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ABOUT OUR CONTENT

  1. Q. Why do sometimes I see a Headline and not hear it over the air? (broadcast)
    A. Sometimes our analysts determine a story is low-priority or informational. Audio broadcasts are for high priority items only. Headlines may also be updated with additional textual information too and not broadcast.
  2. Q. Are the Headlines you post on your website free?
    A. Yes they are. Although they are delayed and have limited hit use. They are for our clients on the go so they can catch up when they are away from the office or browsing from a Treo or Blackberry handheld PDA.
  3. Q. How do I ask the analysts a question for research on demand?
    A. Please select the "Ask The Desk" tab and type your question. (You must apply for interactive rights which you can do from inside the Trade The News software.) Mind you Ask The Desk is only for items we have not covered yet. If there is a Headline you would like to talk with us about simply select the Headline in the News Module, hover over it, and type in your response. If we find your information useful or helpful we will award your account "points" (See Points system documentation)
  4. Q. How does the points system work?
    A. Those clients that earn the highest points will earn free stuff. Additionally, when we are in a fast market those clients with the highest points standings will get automatic preferencing for any interactive feature on the system in regards to Analyst attention.
  5. Q. I see a comment I sent in has been listed in a discussion under a Headline. What is this?
    A. If a user on our system shares with us, in his or her own words, something that is really a great point or idea about a story, a TTN analyst can share it with all users. The item will show up as "Shared from User" Have no worry any item will ALWAYS remain anonymous to all users.
  6. Q. Is our coverage Instant all the time?
    A. Yes 24 hours per day with the exception of Friday 15:00 EST to Sunday at 16:30 EST. During the weekend hours our updates are periodic however COMPLETE since during these hours nothing can be traded globally.
  7. Q. What does the shorthand in TTN headlines mean?
    A. YHOO: Reports Q4 $0.15 v $0.11e, R $1.40B v $1.41Be …means: Yahoo reports 4th Quarter earnings per share (EPS) of 15 cents versus(v) the 11 cent analyst consensus estimate (e), and reports revenues (R$) of $1.4 Billion versus the $1.41 Billion analyst consensus estimate (e).
  8. Q. I see letters surrounded by parantheses preceeding stories and as a suffix to certain tickers, what do they stand for?
    A. These symbols are the TTN country codes. They will also be reflected as a suffix for certain stocks trading in other countries. The full listing is as follows: (AR) Argentina, (AU) Australia,(BE) Belgium,(BR) Brazil,(CA) Canada,(CH) China,(CL) Chile,(CO) Colombia,(CZ) Czech Republic,(EU) European Union,(FI) Finland,(FR) France,(GE)Germany,(GR) Greece,(HK) Hong Kong,(HU) Hungary,(IN) India,(IR) Ireland,(IT) Italy,(JP) Japan,(KS) Korea,(MA) Malaysia (MX) Mexico,(NO) Norway,(NV) Netherlands,(NZ) New Zealand,(PD) Poland,(PH) Philippines,(PO) Portugal,(RU) Russia (SA) South Africa,(SI) Singapore,(SP) Spain,(SW) Sweden,(SZ) Switzerland,(TH) Thailand,(TT) Taiwan,(TU) Turkey,(UK) United Kingdom,(US) USA,(VN) Vietnam,(VZ) Venezuela


NETWORK REQUIREMENTS

  1. Q. What port is required?
    A. We use a very compatible format. All connections choose available port for outbound requests and TCP port 80 for audio channels and and port 443 (HTTPS) inbound for text traffic.
  2. Q. How much bandwidth does each audio channel require?
    A. Our encrypted FM quality channels require 24Kb/sec per channel. Our transmission encoding was developed by us and is specific to trading room environments and is not compatible with any other "Player" technology.
  3. Q. I am an administrator and we only allow traffic on a per network basis. What is your network block?
    A. Our global network address space is 66.226.160.0 Subnet mask 255.255.224.0 "/19" or if running BGP via our ASN# 19128.
  4. Q. I think I am having a connectivity problem. How can I test to your network?
    A. 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.
  5. Q. Is your software compatible with Proxy Servers?
    A. Yes, we have tested compatibility with Linix 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) However, your Network Administrator must have "SSL Tunneling" enabled or the software may not work properly. In general, all proxies have this enabled if you can purchase something via a secure transaction. Netadmins more information can be found about SSL Tunnels at: http://www.squid-cache.org/Doc/FAQ/FAQ-1.html#ss1.12
  6. Q. What does Error HTTP 302 mean when I try and play and Audio channel?
    A. This means your network administrator has implemented a "Content Filter" such as Websense which is redirecting then blocking the TTN Software request to our network. Please show this to your network admin and have them recatagorize our media as safe.
  7. Q. Does your software work with wireless connections?
    A. In short yes. Your wireless connection must be reliable for continuous use without issues. Our software is designed to intelligently recover from loss of signal. For Satellite internet connections you MUST use version 5.3 or Higher of TTN software. For use on "3G" wireless providers you must Disable "Venturi" compression optimization. Our data is already optimized and Venturi compression used by Verizon EVDO in the U.S. garbles our audio channels.
  8. Q. 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?
    A. The Blue Coat proxy server scans the content of every media stream by default. Since we broadcast our news in our proprietary audio format which is unknown to this proxy server, the proxy blocks the stream. In order to fix the problem your network administrator should turn off scanning the content from our servers. The best and easiest way to do that is to stop scanning from our whole TTN network. The block of our IP addresses is 66.226.160.0 /19


