Taking BaL podcasts/episodes abroad - advice needed

[ik.a]

Hello,
new to this forum, but stumbled across it and it looks great. I'm going abroad for a year (Pakistan) and would love to take some BaL with me (pretty much what's available on the website.) I cant access BBC there and it's completey blocked on the limited internet access. I be staying in a rural village with no reasonable internet connection. I plan to take my phone and a terabyte of music. Anyone know what the best way I can do this? Are the podcasts downloadable in a recognised audio format, or must they be played and captured using audio software. I'm a complete tech idiot, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Pulcinella]

Welcome to the Forum, ik.a; like you, I'm pretty inept (event though I've been given some editing rights here!) but I'm sure that you'll find you'll be given lots of useful advice from fellow members.

Good luck in your ventures.

[french frank]

No idea, but there seems to be quite a bit of information online about recording podcasts to phones. I think you just get whichever is the appropriate podcast app for your phone. Not sure how you access all the available BaL podcasts.

[AuntDaisy]

A lot of the Building a Library programmes can be downloaded from the UK as MP3 files (which will play on most devices) via French Frank's link https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02...episodes/guide

Just click on the "Download" button, as shown below and save them to your computer / hardrive. It will take some time to go though & download the ~382 programmes

[french frank]

But how do you get it on your phone?

[AuntDaisy]

But how do you get it on your phone?

It depends on the phone type and what other tech. is available...

For Android phones with a USB conenction, just plug it in to a laptop / PC (with a USB cable) and the phone should appear as a new drive. (It does with my Samsung S5 mini). You can then use Windows Explorer (or similar) to copy the files over to the phone, or you could put them on a datastick / external hardrive.
Some phones can have a USB datastick or MicroSD card plugged in to them.

Not sure with Apple iPhones - they're a closed book to me.

As a last resort you could play (or transfer) them via BlueTooth to the phone.

Since a "terabyte of music" was mentioned, I'm assuming an external hardrive &/or computer will be available.

(BTW When we moved to Denmark in '98, I took a tape player & cassettes to keep me going for the first month )

[Hitch]

I use the free Podcast Addict Android phone app to download Record Review and CotW podcasts. I have an unlimited broadband plan, so it's easy to download episodes via Wi-Fi onto my phone, all done from within the app.

[Goon525]

You may need a VPN to fool BBC Sounds into thinking you’re in the UK.

[Hitch]

To reduce luggage weight and size, it might be an idea to forego a 1TB hard drive and instead buy some high-capacity memory sticks and then fill them with mp3s/podcasts. You will need a suitable cable adapter to connect your phone and the memory sticks.

[Retune]

A 1TB microSD card is reasonably cheap if your phone can take one. Sadly, SD slots seem to be vanishing from flagship phones, but many mid-range phones still have them.

[Roger Webb]

You may need a VPN to fool BBC Sounds into thinking you’re in the UK.

You might to view content on iPlayer, but BBC Sounds is available anywhere in the world (local régimes permitting!)..….Nation shall speak peace unto Nation, and all that....

[ucanseetheend]

I use the free Podcast Addict Android phone app to download Record Review and CotW podcasts. I have an unlimited broadband plan, so it's easy to download episodes via Wi-Fi onto my phone, all done from within the app.

This app doesn't work on my android. Every time click on a podcast to download it 'failed to download " message

[richardfinegold]

A 1TB microSD card is reasonably cheap if your phone can take one. Sadly, SD slots seem to be vanishing from flagship phones, but many mid-range phones still have them.

A 1 TB hard drive has a small footprint and weighs a few ounces. Having said that SD cards can go up to 2TB and are smaller still

[Retune]

A 1 TB hard drive has a small footprint and weighs a few ounces. Having said that SD cards can go up to 2TB and are smaller still

It's a shame that just when large capacity media cards have become readily affordable, the phone makers are less interested in providing slots for them. I suppose they want to upsell us on their models with more onboard storage (always much more expensive per GB than a card), and some of them have cloud services they want us to rent. Yes, external storage gadgets are small and cheap, but nothing is as convenient as only having to carry your phone, especially on a long trip.

[kernelbogey]

Welcome, lk.a!

Not sure with Apple iPhones - they're a closed book to me.

If you have an iPhone, you will probably know that there are user websites full of useful information - which might help with this - flagged from the Apple website.

I have discovered that the Apple helpline is very useful. I called it - in fact for advice on my MacBook - in the early hours one night and spoke to an Apple technician in Australia, who was an unhurried listener and helper for about 45 minutes. (I later discovered that the helpline was supposedly available to me only for the first two years of ownership - but nobody asked. )

You may get the answers you need there.