Digital Audio & Radio Articles

Article / Updated 07-20-2022

QSL cards, which are the size of standard postcards, are the ham radio equivalent of a business card. They range from simple to ornate. DXpeditions often creates a multi-panel folding cards with lots of information and pictures from the rare location. QSLs are primarily exchanged for HF contacts and are used to qualify for operating awards. QSLing electronically Many hams are confirming their contacts on two sites: eQSL and ARRL’s Logbook of the World (LoTW). Your logging software may even be able to upload your contacts to these systems automatically as you make them. With these systems, there is no need to exchange paper cards although many hams send a card for a first contact with a station for their collections. eQSL was the first electronic QSL system and is extremely easy to use. Its site has a tutorial slideshow that explains just how eQSL works and how to use it. eQSL offers its own operating awards, as well, verified by contacts uploaded to the eQSL system. The ARRL’s LoTW is more complicated to use. You’re required to authenticate your identity and license, and all submitted contacts are digitally signed for complete trustworthiness. LOTW provides electronic verification of QSOs for award purposes. It currently supports the ARRL awards and CQ’s WPX and WAZ award programs. DXpeditions often use an online QSLing system such as Club Log’s OQRS system. You can support the expeditioners with a donation and request your QSL at the same time. It’s speedy, secure, and highly recommended. Direct QSLing on your ham radio If you want to send a paper card, the quickest (and most expensive) option is direct, meaning directly to other hams at their published addresses. You can find many ham addresses on the web portal QRZ.com. This method ensures that your card gets to recipients as fast as possible and usually results in the shortest turnaround time. Include the return postage and maybe even a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Direct QSLing costs more than electronic QSLing but makes it as easy as possible for you to get a return card on its way from the other ham — many times, with a colorful stamp. Postal theft can be a problem in poorer countries. An active station can make hundreds of contacts per week, attracting unwelcome attention when many envelopes start showing up with those funny number–letter call signs on them. Don’t put any station call signs on the envelope if you have any question about the reliability of the postal service. Make your envelope as ordinary and as thin as possible. If the station gives QSL instructions online or during the contact, be sure to follow them! Using QSL managers To avoid poor postal systems and cut postage expenses, many DX stations and DXpeditions use a QSL manager. The manager is located in a country with reliable, secure postal service. This method results in a nearly 100 percent return rate. QSLing via a manager is just like direct QSLing. If you don’t include return postage and an envelope to a manager for a DX station, you’ll likely get your card back via the QSL bureau, which takes a few months at minimum. You can locate managers on websites such at QRZ.com’s QSL Corner, which is free to members. If the station has a website or has posted information on the QRZ.com page, a manager will usually be listed there. If you send your QSL overseas, be sure to do the following: Use the correct global airmail letter rate from the U.S. Postal Service website. Ensure airmail service by using an Air Mail sticker (free at the post office), an airmail envelope, or an Air Mail/Par Avion stamp on the envelope. Include return postage from the DX operator's home country to the U.S. from sources such as William Plum DX Supplies (email [email protected]) or the K3FN Air Mail Postage Service. You may be asked to “send one (or two) greenstamps” for return postage. A greenstamp is a $1 bill. Be sure that currency isn’t visible through the envelope. Bureaus and QSL services All that postage can mount up pretty quickly. A much cheaper (and much slower) option exists: the QSL bureau system. You should use this method when the DX station says “QSL via the bureau” or on CW and digital modes, “QSL VIA BURO.” The QSL bureau system operates as a sort of ham radio post office, allowing hams to exchange QSLs at a fraction of the cost of direct mail. If you are an ARRL member, you can bundle up all your DX QSLs (you still have to send domestic cards directly) and send them to the outgoing QSL bureau, where the QSLs are sorted and sent in bulk to incoming QSL bureaus around the world. The cards are then sorted and distributed to individual stations. The recipients send their reply cards back in the other direction. To get your cards, you must keep postage and envelopes in stock at your incoming QSL bureau. (Anyone can use the incoming QSL bureaus.) Then, when you least expect it, a fat package of cards arrives in the mail. What fun! An intermediate route is the K3FN QSL Service, which forwards QSLs to foreign and U.S. managers for a fee, currently 1 to 5 dollars per card depending on how fast you want the QSL in return. You send outbound cards directly to K3FN, and your return cards are sent to you by the service level you paid for. Applying for awards Each award program has its own method for submitting QSL cards to qualify for an award. All of them have a few things in common, though. There is a form to fill out listing each contact individually. For more than a few contacts, you’ll need to enter the information in alphabetical order by prefix. For example, a contact from KA9ABC will be listed before N1EUZ before WBØGQP. (For DX prefix order, use the ARRL’s most-current DXCC List.) Print clearly so the award manager does not misread your information. Pay the award fee, if any, with a check or money order or electronically if that option is available. (Don’t send cash unless it is necessary.) Next, sort the cards into the same order as on the form. Orient them with the contact information facing up, even if it is on the back of the card. Bundle the cards together so that the top card is the first on the application form. You then mail or ship the cards to the award manager as directed by the award’s sponsor. If you are sending a lot of cards or if the cards are particularly rare, send the cards by certified mail or with a signature-required service. Don’t forget to include return postage or shipping costs in your award fee. It is also a good idea to include a self-addressed postcard with the application that the sponsor can return so you know the package was received. Assuming all your information checks out, you’ll receive your certificate and QSL cards! Cards for the ARRL DXCC Award can be checked by a local or regional “field checker." You can make arrangements to attend a club meeting and submit your cards to him or her directly. Card checkers often have a booth or table at the larger hamfests.

