What operating systems does Trade The News support?
Windows 2000 and higher.
My company does not allow media. May I use my Windows Media Player, Real Media, or other player platforms to listen to the broadcast?
The software system is a closed circuit encrypted audio format that is dedicated in real-time and not compatible with any third party general media players. Please contact support if your network administrator needs assistance connecting to our network.
How reliable is this service? I am tired of learning to count on things that eventually fail.
Trade The News has been broadcasting live every day since 1997. Trade The News was the first firm in the history of the Internet to broadcast live audio in 1996. In 2004 the system uptime was 99.9996%.
I think my PC is loaded with spyware and adware and I just want to be sure it is clean? What do you recommend?
Surprisingly, Microsoft has a new tool available for free that does a great job at protecting an operating system. Microsoft’s product is Windows Defender. Windows Defender does the best job of any removal and real-time protection product available. Windows Defender can be downloaded for free at www.microsoft.com
I receive an email or two daily and cannot read the file. What should I do?
All FXDD research is published in Adobe PDF format. This free reader is available at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Please install and then open our email attachments.
Your feed cuts in and out and my company is running ISA Server for our proxy server. What can be done to obtain 100% uptime?
Microsoft ISA server is not a carrier class proxy solution, and seems to have a tough time with persistent voice streams. The best solution is to create a "do not filter" entry to our /19 net. For details, see entry under “network requirements.”
Initially I can login but I hear no sound. I only see "connecting to server, reconnecting..."
The problem is most likely your computer has one or more firewall or proxy software applications running. If all of your software is set to permit our software, please check to see if Windows XP-Service Pack 2 is running. XP SP2 includes a firewall that blocks everything by default unless the user changes the properties to permit. Open your LAN connection properties to edit your Windows Firewall application permissions. Finally, review all other known proxy applications. Some examples of apps that proxy port 80 are pop-up blockers, ad-blockers, and some of these browser toolbars.
The sound is choppy or does not play at all, but the local sound test works fine. What is could be wrong?
The likely problem is two sound devices in the system. The sound system may have two sound devices installed on the computer which are conflicting with each other. Simply open the control panel, click on “Sounds & Audio Device Properties,” select the “Audio” tab, look carefully under “Sound Playback->Default Device.” Check to see if there is more than one device available. If so, select the physical sound card device, and then check “Use only Default Devices” at the bottom of the window. Click “Apply” then “OK.” Lastly, close the Trade the News software and re-open it.
I do not like computers or my firm has very strict software policies. Am I out of luck?
No. We offer 4 ways to obtain Trade The News: 1) by Internet using a software download; 2) by speakerphone by dialing one our local access numbers in New York, Chicago, or London; 3) by setting up a dedicated "hoot" line directly to your firm; 4)by a dedicated private peer connection, that is delivered to you via IP as a Multicast IP feed. Private peer connections and dedicated lines are available to larger firms only. Please consult your sales representative for the best delivery method.
Why do I sometimes see a deadline and not hear the news item over the air?
Sometimes informational items are posted as a headline, or update a previous story only. Broadcasts heard over the air are for high-priority items only.
How do I ask the analysts a question for research on demand?
Select the "Ask the Desk" tab and type your question. (Apply for interactive rights from inside the Trade the News software.) Ask the Desk is only for items not yet covered. To discuss a headline, simply select the “headline” in the news module; hover over it; and type your question. If we find your information useful or helpful we will award your account "points." (See points system documentation)
How does the points system work?
Clients that earn the highest points will earn free stuff. Additionally, when in a fast market situation, clients with the highest-point standings will receive automatic prefernce for any interactive feature on the system.
I notice a comment I sent in has been listed in a discussion under a ”headline.” What is this?
If a user on our system shares with us, in their own words, a great point or idea about a story, a TTN analyst may share it with all users. The item will show up as "Shared from User." Any item will always remain anonymous.
Is the coverage instant all the time?
Yes. Twenty-four hours per day, with the exception of Friday 15:00 EST to Sunday at 16:30 EST. During the weekend hours, updates are periodic, yet complete, because during these hours nothing globally can be traded.
What port is required?
All connections choose available port for outbound requests and TCP port 80 for audio channels and and port 443 (HTTPS) inbound for text traffic.
How much bandwidth does each audio channel require?
