A step-by-step guide to finding station logos using RadioDNS
Step 1
Start with the broadcast information of a radio station.
In this example, we use Heart in London, UK.
frequency = 106.2MHz
PI code = C460
ECC code for the United Kingdom = E1
(You can find a list of countries and their ECC codes in TS 101 756. Some common ones are Germany “e0” and the USA “a0”)
Step 2
Convert this information into the RadioDNS format
Convert frequency: 106.2MHz => 10620
Convert PI code: C460 => c460
Create a GCC by combining the first letter of the PI (“C”) code and the country ECC code (“E1”) => ce1
Make a RadioDNS FQDN by stringing these details together
10620.c460.ce1.fm.radiodns.org
Step 3
Do a DNS lookup on these details to find the broadcaster’s Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).
From Microsoft Windows, MacOS or Linux, open a command window and type:
nslookup -type=CNAME 10620.c460.ce1.fm.radiodns.org
Look at the response from the command, and you should see a line which says
10620.c460.ce1.fm.radions.org canonical name = rdns.musicradio.com
Step 4
Find the broadcaster’s metadata server.
Using the broadcaster’s FQDN, use DNS again to find the server with their metadata
nslookup -type=SRV _radioepg._tcp.rdns.musicradio.com
In the response, you should see one (or more) entries that say
_radioepg._tcp.rdns.musicradio.com service = 0 100 80 epg.musicradio.com.
So you need to connect to epg.musicradio.com get the SI (Service Information) file from this broadcaster.
Step 5
Download the broadcaster’s SI file.
The SI file contains all the metadata for that broadcaster (all their radio stations). The URL to the SI file is always constructed as
http://<broadcaster metadata server>/radiodns/spi/3.1/SI.xml
So open a browser to:
http://epg.musicradio.com/radiodns/spi/3.1/SI.xml
Save this file to disk.
Step 6
Find the radio station in the broadcaster’s SI file.
Open the SI.xml file in a text editor / XML editor, or similar. We need to search for the station in the format of a bearer. This is a similar format to the RadioDNS FQDN at Step 2.
fm:<gcc>.<pi code>.<frequency>
So the correct bearer string will be
fm:ce1.c460.10620
Search the text file to find this string – “fm:ce1.c460.10620”. The text around it will look this like
<service>
<shortName>Heart</shortName>
<longName>Heart London</longName>
<mediaDescription>
<multimedia height="32" url="http://owdo.thisisglobal.com/2.0/id/151/logo/32x32.png" width="32" mimeValue="image/png"/>
</mediaDescription>
<mediaDescription>
<multimedia height="32" url="http://owdo.thisisglobal.com/2.0/id/151/logo/112x32.png" width="112" mimeValue="image/png"/>
</mediaDescription>
<mediaDescription>
<multimedia height="128" url="http://owdo.thisisglobal.com/2.0/id/151/logo/128x128.png" width="128" mimeValue="image/png"/>
</mediaDescription>
<mediaDescription>
<multimedia height="240" url="http://owdo.thisisglobal.com/2.0/id/151/logo/320x240.jpg" width="320" mimeValue="image/jpg"/>
</mediaDescription>
<mediaDescription>
<multimedia height="600" url="http://owdo.thisisglobal.com/2.0/id/151/logo/600x600.jpg" width="600" mimeValue="image/jpg"/>
</mediaDescription>
<mediaDescription>
<multimedia height="800" url="http://owdo.thisisglobal.com/2.0/id/151/logo/800x800.jpg" width="800" mimeValue="image/jpg"/>
</mediaDescription>
<bearer cost="30" id="fm:ce1.c460.10620"/>
<bearer cost="20" id="dab:ce1.c185.c460.0" mime="audio/mpeg" offset="2500"/>
<radiodns fqdn="www.heart.co.uk" serviceIdentifier="london"/>
<memberOf id="heart"/>
</service>
Step 7
Find the URL to the radio station logos.
The <bearer> element you found will live within a <service> element, which defines the service. Within this you’ll see a series of mediaDescription items like this
<mediaDescription
<multimedia height="600" url="http://owdo.thisisglobal.com/2.0/id/151/logo/600x600.jpg" width="600" mimeValue="image/jpg"/>
</mediaDescription>
Each mediaDescription item refers to a specific logo size or dimension.
Step 8
Download the radio station logo.
Use the URL in the mediaDescription item to open the logo in a browser.
http://owdo.thisisglobal.com/2.0/id/151/logo/600x600.jpg
Summary
This process is identical for all radio stations using RadioDNS. Try working this example again, but for a German radio station on DAB.
Bayern 3
Service Component ID : 0
Service ID: D313
Ensemble ID: 10A5
ECC: E0
The structure of a DAB RadioDNS FQDN IS:
<service component id>.<service id>.<ensemble id>.<gcc>.dab.radiodns.org
So your FQDN query will be:
0.d313.10a5.de0.dab.radiodns.org
The bearer structure is similarly altered
dab:<gcc>.<ensemble id>.<service id>.<service component id>
If you need support or help, please let us know – feedback@radiodns.org