NEW AFRICAM VIEWING PROBLEMS THREAD.

Are we still offline?  I get the intro and then "ready" showing nothing ~ 

When the camera is offline, is there a way to "sticky" the offline message so that it stays in the active forums until repaired? ~ or better yet, where it says "READY" could it say OFFLINE?

I can occassionally hear a bird sound but for the most part all I get is a buzzing sound...been like this for months now.

I am still not getting the cam.. I can get the ad it plays fine then goes back to black screen with ready... down at the bottom it will say video will play in 118 seconds, the video ad runs gets that down to 105 seconds and then quits nothing nada a peep!!  I wait and nothing..  I've tried popup viewer, and clicking Nkoro button.. everything.. nothing!!  I really want to watch but why can't I.. I've complained and hollared and yelled at it even tried kicking it but that didn't work... ......... If it worked right before.. why can't you put   it back the way it was and get it working again?

I'm having the same problem. It worked for the first few days after the changeover from Wavelit and then nothing. I get the intro with the drums and then it says stopped. If I click on play again it goes through the intro again and says stopped. I've always watched on the pop up player because the WMP one I have doesn't work.

I really miss my africam fix.

Just a shot in the dark, have you tried clicking on "choose your safari" after the ad has run?

When I come to the site.. the player opens, plays the video of the milk commercial then stops ... at the bottom in my tools where it tells me if its loaded or not it will say something like so many seconds til video loads then when the commercial is done.. boom nothing it stops.... I have clicked the nkohro button on the right... same thing.. I have tried the pop up on the left.. same thing.. I can get Nkohro if I use the WMP link and have it come up in the wmp player... just not on this site..

i know some ppl have fixed these problems by upgrading to the most recent Windows Media Player

The newest version requires you have service pack 2 for XP in.. my computer is old and won't download it and put it in so I can't use the newest version.

Wile, what version of WMP are you running? Try reinstalling it. Don't remove the other version, install over it. Here is a link to WMP 10. If this doesn't work, there are other players that you can use, so you can have more than one cam up at a time. VLC, Media Player Classic, etc. Both are small and will play directly if needed.

edited to add:  here is a page with other versions of  WMP on it.  Maybe something there will work for you.

Just some generic advice...

For those running third-party firewalls....did you remember to disable the built-in XP firewall? Running two software firewalls can lead to problems like this. I run two firewalls...but only one is software, the other is hardware inside the router. You can get away with that arrangement.

Hi. I haven't been on Africam in a long time. I'm actually up late enough tonight to catch daylight but my cam screen is black.  Am I supposed to do anything different to view the live cam with this new venue?   Thanks Steena

YEEEHAW!!!! Auntie lyn you did it!! thank you thank you thank you!! I can see!!! weeeeeeeeeee!!!! *does happy dance*!!! *grabs auntie lyn and all the others trying so hard to help and starts a conga line! *

Hi I know you folks are getting new cameras, however is there anything you can do to make it sharper?  Mine is fuzzy like looking through dirty glass.

Thanks.

Hi Sabine after I read your comment I was sorry I had added another fuss about the camera.  I know you folks do the very best that you can until your new system is up.  I acctually  feel very fortunate tthat I am able to view Africam.  It is a wonderful pastime for me. I am so glad that my friend gave it to me.

Keep up the good work you folks deserves all the applause we can give you.

I have been unable to get the cam for several weeks now. The site is just a blank white spot, and while it used to load a QT screen onto my desktop, now it either does nothing, or says "invalid URL." I had this problem once before when they made changes and had finally gotten it straightened out. I'm on a Mac OSX3.9, so I obviously can't update my WMV, and Flip4Mac does nothing. I miss my Africam.

Help!? 

I'm not getting anything on my work computer.  All I can do is look at the refresh cams.  Bummer.  I enjoyed watching the water hole all day.  Now I can only watch when I'm at home and it's usually night in Africa then. 

Any suggestions???  My video player is up to date.

The sound was crystal clear yesterday...today it's back to muffled with a tsk tsk tsk noise...soo sad!

