The purpose of this blog entry is to compile a handy list of such websites for myself, and will hopefully be of use to other DXers too. There are also a few issues which need some consideration and I have included these below.
A Simple Search
If you don't know the stations's web address, there are various easy ways you could find it via a simple Google search. For example. Let's say you are searching for the station MFM from Morocco. Searching on these letters alone will lead you to the websites of many other stations which may also have the same name. It's too generic in this case, so narrow down your search by throwing in a few other words. Try adding the frequency in the search string, or the web suffix of the country. "mfm .ma" works for me and the station's website appears near the top of the list. You could also try "mfm morocco" or "mfm casablanca", etc.
Something less generic, such as the radio station name "Al Idaâ Al Amazighia" should appear at the top of the search list by searching on the name alone. It does for me.
Dedicated Stream Websites
There are many, Let's take Tune In to begin with. Search for "mfm morocco tunein" to get the desired result, or search directly via their website. You can also try other sites with Arabic radio audio streams such as Surfmusic, Okbob or Fonmy.
A personal favourite for Algerian audio streams is Surfmusic, though a small number of Algerian streams are not listed, but you might be able to find them via Qassimy, for example: Radio Chlef.
I have only mentioned a few of the many websites which contain collections of audio feeds, but this page gives details of those I have found to be the most useful.
Some points to bear in mind when using internet audio streams:
Internet lag:
This can work two ways. The audio which is streamed through the internet will suffer a time delay. This can vary between a few seconds to more than a minute, though the latter is rare these days. I have noticed a delay of around 30 seconds on some North African streams lately. The internet audio can also be ahead of the broadcast audio if for instance that audio is being re-streamed for another station. I hear this occasionally, especially on pirate radio stations.
Popular Songs:
So you are hearing that number one song on a very weak signal. Every stations seems to be playing it lately. What's to say it's not being broadcast on that frequency by another station? Extra care is needed. Try to listen to three songs in a row to confirm the web parallel if possible, though two songs should be sufficient, especially if the time lag is 'about right'. Ideally, there needs to be other clues too.
What I wanted to do on this page was list the most popular streaming services for use as a quick reference for myself, or anybody else who might want to make use of it. So where to begin?
The FM List website has many direct links to audio streams at the foot of the frequency lists. This is an excellent place to begin, but read on.
A problem you will encounter is some of those stream addresses will change without warning. You shouldn't have this problem if you have accessed the stream directly via the station's website as they should have kept this up-to-date, but if it's a link hosted elsewhere, outside that station's website, that address might change on a regular basis and you'll get a dead link. So using the station's website may be the best thing to try to begin with.
I hope these notes are of use.