Article / Updated 07-20-2022

You can buy or build hundreds of gadgets for your ham radio to enhance whatever style or specialty you choose. Here’s some information on the most common accessories that you need to get the most out of your station. Mikes, keys, and keyers for your ham radio Most radios come with a hand microphone, although if you buy a used radio, the hand mike may be long gone or somewhat worn. The manufacturer-supplied hand mikes are pretty good and are all you need to get started. After you operate for a while, you may decide to upgrade. If you’re a ragchewer, some microphones are designed for audio fidelity with a wide frequency response. Net operators and contesters like the hands-free convenience of a headset with an attached boom mike held in front of your mouth. Handheld radios are more convenient to use, with a speaker–microphone combination accessory that plugs into your radio and clips to a shirt pocket or collar. Your radio manufacturer may also offer a premium microphone as an option or accessory for your radio. Heil Sound and Vibroplex manufacture a wide range of top-quality microphones. Heil Sound also manufactures headsets with boom mikes. The frequency response of a microphone can make a big difference on the air. If you operate under crowded conditions, the audio from a microphone whose response emphasizes the midrange and higher frequencies is more likely to cut through the noise. Some microphones have selectable frequency responses so that you can have a natural-sounding voice during a casual contact and then switch to the brighter response for some DXing. If you’re not sure which is best, ask the folks you contact, or do an over-the-air check with a friend who knows your voice. Morse code enthusiasts have thousands of keys to choose among, spanning more than a century of history. Beginners often start with a straight key and then graduate to an electronic keyer and a paddle. If you think you’ll use CW a lot, I recommend going the keyer/paddle route right away. Most rigs now include a keyer as a standard option. You can plug the paddle into the radio, and you’re on your way! CW operators tend to find paddle choice very personal, so definitely try one out before you buy. A hamfest often has one or more key–bug–paddle collectors, and you can try many styles. The ham behind the table is likely to be full of good information as well. Programmable memories are very handy for storing commonly sent information, such as your call sign or a CQ message. You can put your keyer in beacon mode to send a stored CQ message repeatedly to see whether anyone is listening on a dead band. (If everybody listens and nobody transmits, the band sounds dead but may be open to somewhere surprising.) If you decide on an external keyer, you can choose kits or finished models, such as the popular Winkey-based keyers made by K1EL. Several computer programs send code from the keyboard. Browse ac6v.com for an extensive list of software. A voice keyer is a device that can store short voice messages and play them back into your radio as though you were speaking. Some keyers are stand-alone units, and others use a PC sound card. Voice keyers are handy for contesting, DXing, calling CQ, and so on. Some models also store both CW and voice messages, such as the MJF Contest Keyer. Contest logging software such as N1MM Logger+ and Writelog can create a voice keyer by using the computer’s sound card. Antenna tuners for your ham radio Antenna tuners don’t really “tune” your antenna, but they allow your transmitter to operate at maximum efficiency no matter what impedance appears at the station end of your feed line. Tuners are explained in the article “Do You Need an Antenna Tuner?”. Although your new radio may be equipped with an antenna tuner, in some situations you may need an external unit. Internal tuners have a somewhat limited range that fits many antennas. Antennas being used far from their optimum frequency often present an impedance that the rig’s internal tuner can’t handle. External tuners often include baluns (an abbreviation of “balanced-to-unbalanced”) for connecting open-wire feed lines to coaxial cable. Tuners are available in sizes from tiny, QRP-size units to humongous, full-power boxes larger than many radios. The table below lists a few of the manufacturers offering an assortment of tuners. If you decide to purchase a tuner, choose one that’s rated comfortably in excess of the maximum power you expect to use. Getting one with the option to use balanced feed lines is highly recommended. The ability to switch between different feed lines and an SWR meter (which measures reflected RF power) is a nice-to-have feature. Antenna Tuner Manufacturers Manufacturer Balanced Feed Line High-Power (>300 Watts) Automatic Tuning MFJ Enterprises Yes Yes Yes Ameritron Yes Yes No Vectronics Yes Yes No LDG Electronics External balun adapter Yes Yes Palstar Yes Yes Yes SGC Yes Yes Yes Along with the tuner, you need a dummy load, a large resistor that can dissipate the full power of your transmitter. The MFJ-260C can dissipate 300 watts, which is adequate for HF transceivers. High-power loads, such as the MFJ-250, immerse the resistor in cooling oil. (These are paint cans filled with oil, sometimes called cantennas after an old Heathkit product name.) The dummy load keeps your transmitted signals from causing interference during tuneup. HF dummy loads may not be suitable for use at VHF or UHF, so check the frequency coverage specification before you buy.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-25-2022

