DAR.fm is a service that lets you record radio stations and shows so you can listen whenever you like. Please browse the site to find some radio to record. Then send me your feedback. I want to hear from you. -- MR


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FAQ

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Overview

Using DAR.fm

Recording Content

Listening to My Recordings

Deleting Old Files

Station Guide (Adding, Editing, Deleting)

Adding DAR.fm to your Product, Service, or Site

Charts

Troubleshooting DAR.fm Issues


How do I get additional help?


Overview

Q: How do I get started with DAR.fm?
A: Watch the video below for step by step instructions:

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Q: What does DAR.fm do?
A: DAR stands for "Digital Audio Recorder". DAR.fm is a personal recorder which records radio stations and shows to be played back at the convenience of the listener. Similar to how a DVR (digital video recorder) works with television DAR is a DVR for your radio.
Q: Why is a DAR useful?
A: DAR can be scheduled to record radio shows or stations which interest you. Once recorded you can listen from a PC, laptop, smart phone, internet radio or other device.
Q: How does a DAR improve radio?
A: On radio, broadcasters determine the schedule. If you're not in front of your radio you miss out. Using DAR you can record material that interests you and listen at a convenient time. You can pause, rewind or fast forward as you wish. Since the material is stored on the internet you can listen almost anywhere such as: a PC at work, a smartphone while commuting or an internet radio or Roku player in your home.
Q: How much does it cost?
A: There is no cost to try DAR.fm - with a free account you can record any one show or station at a time. To record up to 10 shows or stations, upgrade to a Pro account.
Q: Can I pay with Paypal?
A: You can pay with Paypal, but it won't be an immediate upgrade to your account. Please click the Player page on DAR.fm and follow the Paypal links to make a donation for the Pro amount. Once that is received then your account will be manually updated to Pro. It make take a day or 2 if you make the purchase on a weekend.

Using DAR.fm

Q: How do I use DAR?
A: Browse the show guide, station list or search to find radio shows or stations. When you find something you want, click the record button which looks like this: . If this is your first time using DAR.fm you'll be asked to enter an email address so a personal and secure account can be created for you. This is where your shows will be stored. An email will be sent when your recording is ready. For more information: please watch this YouTube video.
Q: Can I share recordings with other people?
A: No. Recordings by DAR.fm are for use by the account holder. You may invite others to create their own account at DAR.fm if they wish to listen to radio recordings of their own.
Q: I've forgotten my password! How do I log in to DAR.fm?
A: If you already have an account click here to retrieve your password. An email will be sent to the address with the password.
Q: How do I change my password?
A: Log in to your DAR.fm account and click on the "Settings" link in the upper right hand corner to go to your Settings page. From here you can change your password to whatever you want.
Q: How do I close my DAR.fm account?
A: You can send email to closeaccount@dar.fm and we'd be happy to help you out. Please be sure to send your request from the email address that you signed up to DAR.fm with.

