Q. Okay, what is Seismic Radio anyway?
A. Seismic Radio is an Internet radio station, broadcasting a RealAudio stream of music to anyone who chooses to listen, night or day! The station has no set format and no definite playlists, but you can hear lots of good music that you'd be unlikely to hear on a real-world radio station!

Q. Sounds intriguing. What *am* I likely to hear?
A. Our DJs have a very diverse set of musical interests. You'll hear progressive rock and progressive metal, metal in many flavors, rarities, bootlegs, hard-to-find or out-of-print CDs, 80's rock or AOR, and occasionally some less mainstream stuff like new age, electronica, or classical. Most of the DJs are happy to take requests; feel free to tune in and request something!

Q. What exactly do I need to listen?
A. A decent internet connection (a 28.8K modem or above is required, and 56K or higher is recommended), a sound card in your computer (so you can hear the music) and RealPlayer (to connect to the RealAudio stream). That's it!

Q. So where do I get this RealPlayer?
A. Click here to download RealPlayer. (Don't worry, it's free of charge). Once you've finished downloading the file, simply double-click the file you downloaded to install it on your system.

Q. Okay, I've installed RealPlayer on my system, and I'm connected to the Internet. Now what?
A. You can connect to our RealAudio stream in one of two ways:

• If you don't have a browser open at the moment, open RealPlayer up and select "Open Location". Then type the following into the field:
  http://progmetal.gmsnet.com/clips/seismicradio.ram
  Then hit return. RealPlayer will connect to the audio stream and begin playing whatever's on the air right now!
• If you have a browser open, simply click on the link that says "Listen". RealPlayer will automatically open and begin playing whatever's on the air right now. Turn up the sound and enjoy!

Q. I connected using one of the methods described above but I got a message saying "Requested link not found. The link may be outdated or inaccurate". What's up?
A. We don't yet have a full complement of DJs to handle a 24-hour-a-day schedule. Check out our schedule (or click the link on the navigation bar). The schedule is in Eastern U.S. time. If you are trying to connect at a time during which there's no DJ scheduled, you'll probably get an error message. Simply check back another time to get your musical fix. If you are trying to connect at a time when there IS a DJ listed, the server may be down or there may be a momentary break in the stream. Try a few more times; if the connection still doesn't seem to work, let us know through one of the methods listed below.

Q. I'm having some problems listening (the connection seems choppy, static-filled, or frequently shows the "Net congestion: Rebuffering" message). How can I fix that?
A. There are a couple things you can do:

• Stop the RealAudio stream, wait a few seconds, and restart it. This sometimes helps smooth out the momentary wrinkles in the traffic stream, and helps make for a smoother signal.
• Close the connection to your ISP and reconnect. This can also help you get a stronger, more stable connection, which will in turn help you keep a stable RealAudio stream.
• Let the DJs know about the problem. Sometimes there may be server problems or problems with the DJ's connection to the internet. If it is a server problem, neither the DJ nor the listener can do much except let the server admin know (and we will always do so if we note problems). If it appears to be a problem with the DJ's 'net connection, the DJ will usually stop and restart the RealAudio broadcast on their own. This will often solve the problem.

• Check their DJ profile. Some DJs have provided their ICQ number or email address so you can contact them that way when they're on the air.
• Join us, live, on the #seismic IRC channel, created expressly for the DJs and listeners of Seismic Radio!
• Join us on the "on the air" e-mail mailing list, also created expressly for the DJs and listeners of Seismic Radio!

Q. What's this about a #seismic IRC channel? And how do I find it?
A. IRC, or Internet Relay Chat, is a way in which you can chat in real time with other people on the Internet.
The #seismic channel is dedicated to Seismic Radio's listeners and DJs. You'll need an IRC client such as MIRC to get there. Once you've got your IRC client installed, simply tell it to open a connection to irc.forestnet.org (you may need to specify port 6667). Once the connection is established, you can type /join #seismic to join the channel directly, or (in some clients) type /list for a list of channels and then double-click on the #seismic channel to join. If you're confused, feel free to ask anyone on the channel for assistance! (Especially the person with "DJ" in their name). :)

Q. I want to keep updated on what's happening with Seismic Radio. What's the best way?
A. We've created a handy-dandy e-mail mailing list and christened it "On The Air". You can join the list by going here. The list is for discussion of anything and everything related to Seismic radio, and both DJs and listeners are welcome to participate!

Q. This sounds like it'd be fun! Can I be a DJ too?
A. We don't have a definite selection committee yet for additional DJs, but we're always looking for new people to add to the team. By all means, drop by the IRC channel (look two questions up for more details) and talk to some of the DJs. We'll let you know who to contact if you're serious about it.

Q. I've got a question that isn't answered here. What now?
A. Send an email to webmaster@seismicradio.com. Our webmaster will read it and get back to you as soon as possible!