Follow up II.

Managed to turn the ISP's modem into a bridge modem.  The Asus router is now providing more wireless options,  faster streaming rates and appears to be more stable.  

Next:  run CAT-6 ethernet cable throughout the house which might be a challenge because much of the attic appears to be difficult, perhaps impossible, to negotiate by a large adult.  Might have to make some holes in the 1st floor ceiling.

P.S.  NPR is so cool.  NPR probably broadcasts more science-based programming than other media in North America.  

P.P.S.  radio paradise's android app is very cool and remarkably stable.   Terrific for working on projects in various parts of the house.

Follow up.

I was able to stop streams dropping out on the Lenova tablet android device by going into the router/ASDL modem supplied by the Internet Service Provider (ISP) and changing the  wireless channel setting to a specific channel (e.g., 6) from the 'automatic' setting.  

The modem/router requires rebooting up to 3 times a day in order to perform properly so my next project is to turn it into  a bridge modem and hook up a 3rd party router/modem/firewall behind.  In this case, an older model ASUS RT-N56U modem.

The firmware on the modem/router provided by the ISP does not allow me to easily set it up in bridge modem mode. So that will be a pain.....  Doable but a pain.

For curious Canadians, the ISP is Telus, the ISP-supplied modem/router is ZyXEL VSG 1432.  

johkir,

I should have looked harder at the URL. 

Go to the www.npr.org page (which automatically refreshes), scroll to the very bottom, hover over listen and then choose NPR programming stream.  The NPR media player pops up.  

I have yet to test it but the NPR media player seems to deliver a stable stream.

Thanks!  

 

 westslope wrote: 
I haven't tried this yet, but I suspect the offending issue is in the URL you have specified.  When the page refreshes itself, it will reload the audio player, but the fact that you've started listening does not get reloaded.  Try with just http://www.npr.org  The audio should be continuous, but you might not get the latest stories on the front page.

I live in Canada and occasionally get tired of listening to CBC radio (the English channel).  Then I switch to NPR which I grew fond of while working as a volunteer community organizer for the United Farm Workers of America (AFL-CIO) in Arizona a few decades ago.  The programming quality is top notch IMO and compares well with the best of CBC, the BBC and Radio Canada (French-language CBC).   

The problem is that the NPR 24-hour streaming channel — http://www.npr.org/?refresh=true — keeps dropping out on both Windows 10 PCs and Android devices. This  happens during days when the radio paradise stream is basically rock solid to both PCs and Android devices.

Suggestions?   How can I secure a NPR stream that won't drop out every few minutes or half hour?