If you’re new to ham radio, these articles contain information that new ham radio operators should keep handy while gathering experience. You’ll find these references to be just what you need while learning to navigate the radio bands and make contacts. Bookmarking the websites in your web browser will help while you’re online, too.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-23-2022

When you are podcasting, you have to keep track of a lot of components. Besides ensuring that the hardware is operating properly, that your software is capturing audio without fail, and keeping track of your latest episode’s analytics, you also have to keep straight all the minute details. Ensure that your podcasts are well-received by adhering to technical standards for artwork and audio. Check out some of the podcasting platforms on which you want to ensure your podcasts are listed. If you’re doing a podcast interview, a little prep time can save a lot of embarrassment.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-14-2022

Spotify is changing the way the world listens to music. With a Spotify account, you can listen to all kinds of music, create and share playlists, and even join the Spotify online community.

Step by Step / Updated 01-26-2022

iTunes comes preinstalled on every new Mac that's been sold since 2003. But if you have an older Mac, installing iTunes is easy. To manually install iTunes on to a Mac or manually upgrade the version you have, start at the Apple website.

Article / Updated 09-19-2021

One great way to podcast is with guests in-studio or co-hosts when more than one podcaster gets on mic. While there’s something to be said for the single voice doing a monologue or perhaps doing interviews, the show dynamics change quite a bit when you get multiple people gathered together over your favorite topic. For one thing, it’s a lot easier to carry on a conversation! Another bonus is with the right dynamic between hosts, an energy is created that subscribers see and hear in every episode. Here are some specific things to be aware of when doing a show with multiple guests: Have a mixer with enough channels. The mixer becomes a crucial piece of equipment when co-hosts become part of the production. You can try the one mic, two voices approach, but the end result is hard to control and mix in post-production. For the best sound and optimal control, all participants need their own microphones. This means XLR connections, not USB, for microphones. Two hosts and you’ll need two channels. Four hosts, four channels. And don’t forget, you may want a few extra inputs for music, sound effects, and more. So make sure the mixer can handle the in-studio demands. Make sure everyone can hear. You’re wearing headphones when you record. So should your guests, especially if drop-ins are included in your recording. It’s not only fair, it’s practical that everyone hears the same thing. Each guest needs his or her own set of headphones. Before you run out and get a cheap “Y” cable to split the signal, realize that with each split, the audio signal degrades. To keep the investment economical, invest in a stereo headphone amplifier for about $25 that takes the headphone signal and splits (while boosting) it in to four separate channels. You’ll find this investment will serve you and your podcast well. Always do your prep work. Even after a decade of podcasting, there are still gremlins in our audio systems. You can record on Saturday afternoon and come back Sunday night only to find audio levels have been adjusted. Okay, it could be the cats playing with the mixer settings in the middle of the night, but it never hurts to check your audio (and video) settings before each recording. Have one director. This is the person in charge of your show’s flow, timing, and in some cases coming up with clever segues to jump from one topic to the next. Usually this is the person at the mixer, but not always. It may even be someone off mic (or camera) giving hand signals. In some cases, this may be a baton passed from person to person in the cast. You’ll find what works best for your group. The podcaster calling the plays serves as a moderator. It's your job to keep the energy up, the conversation going, and keep the episode on track. Give everyone some air time. As with the previous item, the director may need to make sure everyone gives everyone else a chance to talk. Different people bring different things to your show. Some people may be passionate and outspoken (and some may be considered an unstoppable train), while others don’t want to interrupt and wait their turn. Encourage your guests to play fair and give everyone a share the air time. Discuss this among your co-hosts before it becomes a problem. When guests are in-studio or on the line, give them the majority of air time on that episode. Both Chuck and Tee have seen and heard their fair share of interviews gone bad. It can be something as horrific as the host or hosts not knowing (or caring) to do any research on the guest. Tee recalls one podcast where the co-hosts broke on a tangent between themselves for ten minutes while the guest remained silent on the line, waiting to be asked another question. When guests are on the docket, remember that the episode is no longer yours. It’s theirs. Make sure everyone can see everyone else. It’s been said that as much as 93 percent of our communications is nonverbal. Even if you are doing an audio podcast, you want to be able to see each other during the conversation. Configure your studio to make sure everyone can see everyone else in order to have eye contact, see silent signals to pick up the pace or slow down, and let the director know all have something to say. Being able to read each other’s nonverbal cues is made easier when sightlines are clear and unobstructed — well, most of the time. Be aware that your show will be longer as you include more guests in the conversation. If you want to keep your show length consistent, then include fewer topics than you expect.

