Go back to HOME - PVC GOURD RACK
Go to BoVilla
Go to WILDFLOWER MEADOW
Revised April 13, 2005, by Joe D. Bryant
USING YOUR
COMPUTER TO SCHEDULE AND PLAY DAWNSONG AND DAYTIME CHATTER WITH OUTDOOR SPEAKERS
TO ATTRACT PURPLE MARTIN
Setting up Dawnsong to play on your computer with an
outdoor speaker is actually very simple. All you have to do is go to your ‘My
Computer’ or ‘Control Panel’ and choose Scheduled Task. When you open
Scheduled Task, be sure that no other programs are scheduled; if there are any
previously scheduled, delete them. Then click Add Scheduled Task, click
‘Browse” and choose the path to where your Dawnsong program is, such as on
your CD-Rom drive (such as D:\?), or if you've saved it to your hard disk as a
.wav or.mp3 file go to that directory in (C:\) and click it, then choose the
file in the directory that you want to play.
MY SCHEDULED TASK:
I play Dawnsong and Daytime Chatter (as MP3 files from my hard disk). Note: I've used many schedules, and by the time you're reading this, I'm trying something different from the schedules discussed below; i.e., I don't know what is the "best schedule" or even if there is a "magic bullet".
I now play Dawnsong from 5:00 A.M to
11:00 A.M. (six hours) and Daytime Chatter from 11:05 A.M. to 7:35 P.M.
(eight hours).
I used to set up DAWNSONG to come on at
5:30 A.M. Under the tab for ‘Schedule’, at the bottom I checked ‘Show
multiple schedules’. Then I clicked ‘Advanced’ and checked ‘Repeat
task’ / Every 1 (one)/hours. Then I check ‘Until’ Time/ 7:00 P.M. (Note:
The program will automatically change ‘Until’ to ‘Duration’ when you
exit the program.) Then I checked ‘If the task is still running, stop it at
this time’. When finished click 'Apply'. BE SURE YOU CHOOSE A.M. OR P.M. when
setting the time.
Using the same procedure, I set DAYTIME CHATTER to come
on at 6:00 A.M. and to play for one hour ‘Until’ 6:30 P.M. ; however,
Dawnsong and Daytime Chatter shut each other off every half hour. i. e., each
plays for 30 minutes alternately from 5:30 A.M. to 7:00 P.M every day.
AUDIO CONVERTER (to make MP3 files) download from: http://www.audioconverter.info/index.php
If you would like to convert your CD of Dawnsong and/or Daytime Chatter to an
MP3 file to play from your harddisk rather than your CD-Rom drive, you can
download Audio Converter free for 30 days from the above website and use it to
make whatever kind of sound file you want from any CD. After 30 days, you have
to pay $19.95, and it's well worth it.
WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER dowload from: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/default.asp
You will also need to have Windows Media Player so that you can play it. WMP can
be downloaded from MS Windows Update for free. After you download it and open
the panel, go to ‘Play’ at the top. Be sure that neither ‘Repeat’ nor
‘Shuffle’ is checked. If there is a check, uncheck it by clicking it. Also,
go to 'Tools' at the top, click 'Options' in the dropdown menu, and then click
the tab for 'File types'. Under file types, click "Select All"; then
click 'Apply' below, and click OK.
SPEAKERS: You will need a small,
cheap amplifier of some kind if your sound card doesn’t have one. RadioShack
has an inexpensive power horn, but you probably have to have a stronger amplifier
than the one that might be on your sound card to run it from your computer. Run
the speaker wire from the speaker to the amplifier, and plug the amplifier into
your computer. If you need an amplifier, I suggest your buying a used,
small one on Ebay. The SA-155 made by RCA and Optimus sold by Radio Shack are
ideal. http://search.ebay.com/SA-155_W0QQfkrZ1QQfromZR8QQsatitleZSA-155
SPEAKERS AND RADIOSHACK PARTS:
WIRE for outdoors: RadioShack Parts # 2781116 100 feet,
#16 speaker wire (white)
PLUG FOR COMPUTER SOUND CARD (preferably one with an
amplifier): RadioShack Parts #42-2434 Plug with six-foot (L82m)-shielded audio
cable*
PLUG FOR MOST AMPLIFIERS: RadioShack Parts # 42-2370A
Plug with three-foot (91.4 cm) shielded audio cable*
*Note: Both plugs have cables attached that have wires
exposed on the end that are ready to connect to the white wire and be wrapped
with electrical tape.