I GIVE UP ON THIS CAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I connect fine - listen and watch the milk commercial then connect to the waterhole at 100% which stays on for a mere 10 seconds or so when it then says buffering which never goes past 14 or 17 % and thats me gone I can not see a thing unless I go through the whole procedure again to get a glimpse for those 10 seconds.  I just do not understand it!

Penny you aren't alone ...I have bufferings ...and I can't see anything today ...Other people reported  that cam stops from time to time too .....I suppose it was the rain yesterday ...and I hope we will get it back soon

I am tired of this too.  This cam has more problems.  Every day it is something different.  The past two days it keeps shutting off.  I am about to give up for good.  I haven't enjoyed this cam in months becuase there is always a problem with it day after day after day.

Yes there have been and will regularly be issues beyond anyone's control (ie:  weather conditions) why the camera is not working all the time.  When making comments about the camera problems please go back and watch and listen to Campbell and Jon's explanation on the challenges of providing a live stream to the world during their live broadcast here

This will hopefully help all who are frustrated to understand why the camera does not work 24/7. 

It is currently 8:26 pm (CAT) on Saturday Nov. 24.  I am getting a steady, clear feed of the Nkorho cam.  I hope you are too

Sabine, what kind of an answer is this?

These are long time loyal viewers who are frustrated with the feed they have been getting. Ask me, I've been there and done that. We all know the conditions in Africa, Penny knows better than we do. But to just direct them to a video response is not acceptable for a moderator.

I would think you would have:
1. A handy list of things they might try, and how to go about them, not just clear your cache, but also how to get to it to clear. The page from Windows where they can reinstall their WMP. And if all else fails, notify or give them the email addy of Jon or Campbell, or Raymond to get help!
2. Contact another moderator or 2 to see if anyone else is having feed trouble at the moment. Or post it in another thread, is anyone else having buffering or connection issues?
3. A little more empathy for those of us who have problems on a regular basis. You are fortunate apparently that you have no feed problems, some of us aren't. And some of us have had trouble mainly since the switch off of Wavelit. Makes no sense, but it's fact. Now... It is now 9:33 and I can't keep a feed going. This has been going on and off all day, but right now, can't even bring it up.

9.43pm edited to add: Sabine check out the Nkorho Cam Chat thread, and see the number of people having problems.

Fani, not too sure what to tell you, we have been having problems on and off regularly. Penny and jec, are you running off of windows or mac. How long has it been since you were able to watch? Can you watch in an independent viewer such as Windows Media Player, or VLC or Media Player Classic?
As I said in my last post, at this point, I do not have the cam up, it's buffering and stopping.

I do believe that all the mod squad feel empathy for those who are having cam trouble. We are all cam lovers too and also suffer when the feed is interrupted.

However, the Moderators have no control over the quality of feed. We try very hard to find out the causes of, and solutions for, the problems. Sometimes we suceed and sometimes we are unsuccesful because of the remote area the cam is in, and the time difference involved. Often by the time we can post that this or that is the problem, the cam is back up again.

In the video to which you were referred, Jon comments on the difficult logistical problems associated with keeping high technology equipment functional in that challenging environment. Let's cheer them on, rather than criticize.

No criticism Ingwe - just frustration.  Like the 403 error which suddenly healed itself we are all hoping that the NK problem will also just go away.  I have not been able to watch for months and yet I see a perfect picture from Djuma so it is very strange!  My take on my specific problems is nothing to do, I don't think, with my computer set-up as I used to be able to watch for hours on end.  As Aunty Lyn says maybe there is something small we can do or maybe there isn't.  Anyway, be that as it may, I who live in SA with the vagaries of our climate know what it takes to bring this to the world.  My frustration is that something that worked perfectly no longer functions for me at all and  my knowledge of computers is limited (I was born BC) so to simply try to view the waterhole through some other medium is like asking me to fly to the moon.  Enough said!

Mod Squad, perhaps something like this could help?