Article / Updated 03-17-2021

Slice-of-life podcasts that encourage community among listeners and fans are podcasts that promote. They can promote a show cancelled too soon into production, an issue affecting the well-being of a community, or offer a voice to a cause. The promotion comes from word-of-mouth advertising (buzz) that these podcasters generate from their thoughts, comments, and opinions on their subject — be it traveling across Spain, daily life in New York City, George Lucas’s Star Wars, or Joss Whedon’s Firefly. Slice-of-life podcasts let the world into locations and clue people into possibilities that listeners may be curious about. After a few podcasts, you can even encourage listeners to experience that corner of the world, that idea, or join the community. Do you have a cause you want to give attention to? Do you want to raise awareness in your county or district? Do you want to share the experience of preparing for a wedding or anniversary? Consider sound-seeing tour podcasts in order to build an online community through your podcast. Creating a podcast to encourage testimony Community is synonymous with podcasting. This book talks a lot about community, establishing a connection between you the podcaster and your audience, impatiently waiting for the next episode. Podcasts can also bring an existing community — a group with a shared interest, a community of homeowners, or a group dedicated to a cause — together and keep its members informed. The podcast can reach audiences in and outside of your community, sharing your interests and concerns with others, making your community even stronger in the long run. The WDW Radio Show has been a long-running podcast about planning the best trip to the “House of the Mouse,” Walt Disney World. Hosted by Disney expert, author, speaker, and entrepreneur Lou Mongello, the WDW Radio Show has built an impressive community around his family-friendly podcast, featuring a blog, videos, and live broadcasts as part of his audio travel guide. Travel planning is not the only topic of discussion on the WDW Radio Show. Lou also hosts interviews with representatives from the Walt Disney Company, shares comments from listeners about previous episodes or queries about best travel tips, and many personal anecdotes on everything from a favorite amusement park ride to the best Disney vacation memories. What makes the WDW Radio Show more of a community than just another podcast is in how its podcast works to not only inform listeners on getting the most out of a visit to Walt Disney World, but also encourage listeners to share their own tips, ideas, and stories about the “best” way to experience Disney, Epcot, and other properties. This community, in turn, promotes the Walt Disney image through the best of methods: word-of-mouth. The podosphere takes great pride in its sense of community, but the podcasts showcased here are set apart because the community is encouraged to take a more active role in the issues, concerns, and points of focus the podcast is centered around. In some cases, the producing of the podcast brings the community together, either through listener contributions, listeners directing the course of the show, or listeners coming together for a common cause. Podcasting for fun (while promoting in the process) When it comes to promotion, no one does a better job in promoting your business than your most passionate fans. They work for free, set their own hours, and sing the praises (if you are lucky) of whatever it is you happen to be producing. Many times, these podcasts are nicknamed fancasts, but these are podcasts where consumers independently sit down around mics and talk about your business, be it an entertainment property, a product, or some sort of service. But what, you may ask, is the line between a fancast and a podcast about your business? The Churn is hosted by SyFy Wire and features authors Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham as cohosts, who write collectively as James S.A. Corey, author of The Expanse novels. This makes the podcast an “official” production, and upon listening to it, you know without question that anything appearing on this show is firsthand knowledge of what is