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Getting My Facility Connected with Reachout Radio

What you need to make WXXI Reachout Radio available to your residents:

  • An internal television channel that can be received in all of the resident rooms, as well as the dining areas and public areas of the facility, or audio delivery system, (PA, in house FM etc.)
  • A computer with IP internet access
  • A Barix Exstreamer 100 IP Audio Stream Decoder (available from Markertek for less than $200 – about the size of a pack of index cards)
  • Access to the specific WXXI Reachout Radio URL
Barix Box

Step 1

  • Purchase Barix Exstreamer 100 IP Audio Stream Decoder

Step 2

  • Connect Barix box to the Internet and run the RCA audio cables to the audio input on video modulator, PA, FM etc.)

Step 3

  • Listen to cable TV channel, PA audio channel, etc.  (Note:  WXXI Reachout Radio will provide you with a special link to access this restricted service, to cover the copyright exemption required by law to radio reading services.)
  • Restart the decoder (using a paperclip) it will announce its IP address. This is where Barix is great – announcing the IP address is a huge plus!
  • Using Internet browser, type in the announced IP address.
  • Click “Configuration” tab on web interface.
  • Enter WXXI Reachout Radio’s URL in the “URL 1” field

Step 4

  • If your facility has restricted Internet access, you may need to get a special port to allow for continuous audio streaming.

Step 5

Western Digital media player

  • If your system requires that you have video to go with your audio, we recommend taking something generic, like a nature scene DVD and loading it into the system.   MCH did this by purchasing a Western Digital WD TV Live Plus HD Media Player (cost $80).  This allowed their system to automatically switch to this video whenever the Reachout Radio stream is playing.

Questions:  email reachout@wxxi.org