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Frequently Asked Questions:
Other Pages of Interest:
What is old time radio (OTR) and where does it come from?
The term old time radio encompasses radio recordings made usually between the the mid 1920's through 1960. This "golden age of radio" included all genres of amazing recordings which were frequently performed live by top name performers.
Although much of radio history was lost (never recorded), existing episodes still in circulation were primarily stored by fans or sponsors of the program on transcription disk or reel-to-reel tapes. These recordings are encoded (converted from analog to digital format) from their original media into MP3 format for easier collecting, playback, and listening.
Will these old time radio shows play in my MP3/DVD player?
Maybe - it depends what brand of MP3/DVD player you own. The CDs themselves are guaranteed to play in your computer using the program WinAmp (available for free at www.winamp.com).
Many MP3 players say they will play all MP3's, but simply will not play certain MP3 bitrates. Most OTR is stored at 32kps 22khz bitrates - if your player supports these specs, they should work fine, but not always. The shows will play on your computer without any problems, but please click here to see a list of recommended MP3 players. Click here for general information about the MP3 format.
The audio disks will play in any standard modern audio CD player at home or in your car.
Can these shows be transferred to audio cassette?
 Yes. A dual-male minijack cord (available at Radio Shack or any electronic's store) can easily be plugged into the back of the computer and then into a tape recording device. Just play the MP3 on the computer and press record on the tape deck.
Another alternative is a MP3 CD player and a cassette adapter (or lower power FM tuner) which is a great way to play the actual MP3 CDs in the car; please click here to see a list of recommended MP3 players.
What is the sound quality of these old time radio shows? What bitrate are they stored?
Despite inferior sound recording quality of the time period these shows were recorded, all the shows' sound quality is relatively good.
Although MP3 bitrates vary from series to series, all old time radio shows are stored at 32kps 22hz to 64kps 44khz.
By today's standards, these vintage recordings are relatively low-fidelity. There is little loss of sound quality due to MP3 compression at these bitrate setting. More important than the actual bitrate of the MP3 is the quality of the original media.
You can listen to a full episode from most series to sample to the sound quality online. Near the top right of a log page, there is a sample episode that you can listen to a streaming show or download the MP3 file to your computer.
There is also OTRCAT Sampler CD #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6 available that contains a single episode from almost every series which is available free of charge when you place your order online.
There are also new episodes every day on OTRCAT's DAILY OLD TIME RADIO SHOWS page which are available for download.
Why are the same episode listed more than once in the same series?
Even back in the golden era of radio, they had script 're-runs.' The producers of the many of the series frequently used the same popular script and rebroadcast or performed it on a later date (so it's usually the same or very similar script of, but actually a different performance recorded).
What does AFRS stand for?
AFRS, "Armed Forces Radio Services," began rebroadcasting favorite radio programs to troops and their family stationed over seas starting in 1942.
Why do the filenames appear jumbled on my Macintosh computer? (System 9 Users)
Listeners using a Macintosh computer with System 9 or older, may need a program to fully decipher the file name of the shows. A free joilet extension is available which enhances the way your Macintosh computer can read CD-ROM's. Without this joilet extension, file names may appear abbreviated which will make it harder to decipher the episode titles (although the shows will still play fine). This file name problem has been resolved in by Apple in OS X.
How are these CDs labeled?
 All CDs come with labeled with silk-screened black lettering (and many have graphics).
Because the label is silk-screened directly on the disk, there is no sticky label to jam in CD drives!
Unlike inkjet printed labels, these attractive silk-screened prints will not run, fade, or deteriorate.
The radio shows are stored on Mitsui and Taiyo Yuden media which is the top quality CDR media for longest archival life.
The CDs come in paper sleeves with clear plastic to protect them during shipping.
How long does it take to get these shows?
Orders ship very promptly - usually within 24 - 48 hours of receipt of payment. The chart below outlines common delivery times:
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| 1 CD |
up to a week for first class mail |
| 2 or more CDs |
2-3 days for priority mail |
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How are these collections updated?
FOR SUBSTANTIAL UPDATES: OTRCAT strives to increase the variety of collection size and sound quality. If a better encode or additional episodes are located, OTRCAT will usually send an email to let you know the new collection is available (and will include a coupon code via email you can use to receive the discount the price if you order online).
FOR SMALL UPDATES: If only a single episode or two is added to the collection, OTRCAT will usually send you an email with a link you can listen to additional episode for free of charge from the website.
How do I get OTRCAT.com coupons?
To receive special coupon codes and discounts, please sign up for the monthly OTRCAT newsletter which includes list of new articles, shows, and special offers available at OTRCAT!
What is the OTRCAT refund policy?
Due to the nature of these recordings: once an order is placed, all sales are final. Our extensive collection is digitally transferred; any "flaws" in these 50-90 years old recordings are inherent in the original media and are not grounds for a refund.
What is the OTRCAT privacy policy?
OTRCAT is committed to protecting your privacy; we do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to others. We only use the information we collect about you to process orders and to provide support and updates for our products.
To protect consumer information, we use a secure server for collecting personal and credit card information. The secure server layer (SSL) encrypts (scrambles) all of the information you enter before it is transmitted. For additional security, credit card information is not stored locally (only passed through SSL to the credit card processor). All of the customer data we collect is protected against unauthorized access.
"Cookies" (which are small pieces of information that are stored by your browser on your computer's hard drive) are required for the OTRCAT shopping cart to function correctly. We do not use cookies to collect or store any information about visitors or customers.
Can I join the OTRCAT mailing list?
Yes! Simply fill out the form below
to receive the monthly old time radio newsletter with new collections, discounts and special offers:
How can I contact OTRCAT?
 If you have any other questions, suggestions, or error reports, please don't hesitate to email order@otrcat.com. You can also write to:
OTRCAT
PO BOX 19234
LENEXA KS 66285
USA
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