happening on the set, coming from the creators of the world, and shared from the actors bringing these characters to life. That does not mean The Churn is the only podcast about this popular SyFy offering. The Expanse Podcast: Tales from the Rocinate is hosted by Solo Talk Media, a graphic designer from Ontario, Canada not affiliated in any way with SyFy or Universal Studios. Solo Talk Media (also known as Mark) is a fan of The Expanse and launched this podcast to share his love for the series. Along with show recaps, Mark reports news on The Expanse cast and crew and offers his own speculation on how things will unfold over upcoming episodes. Other shows like Solo Talk’s include Beltalowda and Crash Couch, two podcasts independently produced from SyFy’s own official podcasts. These are examples of fans who are sharing their appreciation for this science fiction series, serving as an unofficial street team for the production. When it comes to fans podcasting, be it about a specific property or a generic theme, don’t expect all the opinions coming from the podcast to be positive. If fans don’t like a direction or a decision taken in a series, they will share it on their podcast. A fan’s podcast could be considered the highest form of feedback, and should be regarded as such. You might like the podcasts supporting your favorite sports team, show, or organization. You also might hear some opinions radically different from your own. Between fancasts hosted by experienced journalists like Yahoo! Sports’ Greg Wyshynski and Vice Sports’ Dave Lozo (of Puck Soup) and passionate hockey fans (as are the hosts of The OilersYYC) the National Hockey League receives regular promotion and attention free of charge. Irish culture is also given plenty of attention through podcasts like historian Fin Dwyer’s Irish History Podcast and celebrated musician Marc Gunn’s Irish and Celtic Music Podcast, seen in the following figure. What’s terrific about these podcasts is they can actually work to not only promote your passion, but promote your own brand. Marc Gunn, for example, in showcasing Irish and Celtic music, culture, and lore on his podcast, also spreads awareness of his own brand as an accomplished musician. The podcast, blog, and companion app all offer listeners a chance to find his music alongside the music of other independent musicians featured on his podcast. Community-driven podcasts cover a wide range of audiences. However, all communities share a similar mindset, and you can apply these sound production (see what we did there?) principles: You are the host, but it’s not all about you. Community podcasts should be about the community. Yes, there is room for personal thoughts and commentary, but in small doses. The podcast is about the community and how it interacts with the world around you; that is what the content should focus on. Your podcast can feature other members of the community who share the same opinions as yours or even take opposing viewpoints (a spirited debate can up your show). Just remember that the community-based podcast is not about you personally, but about how you see the world, how that connects with the people around you in the community, and how all that comes together in the pursuit of a common interest. Avoid the negative. It would be easy to turn a podcast into a gossip column or a personal rant against the very concept that brought the community into being. While there is no law or ethic barring you from speaking out or voicing concerns, a community is based on support. Whether you consider yourself a fan of Harry Potter, Apple Computers, or your local county, your goal in a community podcast is to remain positive and celebrate the benefits of being part of the cooperative spirit. If there is a matter of concern in your community, then there’s room for debate and action. So, as with a political podcast, offer some possible solutions to these issues. Regardless of the kind of community you’re chronicling, your podcast should work much like glue — helping to keep supporters together in the face of problems (instead of just crying in your collective beer) and celebrating what gives them joy. Reinforce that sense of community and keep your podcast strong.