Recording Content

Q: I've searched but the station/show I want is not listed! Why not?
A: The goal of DAR.fm is to include all shows and stations. We've made it very simple to add shows/stations to the guide. You can make DAR.fm better by adding shows that you see missing. You can also edit shows/stations that have incorrect schedules or info. The more people get involved the better the guide becomes.
Q: Where are my recordings stored?
A: DAR.fm stores your recordings in secure, password-protected areas. DAR.fm does not allow sharing. Each user must have their own account.
Q: How much can I record?
A: DAR.fm gives you 2 GBs of free storage to record your content. This is enough to store approximately 100 hours of material. However, it depends on whether the material you're recording is talk or music – you may be able to store more or less. If you need more space you can purchase a Pro Account with 50 GB of storage.
Q: Does my computer have to remain on to record radio?
A: No, you don't have to leave your computer turned on. Once a schedule is setup, then DAR.fm is directed to store the material at your direction and will capture the recording at the prescribed time.
Q: How can I see a list of shows that I have scheduled?
A: Log in to your dar.fm account and click on Scheduled to see a list of your scheduled upcoming recordings. You can also see a list of your completed recordings on this page.
Q: How do I stop recording a show?
A: Log in to your dar.fm account and click on Scheduled to see the list of shows. Click the "Stop" link () to cancel a recording.
Q: Can I start playing back a show while it is recording?
A: Yes. As soon as parts are recorded and stored they are available for listening. All DAR recordings are saved in 15 minute parts, so you can expect to start listening in about 30 minutes after the start of the recording.
Q: I got an error: 'station unavailable'. What does this mean?
A: A small handful of stations that DAR.fm connects to record each day may be unavailable. This is often a temporary issue due to maintenance by the station or other interruptions out of DAR.fm's control; often the next day they begin working without any new action on your part. Occasionally they are terminally broken and will simply never work. If it's failing for multiple days you can Cancel that recording in the Scheduled area and reschedule it or find something else on a different station.
Q: How can I schedule more than 1 recording?
A: With a free account you can record any one show or station at a time. To record up to 10 shows or stations, upgrade to a Pro account.
Q: Why are my recordings broken into 15 minute parts?
A: It's designed this way so you can listen to programming while it's happening. And it's also friendlier for mobile streaming because the files are smaller. If you got a timeout error while streaming then you would lose the entire recording. Once you begin to play the first file all the other parts should play automatically. So, you don't have to click on each part individually to play it.

Listening to My Recordings

Q: My shows display on the DAR.fm site, but they do not play. How can I play my recordings?
A: If shows display then they were recorded and the problem is on your computer setup. Here's a few steps to take to diagnose why they will not play. Your computer must have flash or a modern web browser to play them. Please upgrade or allow Flash software on your computer. Make sure there is no firewall, Macafee or Norton software blocking DAR.fm. Next try a different web browser like Chrome or Firefox. Make sure audio is functioning on your computer as well. If recordings still won't play please try another computer. These steps will identify where the issue is so you can fix it.
Q: Can I listen to a show without recording it?
A: No, you can't listen to a show without recording it using DAR.fm.
Q: How do I listen to a recording?
A: To listen from a PC log in to DAR.fm at: http://dar.fm and click the Play button in the top menu. Select the recording you wish to listen to and it should start playing. If you have trouble playing back your files or viewing the playlists please check to make sure that you have the latest version of Adobe Flash plugin installed. Also check to make sure that you do not have any browser plugins, firewalls, or software which might be blocking your connection.
Q: Can I listen on my Internet radio?
A: Yes, check out the list of supported devices.
Q: I got an error: 'unable to load track information' while listening. How can I fix this?
A: This error message could appear when using Internet Explorer 7. The fastest way to fix this is to upgrade your web browser to a newer version of Internet Explorer or use a different browser like Firefox, Chrome, Opera or Safari.
Q: Can I download recordings in MP3 format?
A: Free users can download one show/series in MP3 format. Pro users can download all of their recordings in MP3 format automatically to any PC, smartphone or tablet.
Q: I am trying to get my recordings but all of them are not downloading (or I'm getting too many shows downloading and I only want the most recent ones).
A: Check the Settings area on DAR.fm. Here, you can you set the time period you want to download recordings from. The default setting is 3 weeks. If you want to download new shows set it to less (example: 1 week). If you want to download older shows change it to be more (example: 4 weeks). After you click the Update button you'll be able to download the shows you want. Learn more about downloading shows to your iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, or other device.
Q: In the Scheduled area the status shows "Completed" but I'm unable to play the show in the Player area.
A: Usually this means there's an issue with your web browser. Please try these troubleshooting steps.
  1. Watch the video above "How do I get started with DAR.fm?" to see how it should ideally work.
  2. Try viewing your account from a different web browser such as Firefox, Chrome or Safari and trying to play your shows. Make sure you don't have software that blocks flash playback.
  3. Try another computer if there's one handy.
Q: I have to click on each show part individually to listen on my iPod. How can I play the entire show at once?
A: Some iPods do not support automatic playback of all files. The easiest way to fix this is to create a new playlist in iTunes and add all of the show parts. Then sync that playlist with your iPod and play it. All of the parts should play automatically.
Q: Are there iPad/iPhone apps available?
A: Yes, check out the free app called RSSRadio Lite (FREE) or Downcast ($1.99) from the iTunes App Store.

