The Fantastic Binaries FAQ

Downloading the Stern show binaries - FAQ
(revised 07/08/05)



This FAQ is designed to answer the following Frequently Asked Questions:

1) Where do I find show recordings on Usenet?
2) What kind of newsreader should I use?
3) Just what type of material will I find on the newsgroups?
4) How and when is the radio show posted on the newsgroups?
5) What's the deal with all the different versions of the show?
6) Can I get reposts of shows I missed?
7) What's alt.binaries.great?
8) Are there any other places I can find shows on the net?
9) Can I hear the show streamed live on the net?
10) Will the show be posted or streamed when Howard goes to satellite?


1) Where can I find binaries of the show on Usenet?

The first thing you'll need is access to a good news server that carries
the Usenet newsgroup: alt.binaries.howard-stern

You might also like to have the groups:
alt.binaries.howard-stern.repost
and
alt.binaries.great


Many ISPs have news servers that carry these groups, many bad ISPs don't,
and not all ISPs that carry the groups offer reliable service. If your
internet provider doesn't carry them, or their retention and completion
of binary posts sucks, you can either get a better ISP or sign up with a
third-party news service for a fee. Here are some, but not all, Usenet
news service providers:

http://www.easynews.com/
http://www.giganews.com/
http://www.newsguy.com/
http://www.usenetserver.com/
* http://www.teranews.com/
** http://yottanews.com/

* teranews also offers limited "free" access. If you pay a $4 signup
fee, you can download 50mb a day, which can be adequate for downloading
splootch's version of the commercial free show which generally averages
40mb a day.

** Yottanews also offers a free account, with no signup fee, that allows
1 Gigabyte of downloads per month. However login is based on your IP
address, therefore they are recommended only for individuals with static
IP addresses.

Some Usenet news providers (Newsguy is one) have web interfaces that
allow you to decode and download binary files directly from their
website, eliminating the need for you to have a binary capable news
reader.



2) Which newsreader do I need to download and decode binaries?

Many people new to Usenet use Microsoft's Outlook Express. While it is
adequate for handling text posts, it is a poor choice for downloading
binaries. You should get a better newsreader for handling binaries, one
that simplifies the process of downloading and decoding. The following
are popular choices for both text and binaries:

Xnews: http://xnews.newsguy.com
(see the Xnews binaries tutorial: http://abmefaq.net/XNews_Primer.html)
Gravity: http://www.microplanet.com/
Agent and FreeAgent: http://www.forteinc.com/main/homepage.php

There are many others, some specialize in only binaries, and you can find
a list and reviews at: http://download.com.com/sort/3150-2164-0-1-3.html?

My favorite binary only utility is the free Powergrab from:
http://www.cosmicwolf.com/

It's beyond the scope of this FAQ to explain how to use different
newsreaders to download and decode binaries. Search for specific
tutorials on the software you choose.



3) What will I find on alt.binaries.howard-stern?

On this newsgroup you will find binary encodings of both the E!
television show and the Infinity radio show, posted on a daily basis.
Sometimes people will also post pictures related to the show, or clips
from other media that somehow relate to Howard Stern - like things that
Howard mentions on the show, or phony phone calls that mention Stern.
You'll not only find recent shows but blasts from the past in the form of
complete shows and bits.



4) How and when is the daily radio show posted?

Every morning a few dedicated people record the show to their computers
and encode it in .mp3 and .ra formats. Because it is impossible to
stream the show directly to the newsgroup, they divide it up into 30
minute parts and upload each part as soon as it is encoded. If you have
a good news service, you should start seeing posts of the first half-hour
of the show at around 6:35am, and subsequent parts at 30 minute
intervals. You can essentially listen to the show with a 30-40 minute
delay if you sit at your computer and download each part every 30 minutes
or so. A typical show will be divided into 10 of these 30 minute parts,
and parts will either be numbered in sequential order (1,2,3) or by
sequential time (0000- 0030, 0030-0100, 0100-0130).

