Need help?  Having trouble listening? 

You may E-mail us at info@thenightwatch.com

Tips...
As you know by now, we recently came back online with LIVE streaming of Worship and Prayer on the Internet. We thank you for your prayers in this matter. Immediately within the first 24 hours we received 2,229 web hits with just under ten percent of those going to the LIVE worship and prayer. Wow! That definitely shattered single-day records. We have been receiving around one thousand hits a day ever since with about ten percent praying LIVE with us through our audio streaming. But this great success has also created some technical problems as we are now using a Shoutcast Server. That is the reason for this particular newsletter. We want to help you get us on your computer in the right ways, so we can be more of a blessing to you, and so you can stand with us as we worship and pray LIVE over the nations and people. Please read this thru if you are having any problems with us from a technical standpoint. If not, this would be good to file somewhere for future reference. Prayer requests are at the bottom.

The Technical Problems Defined....
When we recently came back online we sent out a newsletter asking people to let us know how we sounded and how everything worked from a technical standpoint at their given location. Out of almost 1000 people, we have had less than 20 complaints. But we have consistently had two complaints that we will address here today. One is that people cannot actually get online with us when they try. The other is that when they do get online they either get static, cutouts, or constant rebuffering. Let's address those issues and try to solve them here so you can Worship with us and join us in LIVE prayer 24/7.

Complaint #1 - "I CANNOT GET NIGHT WATCH LIVE ON MY COMPUTER!"
Maybe you have received an error box that says "invalid file," or "cannot find server," or other such language when you try either speed on our "Listen Live" Page.

We have found an interesting common denominator for this issue. It seems to happen most of the time when people have more than one Media Player on their computer - or an unsupported Media Player on their computer. We have dealt with this several times.It seems that having more than one Player in your system can confuse computers in certain instances. The reason this occasionally happens is that as you install additional players, they can "steal" file associations from each other. In other words, you may have installed WinAmp on your computer for playing .mp3 files -- then you installed Windows Media Player later. Using the default settings, Windows Media Player may have "hijacked" WinAmp as the player of choice for playing .mp3 files.

If you choose to keep more than one Media Player in your system, you can usually use the "custom" installation type rather than the "typical" installation to add new Media Players, and carefully choose which file types are played by which Players.

You can contact us at info@thenightwatch.com  and we can give you more information on this.

Another way to resolve this issue is to FULLY delete all Media Players and then pick THE ONE that you wish to use. Be sure that you uninstall them using your Control Panel and don't just delete your desktop icon(s) -- they need to be COMPLETELY REMOVED from your computer. Then when you decide which one you want to use, it's very important to get the player that is compatible with your operating system and the types of audio/visual media you use. Also be sure to get the very LATEST VERSION of that player. Our system plays in Winamp, so Winamp is going to work best with it. We can also recommend Windows Media Player, which is installed by default on most Windows computers today. We use it, and it works well for us. These are both free downloads linked from our web site and "Listen Live" Page. I occasionally get “invalid file” or “file cannot be initialized” errors, but I have found that if I try three or four times, I can listen to The Nightwatch for hours with no problems.

Complaint #2 - "YOU ARE CUTTING OUT AND REBUFFERING ALL THE TIME!"
Although we may not be able to completely resolve this issue, we can most likely at least improve it. In most cases, not all, this is a buffering problem. You should go inside your player and find your options and properties connections. On Windows Media Player you can find these by beginning under "tools". You need to work your way to a page that will let you adjust your buffering times/settings. Most computers are never reset and come from the factory set for about five seconds. This is way too short for Internet streaming. It should be 20 to 45 seconds. This is how long it will take your computer to load us. It is storing files and data to play back at those time intervals. In other words, if you set for 20, then you will always receive us 20 seconds on delay, for 20 seconds is what you have stored. In most cases this repairs cutouts, cutoffs, and rebuffering problems. You can also make adjustments to speed and everything in this area of your computer. Be sure when you get it set the way you want, that you press "Apply" before "Okay".

INTANGIBLES WE CANNOT CONTROL....
Unfortunately, there are things we have no control over. Technology is still being developed and growing. There could be a local problem in your regional system. For example, we have a hard time sometimes coming in to Denver, Colorado and places in Arizona and even here in KC in Lee's Summit, Missouri. There could also be something wrong or a glitch in your computer. There was something wrong in mine for some time that cut out and rebuffered with Audio, especially Internet stuff. Of course, our server could be full, too. Except for possibly the first 48 hours we were back on, that just has not happened yet. There are actually many reasons you may not be able to get us, or get us as clear and clean as you would like. Just pray because, unfortunately, we cannot control everything.

THINGS YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND.... LET'S RECAP!
Make your choice of the one Player you want to use. These are available on our "Listen Live" Page. Then, be sure and fully download your Player, making sure that it is compatible with your Operating System. In other words, if you use XP then you must have the Player for XP. If you use Windows 2000, then you must use the Player for that system. Fourth, be very sure and get the very latest version of any player. For some reason, our system only plays on the very latest Players. When you get an opportunity for a free upgrade, get it. Stay current!

THINGS TO KNOW TO GO LIVE.... LET'S RECAP AGAIN!
Go to "Listen Live" or to the Radio Icon on our web site Home Page. Once you are on the "Listen Live" Page, and if you already have your proper Player installed, then be sure and click on the right speed. The 24kbps speed is strictly for dial-ups and slow speed Internet. The 96kbps speed is intended for Cable, DSL, T-1 and higher speed Internet. It's important that you make the right choice here. Next, when your Player comes up, be sure and check the buffering numbers inside it. Remember, we will always sound better with external speakers that you can use to fill your house with sounds of praise, worship, and prayer. We recommend Altec Lansing. They are very very good and very affordable for computers. Also, remember to put us under favorites so we're easy to get to, and you can listen while you work on your computer by minimizing after you get good audio. Be sure and turn the volume way up and get the anointing to your neighbors, too! Ha! Ha!

LET US KNOW HOW IT'S GOING!
We want us in your life, your house, your computer, and even in your business if you want. So please contact us if we can help you further. These guidelines have helped most people that we have been dealing with for the last year. You can always reach us at info@thenightwatch.com. Please let us know if your problems have been resolved and how.

Thanks again for your help, support, prayers, and giving. Thanks for standing with us! And thanks for grace and patience as we continue to work on these issues and tweak everything.