Problems watching the cam? Some suggestions that might help you along…

1. Clean your cache and cookies, then restart your computer and try again.
How to clear your cache (various browsers): read here

a. In Windows Internet Explorer (IE): go to tools; internet options; browsing history; delete; then delete temporary internet files, delete cookies, delete history, then close out of that window, and when you are back to the internet options window, click apply or ok. (This is on IE 7, although the steps in all IE versions are generally the same.)
b. In Firefox: go to tools; options; privacy tab; cookies; show cookies; here you can clear all cookies or go down the list to africam.com, highlight it and then click remove cookies, then close out of that window and click ok to the options window.

Don’t forget to reboot your computer, then come back to Africam.com, and try again.

For those using a third-party firewall, you should make sure you disable the built-in XP firewall. Running two software firewalls can cause problems since they sometimes conflict. Make sure you don't shut down the XP firewall until your real one is running. If you are running the XP firewall by itself...then leave it alone. Don't just shut your firewall down as you open yourself for attack, but rather just tell your firewall or AntiVirus suite to allow all traffic from Africam.

2. Some bomites have reported that when they log on, the ad plays and the introduction loads and plays and then the screen stays black and says ready. Some have clicked on the black screen and it has loaded up and run. If you have another browser on your computer, be sure and check the site using that browser to see if you can load it.

3. If clicking the black/white screen does not help, perhaps reloading or upgrading your Windows media player will help. If you are running WinXP first edition (without SP2 preloaded), you can’t upgrade to the newest media player. You will need to re-install either from your start up disc, or update to Media Player 10. You can do this at Windows site. Previous versions of Windows Media Player and which is right for you. For those of you who use Firefox, switch to IE tab or IE browser to access the windows page. This will save you lots of headaches. Remember, you don't have to remove your old version of WMP, just load over it. It will take care of itself.
Download centre for various versions of WMP: click here

4. If you are getting frequent buffering and choppy feed, first assess if others are having difficulties by questioning in one of the Nkorho Streaming threads or in the campfire thread. If you can find a moderator online, PM them and ask if the buffering is being reported by any others, or are you special.  If the problem is restricted to you, try cleaning your computer of ads and malware, they could slow up your computer and cause the feed to buffer. There are many free programs on the internet to assist you with this, such as Ad-Aware SE, Spybot-Search and Destroy. Clean your hard drive with your program disk cleanup, and then run your disk defrag. When you get done with this, close your computer completely, wait 10-20 seconds at least, then restart, go back to Africam, and try again.

Assuming you have done all of the above, and you still can’t connect at all, you need to contact a moderator, let them know what you have been trying and what has or has not worked. Be ready to give them information they can pass along to administration to assist you.
They will need:
1. The platform you are using, i.e.: windows, mac, etc.
2. The browser you use to access the site, and the version. You can find the version when you open the browser, help, about…
3. How do you connect to the internet and the IP address (can find the IP address by clicking start, run, type in CMD and click ok, in the box that opens, type ipconfig and hit enter. This will bring up your connection information.

Always remember, the feed is coming all the way to us from the bush, where the power and satellite feeds are subject to weather, animals and what ever Mother Africa throws our way! Give them a break, we are going to have lapses and stumbles, and for most of us this is an experience we may never have in real life. Lets enjoy what we can get and help each other along the way. If you know of something that helped your feed, share it with someone who is expressing frustrations at not being able to get it.

Cam Chat with Jon explaining how we get the feed from Africa to our homes.

That's wonderful Lyn! Thank you very much for taking the time to put that together. It is appreciated!

Ingwe, this is just some of what I've tried and done, and some that others have reported. We need to make a stick or locked thread once the list is complete, or if this is complete enough use it. When people are having problems, they could be directed to the list, then use this thread or another (i.e.: So you've tried all the work-arounds, now what?) to vent their frustrations and kick around other ideas. I will try to make a video of the talk from Campbell and Jon where they discuss the logistics of getting the feed to us, and put it in a separate video that could be added to this list. Hope this helps in some small way.

I have the same problem with the buffering

Lyn, it helps in a huge way!  Sabine is also working on something and your research is a tremendous help.

Thank you!