Starting at around 11am, you will also begin seeing the appearance of the
"commercial-free" versions. These are made by other people who download
the 30 minute parts, combine them and edit out the commercials, usually
using Cool Edit. Their posts will say either "CF" or "Comm-Free" or
"Commerical Free" in the Subject line. Currently, complete
commercial-free shows are posted in 1, 2 and 3 part versions.

Here is a list of regular show posters and what they post:

#sterntuary: Posts realaudio versions of the show with commercials,
recorded from WNVE in Rochester, NY and WAQX in Syracuse, NY, in 30
minute segments, in both 4.9kb and 16kb, beginning at 6:30am; also posts
the E! TV show.

TaTaToothy: Posts MP3 version of the show with commercials, recorded from
WBCN in Boston, MA, in 30 minute segments, in 24kb, 22Hz Mono, beginning
at 6:30am..

Bababooey and the d00d: Post the "Off-Hour Rockers" (see section 8)
Realaudio version of the show with commercials, recorded from WYSP in
Philadelphia, PA, compressed into RAR files, later in the day.

Admiral Ernie Logman: Posts MP3 commercial free version of the show in
24kb, 22Hz Mono, usually around noon, in 1 file.

ltj: Posts MP3 commercial-free version of the show in 56kb, 44Hz Mono,
usually before noon, in 3 files.

SaSaSushi: Posts MP3 commercial, intro and bumper free version of the
show in 24kb, 22Hz Mono, usually in the evening, in 2 files.

Splootch: Posts MP3 commercial free version of the show in 24kb, 22Hz
Mono, usually before noon, in 2 files.



5) Which version of the show should I download?

That depends on what format you prefer, mp3 or ram, what quality/filesize
you desire, and with or without commercials. There are lower quality
versions for people on dialup, and higher quality versions for broadband
users. Try a few different encodings and find your own preference. The
higher bitrate versions may also be required by some portable audio
players.



6) Can I get reposts of shows I missed?

If you ask nicely, sure. You can request recent shows or oldies. Note
that repost requests made in the main binary group are usually posted on
alt.binaries.howard-stern.repost but you can ask for them in either
group, though your request will be seen by more people in the main group
(alt.binaries.howard-stern).


7) What's alt.binaries.great?

It's another binary group that carries a variety of media, including
Stern shows. It could be of use at times if your provider doesn't carry
the stern group, or if there's a completion problem in it.


8) Is there any other place on the net where I can get binaries of the
radio show?

There are websites popping up every so often that offer to sell encodings
of the show, but avoid them. They're not likely to last as they make an
inviting legal target that can be shut down, so your money could end up
down the drain. There are also people trying to sell recordings on eBay,
most of which are just mp3s they've downloaded from the newsgroups.

If you know where to look, you should never have to pay for anything
other than your Internet and Usenet access!

Other free places to find it are P2P networks such as Kazaa, WinMx and
various torrent sites. Do your own searching of your favorite P2P nets
and torrent sites.

Tip for finding torrents: The commercial free encodings are frequently
listed at http://www.mininova.org in the Music category and the E! shows
in the TV category, and you can also search for the keyword "stern" at
http://isohunt.com to turn up torrents.

If you are familiar with IRC, visit the channels #Off_hour_rockers and
#ohr-files on the EFnet network and follow instructions or ask the
channel members how to get files.



9) Can I hear the show streamed live on the net?

You might. Places to look are:


a) www.streamerp2p.com

This is a p2p utility that you download and run on your machine. It
works like a P2P system in which you upload to other users as well as
download, but instead of sharing files you share an active audio stream
that plays through an audio program. You can use the built-in audio
program or pass the stream to your favorite external program like Winamp
(recommended).


b) www.shoutcast.com

Nullsoft's streaming audio system for Winamp. Search for "Howard Stern".


c) www.icecast.org

An open-source alternative to Nullsoft's Shoutcast.



10) Will the show be posted online or streamed when Howard goes to
satellite?

The magic eight ball says there is a high probability.

.

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