Question from a returning newbie

[Timbo33]

This message is for @DrO. MrSinatra over at the Winamp forums suggested I ask my question here.

Basically, I'm trying to set up my Internet Radio Station without paying for a server/hosting. I want to make my PC the server. I did it years ago for fun, just to see if I could do it. However, I'm having challenges doing it now. Not connecting, other errors. I'll post my original question below, but it was suggested that there might be better ways than Winamp to get on the air. I'm open to any suggestions. BTW...right now, I'm not looking to list my station to get many public listeners. I just need to be able to have 1 or 2 listeners for a specific reason.

Here's my original question from the other forum...

Years ago, I made my PC a server and broadcast music publicly as an Internet Radio Station. It was just for fun really...to see if I could do it.

I'm trying to do the same now. I have a Windows 7 PC (desktop) that isn't doing much...still works well though.

I've read and read and read. Conceptually, I understand how I need to set up WinAmp, the Shoutcast plugin and the Shoutcast server. However, I can't get it to work. I'm not sure what elementary piece I'm missing. On one hand, I install the plugin and there is this weird red lettering or cross out on some of the menu tabs. And it doesn't look the same as in the tutorial diagram. Then I download it again, and it's fine. But I can't get it to work.

Thing is, I don't know where the issue is. I'm not understanding something fundamental. I have a Shoutcast account (free). I have all the pieces.

The server just won't start...or connect...or something. Not sure if someone has a definitive tutorial, step by step, that I can use. But I could sure use the help.

[dro]

If it doesn't need to be listed & you're happy to self-serve & as needed open ports from the machine to be used (unless you can get away with it from all within the same LAN - I suspect you'll have to do some port forwarding) & you just want to broadcast what you're playing then I'd just install WACUP with the streaming server support enabled. You can even do this using the portable install mode to avoid it messing with anything else whilst seeing if it'll do what you need.

Once installed go to Preferences -> Streaming, set the port (or leave it at the 8000 default), change the password, then follow the instructions to enable the streaming source plug-in (instead of using the SHOUTcast provided one) which should just require WACUP to restart once. After that, press the start button on Preferences -> Streaming, then go to Preferences -> Streaming -> Stream Source & on there ensure the "Use the built-in server login details (un-check this to customise)" option is checked. Once it is, press connect & that should be the stream running.

If you go back to Preferences -> Streaming there'll be a link to open a basic stream player page in the default browser which should allow you to confirm if the playback is working or not (depending on how / when you start the stream vs playback starting you might get silence for a bit otherwise it should be a few seconds at most behind what is actually playing due to the stream being buffered a bit to deal with connection delays, etc).

Obviously you'll need to have WACUP playing something & if it works to then change the default on state of the streaming server & stream source so you don't have to manually do that each time WACUP is started. After that, it depends on how you want the other listeners to get access as to what needs to be done next (i.e. if port forwarding is going to be required).

I also should probably sort out a password solution for listening to the stream which I've not done so far as I've mostly aimed this feature for LAN playback needs.

Any questions, issues with the steps then do let me know so I can either fix / refine / explain things a bit clearer as needed as I'm just replying to this before getting some sleep so hopefully it makes sense & so on.

-dro