The encrypted FM quality channels require 24Kb/sec per channel. The transmission encoding was developed by Trade The News and is specific to trading room environments. The platform is not compatible with any other "player" technology.
I am an administrator and we only allow traffic on a per network basis. What is your network block?
For North Americans and European clients, the network block is 66.226.160.0 /19 or if running BGP via the ASN# 19128.
I am having a connectivity problem. How can I test to your network?
Ping or trace route to 66.226.160.1. **Please note excessive ICMP traffic is filtered. DO NOT use this as a continual indication of our network performance or you may risk our “Intrusion Detection System” dropping your entire network.
Is the software compatible with proxy servers?
Yes. The system has been tested for compatibility with Linux Squid and Microsoft ISA Server, the 2 most commonly installed proxy servers in financial services. (**See Top-10 #6 for additional notes about MSFT Proxy Server) Yournetwork administrator,however, must have "SSL Tunneling" enabled or the software may not work properly. In general, all proxies have this enabled, if purchases can be made via a secure transaction. More information about SSL Tunnels can be found at: www.squid-cache.org/Doc/FAQ/FAQ-1.html
What does Error HTTP 302 mean?
This error means your network administrator has implemented a "Content Filter" such as Websense, which is redirecting then blocking the TTN software request to the network. Please show this to your network administrator and have them recatagorize our media as safe.
Does your software work with wireless connections?
Yes. Your wireless connection, however, must be reliable for continuous use without interruption. The software is designed to intelligently recover from loss of signal. For satellite Internet connections ONLY TTN software version 5.3 or higher are compatible. For use on "3G" wireless providers "Venturi" compression optimization must be disabled. The data is already optimized. Venturi compression used by Verizon EVDO in the U.S. garbles the audio channels.
We have a Blue Coat proxy server and when we installed TTN software out of the box, the audio module did not work. We had no audio broadcast at all. Why?
The Blue Coat proxy server scans the content of every media stream by default. Since TTN broadcasts in proprietary audio format, which is unknown to your proxy server, the proxy blocks the stream. In order to fix the problem, your network administrator should turn off scanning of content from TTN servers. The best and easiest way to do this is to stop scanning from the whole TTN network. The block on our IP addresses is 66.226.160.0 /19
How do I launch audio player from the platform?
Click on the audio button on the TTN toolbar.
My sound is choppy and breaks up what can I do?
Most common audio problems are due to multiple sound (card) devices installed on the user machine; or the user had proxy software running that is filtering each audio packet causing delays.
To check for multiple sound card devices, open your computer’s control panel (Classic View)->Sounds & Devices > Audio(Tab) >Sound Playback->Default Device. Select the soundcard device in the list. If more than one device is listed, choose the physical soundcard. (DO NOT use any "modem" based sound devices as these are not capable devices and only provide poor sound card emulation). Once the proper default device is selected check "Use Only Default Devices" at the bottom of the audio tab, then press “apply” and then “OK.” Close your TTN software, and then reopen. The TTN software must be closed and then reopened to enjoy the benefit of this change.
Test your preferred audio stream and see if the sound is clear. If there are issues review the software proxy setup. **Note a proxy is a software process that does the following with each packet: Stops, inspects, compares, and decides. Ad-ware, pop-up blockers, Spyware, and personal firewall software all fall into this category. Identify what is running and allow the software to not be filtered. The concepts are all the same but Norton Internet Security Advisor is a popular example of a personal firewall software.
Under Status & Settings select “configure” then select the “programs tab.” Make sure the TTN News Station software is allowed "automatic" Internet access. If running Windows XP Service Pack 2, do the same since the OS now includes a personal firewall.
I am at a professional firm and each day my audio channel only seems to play for a short while and then stops. I cannot get it to work again for the day. Why is this?
In all likelihood, your network administrator has you in a management group that restricts web browsing by "Quota.”. The audio network is extremely compatible but also appears as web browsing in some organizations. Please contact your proxy or firewall administrator and ask them to take you out of “Quota” for web browsing or to not "meter" anything to the TTN network. If you require any backup we are happy to speak to your system administrator directly to help ensure the proper configuration. (See "Network Configuration" #3 above)
I use Mozilla and the software web installer never pops up?
Mozilla by default blocks all active-x controls. To install the software you will need to click on the "X" icon at the bottom of the download page to install the required software.
What operating systems does Trade The News support? 
