There have been some issues with the scanner feed over the last week, and I apologize for that.
Back during Windstorm 2.0, I lost internet for nearly a full day which, of course, took the feed down when all of us wanted to listen to it the most. With the major power outages, fallen trees, and general chaos around town, I know it was a pretty big bummer to miss listening to all the action. More importantly, I know it would have been a real benefit to those experiencing problems during that time.
I’ve since put together a dual-SIM router solution to help prevent this from happening again. If my primary internet (Charter) goes down, the router will automatically fail over to cellular to keep the broadcast live. This does add another monthly charge for me personally, but I’m happy to absorb that cost. If you’re so inclined to help contribute toward covering these monthly expenses and keeping this service going long-term, you can join the Missoula scanner community with a small (or large) donation via Buy Me a Coffee, the link is at the bottom of this page.
More recently, I’ve been getting numerous messages from listeners saying the feed was “online” but that no audio had come through at all for days. After digging in, I found that the virtual audio card I use (Voicemeeter Banana) had seized up and was no longer running, which was odd considering I’ve used this software in multiple other 24/7 environments without issue. I’ve since re-initialized the audio chain and brought the feed back online.
While troubleshooting the audio issue further, I discovered that the mini server running this entire operation was running extremely hot. Lo and behold, both its CPU and case fans have failed, which explains the overheating, freezing, and stuttering. This was a $300 device that is now, unfortunately, limping along. The problem isn’t as simple as popping in a couple of new 40mm fans because on some of these tiny integrated computers, the fans are soldered directly to the board rather than powered via connectors. That means I either need to break out the magnifying glasses and soldering iron, or replace the machine entirely. Given that this unit only made it about 15 months before losing its fans, I’m not especially eager to buy another $300 mini PC.
Maybe you have an old, unused laptop or computer sitting around that you no longer use. If so, and you’d be interested in donating it to the volunteer Missoula Scanner operation, it would go a long way toward keeping the scanner app and website running reliably.
Between the scanner, antenna, computer, and Verizon SIM card, I’m already into this project for north of $500 of my own money, which I’m totally fine with. The SIM card data plan runs $29.99 per month, so figure another roughly $300 per year. I genuinely love running this scanner and want to keep it online, but at some point I do need to accept some help from those willing to give it. If you have anything you think might help, please reach out and we’ll join forces.
That’s all for now.
Happy listening!