# Starting a streaming radio automatically **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 8, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-streaming-radio-automatically/288946 "2005-02-08T04:32:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-streaming-radio-automatically/288946/1 "2005-02-08T04:32:36Z")
Is there a software (or a combination of generic tools) that can be used to start a streaming radio download/playback at a preset time? I’m thinking about using it as a clock radio (alarm clock). It’s a real-time streaming internet radio site with both RealAudio and Windows Media. I can use either a Win2k box or a Powerbook for this. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-streaming-radio-automatically/288946/2 "2005-02-08T04:56:07Z")
[Total Recorder Pro](http://www.highcriteria.com/) can do it on the PC, [Alarm Clock Pro](http://www.koingosw.com/products/alarmclockpro.php) on the Mac. I’m sure there are others. ---
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-streaming-radio-automatically/288946/3 "2005-02-08T11:14:03Z")
Don’t you just love it when you come here to ask a question and find that it not only has been asked by someone else but answered too 🙂 Thx **yoyodyne** 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-streaming-radio-automatically/288946/4 "2005-02-08T15:14:24Z")
Thanks! That’s exactly what I need. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-streaming-radio-automatically/288946/5 "2005-02-08T15:20:12Z")
Why bother downloading extra software? Windows has a task scheduler which I imagine you could use to do the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-streaming-radio-automatically/288946/6 "2005-02-08T20:00:40Z")
**xgxlx** is right. I use Windows Task Scheduler regularly to start up a stream to listen to or record. If you want to record, **yoyodyne’s** links and similar packages are worth looking into. But you can also record the analog audio to a cassette tape or VCR. (Or are those nearly obsolete?) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-streaming-radio-automatically/288946/7 "2005-02-08T21:21:18Z")
Thanks, I just experimented and found Windows Scheduler works fine for this application. Although the ability to record does sound appealing, so I may still get TotalRecorder in the future. (BTW I think tape and VCR _are_ obsolete - I just realized I currently own neither! But I do have a TiVo and an iPod.)