or maybe 2 of these old radio shows - each about 20-25 minutes long. In MP3 format, a single CD will hold 25 or 30 shows (maybe 10 hours). Many board members (including me) will be glad to offer help here.

And do you have a CD player in your TM? Any CD player will play a standard format CD, so if that's the player you have, you can put these old shows on standard CDs. Even better, many in-dash radio/CD players (from Crutchfield, Tweeter, WalMart, etc) will also play MP3 formats. We installed one of these dual-format units in our TM, and love it.

So imagine yourself settled into a rustic campsite with whispering pines, low lights, a campfire, and Jack Benny on the radio. Can't speak for you, but I love it.

Bill
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Old 11-03-2003, 03:16 PM   #2
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Default Re:Old Radio Shows

Bill,

Thanks for the tip. I too installed a new radio that will play MP3 files and it's great sitting in the forest listening to the music. Now, the old radio shows also.

Jim
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Old 11-03-2003, 08:26 PM   #3
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Default Re:Old Radio Shows

Thanks bud! My folks are in their 80's and you just provided their Christmas present. I'm sure they will love the old shows. I know I do. Now All I have to do is hire a kid that lives in their town to go over a teach them how to use the CD player. :
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Old 11-04-2003, 12:11 PM   #4
Civil_War_Buff
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Default Re:Old Radio Shows

Bill,

Thanks so much, I am thoroughly enjoying the site. I love the old radio programs and this is making my day just fly by.

Lovin' it.


Larry
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Old 11-04-2003, 05:42 PM   #5
dcrdark
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Default Re:Old Radio Shows

Bill, Thanks for the site. I have a long commute to work and this will help pass the time. Are there other old radio sites that you could share with us.
Thanks Again
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Old 11-06-2003, 07:19 AM   #6
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Default Re:Old Radio Shows

I'm downloading them for our upcoming Thanksgiving trip to New Jersey. Does anyone know if car stereos can play MP3 CDs? If not, I don't mind putting the shows on a regular CD, but it would be nice if I could put more on a single disc.
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Old 11-06-2003, 07:40 AM   #7
Bill
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Default Re:Old Radio Shows

FJ&E -

Can car radios play MP3s? Although some do, the usual answer is no. If it can, this would have been considered a "premium feature", which you would have purchased at extra cost. The front of the radio would undoubtedly say "MP3" on it just like radios used to say "Dolby". You can also check the owner's manual.

Of course, the easy way to be sure is to make an MP3 CD (the blanks cost only about a dime, right?), shove it into the slot, and see what happens. If it doesn't like the CD, it will just spit it right back out at you!

Bill
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Old 11-06-2003, 07:55 AM   #8
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Default Re:Old Radio Shows

[quote author=Bill link=board=7;threadid=1502;start=msg10657#msg10657 date=1068129642]
FJ&E -

You can also check the owner's manual.


Bill
[/quote]

I highly recommend you review your owners manual before inserting any cd-R or CD-RW. I made a cd for one of our dancers & she put it in her car cd player, never to come out again. Won't play or eject.

When reading her manual it said not to use these in the player.

I have a professional DJ CD system which does not use an eject tray, but rather the system similar to a car's. It does allow for use of cd-r's & cd-rw's.

As a precaution, double-check first.

BTW, I am also enjoying these programs, making cd's for my father.

Take care,

Dan
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Old 11-06-2003, 08:44 AM   #9
Bill
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Default Re:Old Radio Shows

[quote author=dcrdark link=board=7;threadid=1502;start=msg10627#msg10627 date=1067992978]Are there other old radio sites that you could share with us.[/quote]The answer is an unqualified "maybe".

o There are a lot of sites that will allow you to download on a pay-per-download basis, or for a membership fee.
o There are a lot of sites that will allow you to download "clips".
o Some sites make files available only in RealAudio (.ra or .ram) format. I personally despise Real Audio, but your mileage may vary.
o And there are a number of Internet radio stations that play old shows continuously. If you have the time and the equipment, you can capture them on your computer as they play, and then sort them out and put them on CD later. Some of these stations even have a Program Guide to tell you what will be played, and when.

A good library of free shows in MP3 format is hard to find.

The thing I liked about the Radiolovers.com site is that you can download the shows of your choice, at any time, for FREE. Other sites like this do exist from time to time, but they seem to come and go. Or they morph into pay sites. I have no idea whether the RadioLovers.com site will go down one of these roads, but given the name and the dotcom extension, it might.

To find free sites, you'll need to do a lot of rummaging on the Internet. The magic phrase that is used to describe these old shows is "Old Time Radio" or "OTR". As a start, check out http://www.old-time.com/ and http://www.old-time.com/werus.html and http://www.otr.com/index.shtml. You may or may not find what you are looking for, but there is a lot of non-commerical info here.

If you really get interested in OTR as a hobby or an obsession, there is a pair of Usenet newsgroups dedicated to the topic. Alt.radio.oldtime is the discussion group, and sound files are posted on the companion group, alt.binaries.sounds.radio.oldtime.

How's that for a complex answer to a simple question?

Bill
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Old 11-06-2003, 08:53 AM   #10
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Default Re:Old Radio Shows

Hi all,

As an aside, most modern cd burners will record at high speeds, but if you desire the cd to last longer I recommend the slowest speed you can put up with. Original cd's you buy have a protective plastic coating put on after being recorded, the blank cd's do not. Burning at a slower speed provides a deeper burn and will survive longer if used repeatedly.

I record my archive cd's at 4x, even though my burner is capable of 48x.

Have a great day.

Dan
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