Deleting Old Files

Q: How can I tell how much space I have left?
A: If you log in at DAR.fm and click on Settings (in the upper right hand corner) you'll see a graph which tells you how much space you have left.
Q: How can I delete recordings to free up more space?
A: Click the "Play" button on the DAR.fm web site to go to the player. Click the button that says "Enter Delete Mode". You should see a check box to the left of each show. Select the show(s) that you want to delete by checking the box. Then, click the "Delete checked items" button. When you are finished, click the "Return to play" button.

Station Guide (Adding, Editing, Deleting)

Q: How do I add a station which is not listed?
A: You can edit the guide yourself by going to http://dar.fm/suggest.php. This form will allow you to add or edit shows, stations, or broadcast schedules. If you don't see your favorite show you can add it with a few clicks.
Q: How can I find the streaming URL to add to DAR.fm?
A:
1) Go to Google .com and search for the station name and call letters and "pls" or "m3u" together in one search like this: kabc pls [OR] kabc m3u

2) Sift through the Google results looking for any URL that ends in .pls. You will have to look through the search results to find streams that work. This may not be the first result that you find. Try different URLs until you find one that works. Copy this entire URL.

3) Test the URL in iTunes. Open iTunes. From the Advanced menu select "Open Audio Stream" and paste the URL in. If you hear nothing that is not a correct URL. Keep trying different URLs until you hear the desired audio then you'll know you have a good URL.

4) If you hear the desired audio then the URL is good and you can add it to DAR.fm here: http://www.dar.fm/streamadd.php

It will instantly be available for recording!
Q: Can you remove my show or station from the guide?
A: DAR respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (the "DMCA") provides recourse for copyright owners who believe that material appearing on the Internet infringes their rights under U.S. copyright law. If you believe in good faith that materials listed on DAR infringe your copyright you (or your agent) may send us a notice requesting that the material be removed, or access to it blocked. You can submit the required information here.

Adding DAR.fm to your Product, Service, or Site

Q: Do you have a DAR.fm API for developers?
A: Yes, you can find it here: DAR.fm API.
Q: Is it possible to have a button or link which when clicked will record a specific station and show?
A: Yes. DAR.fm has an API which you can incorporate into a button or link which will easily allow anyone to record every episode of a radio show.

Charts

Q: How are show charts calculated?
A: Charts are calculated using actual consumers recording and listening behavior. Activity is cataloged and then rankings are created for each show.
Q: How often are the charts updated?
A: Charts are updated every 24 hours.
Q: I noticed a show is in the wrong category. Can you change it?
A: On the Show page there is an Edit link which can be used to change the category a show is listed in.
Q: Can you pay to improve position on a chart?
A: No. The charts are determined by actual user behavior and are not adjusted by a human.
Q: I want to be in a new category. How do I add a new category?
A: We are open to adding new categories if it makes sense. Please send email to with the category you would like to be added and we will review it.

Troubleshooting DAR.fm Issues

Q: The show that I scheduled did not record. Why not?
A: The easiest way to fix this is to wait a day and it should start recording again in the future. If you continue to have trouble you can go to the Scheduled page, cancel your job, then search for it and schedule again.
Q: Why am I limited to recording just 1 show?
A: We want to make sure that there is enough capacity for everyone to try DAR.fm for free. If you would like to be able to record more than 1 show you can upgrade to a Pro account.
Q: I don't get anything when I try to download my recordings. How can I fix this?
A: By default DAR.fm will download only the last week of recordings. If there are no recordings during that time period than nothing will be downloaded. To download recordings older than a week visit the Settings area on DAR.fm and select a different option in the Download area.
Q: My schedule page shows completed recordings but when I visit the Player on DAR.fm nothing is listed?
A: The Player on DAR.fm requires flash to be installed. Please make sure Flash is installed and there are no browser additions that block javascript or flash. One useful technique is to try a different web browser such as Chrome or Firefox.

How do I get additional help?


  • Search for radio shows or stations:
go

See missing stations or shows? Want to make corrections?
Now you can change the guide and make DAR.fm better for everyone.