TOP 10 ANSWERS

  1. Q. What operating systems does it support?
    A. Windows 2000 and higher
  2. Q. My company does not allow media. May I use my Windows Media Player, Real Media, etc to listen to the broadcast?
    A. Our dedicated software system is a closed circuit encrypted audio format that is dedicated real-time and not compatible with any third party general media players. Please contact support if your network administrator needs assistance setting up to our network.
  3. Q. How reliable is this service? I am tired of learning to count on things that eventually fail.
    A. We have been broadcasting live every day since 1997. We were the first firm in the history of the Internet to broadcast live audio in 1996. In 2004 our system uptime was 99.9996% and 2003 99.9994% uptime.
  4. Q. 01/2005: I think my PC is loaded with spyware and adware and I just want to be sure it is clean? What do you recommend?
    A. Surprisingly, Microsoft has a new tool available for free that does the best job we have seen. It is called "Windows AntiSpyware" and from we have seen it does the best job of any removal and real-time protection product. You can download it free at www.microsoft.com
  5. Q. I receive an email or two daily and cannot read the file. What should I do?
    A. We publish all research in Adobe PDF format. This free reader is available at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html Please install and then open our email attachments.
  6. Q. 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?
    A. Use our web-based version. Microsoft ISA server is not a carrier class proxy solution and seems to have a tough time with peristant voice streams. The best solution is to create a "Do not filter" entry to our /19 net (For Details See entry under Network Requirements)
  7. Q. Initally I can login but I hear no sound only "Connecting to Server, reconnecting.."
    A. The problem is most likely your machine has 1 or more firewall or proxy software applications running. If you believe you have allowed all of your software to "Permit" our software then please check if you are running Windows XP-Service Pack 2. XP SP2 includes a firewall that blocks everything by default unless you change 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.
  8. Q. My sound is choppy or does not play at all but my local Sound Test works fine. What is wrong?
    A. Likely Problem is 2 sound Devices in the system: Your sound system may have two sound Devices installed on your machine which are conflicting with each other. Simply open your Control Panel then click on “Sounds & Audio Device Properties” then select the “Audio” tab then look carefully under “Sound Playback->Default Device” Check and see if there is more than one Device available. If so, select your physical sound card device, and then check “Use only Default Devices” at the bottom of this window. Click “Apply” then “OK” Finally, close your Trade The News software and re-open it for clear sound.
  9. Q. I do not like computers or my firm has very strict software policies. Am I out of luck?
    A. No. We offer 4 ways to obtain our service. Via web browser login with no install (Works in IE and Apple) Second, via software download and local install of our desktop application. Thirdly, via speakerphone by dialing one our local access numbers in New York, Chicago, or London. Thirdly, via dedicated "hoot" line directly to your firm. Please consult your sales representative for the best delivery method.
  10. Q. Why do I sometimes see a Headline and not hear the news item over the air? (Broadcast)
    A. Sometimes we post informational items as a headline or update a previous story only. Broadcasts you hear over the air are for high-priority items only.


AUDIO PLAYER

  1. Q. How do I launch Audio player from the platform?
    A. Click on the Audio button on the TTN Toolbar
  2. Q. My sound is choppy and breaks up what can I do?
    A. 95% of the most common problems are multiple sound card devices installed on the user machine and/or user had proxy software running that is filtering each audio packet causing delays. To check for multiple sound card devices open your Control Panel(Classic View)->Sounds & Devices->Audio(Tab)->Sound Playback->Default Device. Select the soundcard Device in the list. If more than one is listed choose the physical soundcard. (DO NOT use any "modem" based sound devices they 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 re-open. (You must close your TTN software and then reopen to enjoy the benefit of this change...sorry Windows limitation) Test your preferred audio stream and see if its clear now. If your still having trouble then you need to review your 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 very category. Therefore, you need to identify what you are 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. Under Status & Settings select Configure then Programs Tab. Make sure the TTN NewsStation software is allowed "Automatic" Internet Access. If your running Windows XP Service Pack 2, you will have to do the same since the OS now includes a personal firewall free.
  3. Q. I am at a professional firm and each day my Audio channel only seems to play for little while and then stop and I cannot get it to work again for the day?
    A. This in all likelihood means your network administrator has you in a management group that restricts web browsing by "Quota" that has been set by them. Our 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 our network. If you require any back-up we are happy to speak to your Administrator directly to help them ensure the proper configuration. (See "Network Configuration" #3 above)


MOZILLA NOTES

  1. Q. I use Mozilla and the software web installer never pop"s up?
    A. Mozilla by default blocks ALL Active-x controls which 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.