Article / Updated 03-17-2021

Podcasts are portable by nature, but with your laptop, you're talking about packing up the studio and working on location. So, you want to have a podcast that has that studio quality sound, but you want more than one microphone and to have a bit of control over the levels. This is when you would want to invest in a preamplifier or a pre-amp. To understand what a preamp is, you should learn a few more technical matters around microphones. Microphones, be they condenser or dynamic, record their signals at mic-level. This is the signal created from the internal diaphragm moving back and forth against a magnet in a wire coil, generating an electrical signal. It’s a clean signal, but very weak. The best audio is recorded not at mic-level, but at line-level. You get line-level signals coming out of electric guitars, keyboards, and other instruments. To get a weaker mic-level signal boosted to the line-level signal, you need to give it a swift kick-in-the-pants. The preamp, sometimes a separate unit or built into a mixer board or a USB microphone, provides that kick to bring the mic-level signal to line-level without adding any noise to the original signal. Now that you know what a preamp is, how about a few options for you to consider? Mackie Onyx Blackjack The Mackie Onyx Blackjack offers you all the power and reliability of a mixer in a small, compact design. The best part of working with this preamp is it has zero latency when recording. This means there is no delay for when you speak and when you hear your voice while recording. You can adjust the Blackjack’s buffer settings to maximize your computer’s processing ability as well. Blackjack also offers podcasters: A prepamp bus-powered via USB Two XLR connections delivering 48V phantom power A 25-degree inclination by design, allowing for full view of all controls at all times An all-metal chassis that gives the Blackjack “built-like-a-tank” durability Onboard analog-to-digital conversion, granting your amplified signal with the lowest noise and distortion possible Shure MVi Shure Audio is no stranger to setting the bar for audio engineering and recording on looking at the prevalence and relevance of its audio gear. With the rise of podcasting, Shure set out to create gear that would capture quality sound, and the MVi is a compact, USB-powered preamp ready to power your microphone (or microphones, if you employ a splitter) accordingly. The MVi offers a podcaster-on-the-go: USB connectivity for easy plug-and-play, with optional iOS connectivity with iPhones and iPads Touch-sensetive panel for control over five different DSP presets, headphone volume, and more Built-in headphone jack for real-time monitoring One XLR connection offering 48V phantom power option If you want to record on location, you could use studio condenser mics, which, because of their sensitivity, will pick up a lot of the background, setting a nice ambiance for your podcast. Depending on your environment, though, there might be too much ambiance for your interview. This is why, in most on-location settings, dynamic mics are preferred. You will still get some background noise, but not as pronounced when using studio condenser mics. The Shure MVi can serve as a preamp for up to two microphones, powered by USB, similar to the Onyx Blackjack. With an even more compact design, the MVi makes your portable studio even more so.

Article / Updated 03-17-2021

A big piece of successful podcasting is marketing, and a big part of marketing is branding. Your podcast logo (or show art) is very important to help set you apart. A large percentage of listeners use apps where show art is prominently displayed, both in directories and in playback modes. Apple once was indifferent about show art, but now it’s part of registering your podcast with its directory. So, when getting ready to launch your podcast, you need to have a good look for your production like those featured here. Show artwork, commonly seen in many media players, is a nice option for podcasters who want to brand a podcast with a logo. For example, Mur Lafferty’s Parsec-winning I Should Be Writing logo is a classic broadcast microphone with a sticky note slapped on it and a pencil, sharpened and ready for use. Then you have The Onion Radio News’s trademark onion with a globe ghosted behind it, the stamp of quality journalism at its funniest. These icons are associated with their shows, and this kind of branding is becoming more and more common in podcasting. To get your artwork ready for prime time: Design your show art to the following specifications: Format: JPEG (.jpg) or PNG (.png) format Color Mode: 8-bit channel, RGB mode Resolution: 72 dpi Size: 1400 × 1400 pixels (minimum) or 3000 × 3000 pixels (maximum) Using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) application, upload your art somewhere on to your web server. If you are using a service like LibSyn, you will use its FTP options the same way you would upload an episode. If you are hosting the podcast on your own, you can use Cyberduck or Fetch to upload it somewhere on your server. Pull up the artwork on your browser and then copy its URL. Once you have the URL of the show art copied, have it on a note somewhere on your computer. You will need that URL when registering your show with various directories. When using your podcast plug-in with your blog, enter in your artwork’s URL when asked for it. With the PowerPress podcast plug-in from BluBrry, you simply enter in the URL of your show into the Artwork section. Podcast plug-ins should offer similar options. If you do a makeover of your show art, you can upload a new image to replace the old one. Save your changes in the plug-in. After you have all of the details of your file covered, down to the branding behind your podcast, you have to get everything online so that others can enjoy what your creativity has to offer.