On the back of my Optimus SA-155 amplifier, I plug the speaker's wire into SPEAKER, bottom hole (Right). I plug the red (Left) and white (Right) into PHONO, and on the back of my computer, I plug the other end into the sound card's "Speaker Out".
_______________________________________________________________________________
Note: I use a separate, old computer that a friend gave me. It only has a six gigabyte hard disk and a sound card. It uses Windows 98. Dawnsong, Daytime Chatter, and Windows Media Player are the only programs on it. I only had it connected to the internet long enough to download Windows Media Player, then I removed the internet connection program. I turn it on when martins are first seen in Indiana and turn it off when the martin season ends.
My wire from the computer and amplifier in the house goes to the speaker that is 150 feet away (attached to the top of my Trio castle). I buried the wire outside one inch below the soil all the way.
________________________________________________________________________________
ADDENDUM: June 22, 2003
If
you go to the very top of PMCA’S http://forum.purplemartin.org/forum/default.htm
top section and click
"Archives" and then scroll down to the middle section labeled
"Attraction Techniques", then the second listing under that, you will
see "How to Automatically Play Dawnsong/Daytime Chatter on Your PC"
that the PMCA has put on with pictures showing how Task Scheduler looks.
________________________________________________________________________________
NOTE: WINDOWS-XP USERS MUST MAKE A NEW USER
ACCOUNT
From: The Purple Martin Forum
From: Mike
Durnil, mcdurnil@bwsys.net
,Kewanee, Illinois
Date: 6/22/03
I used Joe's post to play Dawnsong and Day Time Chatter with my computer. I am running Windows XP and it required me to make a new user account because it wanted a password to run the task. Just some info, it took me a few trys to figure that one out. To run my speakers, all of the items needed were purchased at Radio Shack. I bought a stereo patch cord with an 1/8 inch plug on one end and standard RCA jacks on the other. I used an older model Kenwood Rack type amplifier. It is just your standard stereo component. I have a Dell computer with a headphone jack in the front, You may also have one on your sound card in theback or the last choice would be on your PC speakers. If you use your speakers you will not hear anything with them when the jack is plugged in to them. I plugged the jack into the front of my computer and the RCA jacks into the amplifier where the Phono jacks are, I used these because I would not have to worry about in orout, but any input in the stereo amp I think would work. I then wired a 1/4 inch microphone jack ( from Radio Shack use the size needed for your amp.) to my speaker wire. Plug this into the amplifier headphone jack. I used a mono jack, I think then I do not have to worry about the right or left channel not having a speaker hooked up. Hook the other end of the wire to your speaker outside. I use a plug in timer to turn on the amplifier ( leave the amplifier switched on, the timer will now be your switch ) Make sure you have the proper function switched on your amp.( phono, tape ect.) You must leave your computer on, the timer turns on the amp, task master starts the dawnsong file, you sleep in, and the PMs are happy! I like the quote from someone in the archives, The God that brought the animals to Noah can bring Purple Martins to my place! Hope this helps. Mike
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Joe D. Bryant
Mike, thanks for posting that, especially the part about Windows XP. I've been trying to set up a friend's new computer that uses XP and couldn't get past the password problem myself. I'll add a "New User" to his. It really had me stumped because I had given up on his computer. If you don't mind, I'm going to add your post and this one to the end of my website. Joe D. Bryant
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Home Network
" Joe, ...BTW, the problem was related to the fact that both computers in our home are networked with each other. By accessing the "User Accounts" folder in the computer's Control Panel, we were able to set a new password for my computer. Then, by giving the correct password, the computer allowed me to play Dawnsong as a Scheduled Task with Windows Media Player running an mp3 copy of my dawnsong CD... "
Best regards,
(Name withheld by request)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________