[kokomo1]

As a feed provider, I took on the task knowing it is a 24 x 7 x 365 operation. While I started it out for fun a little over two years ago using the free StreamTown service, I worked very hard to keep it going even when it went offline.

I was truly grateful when Gordon offered to host with Scan America. My feed has only went offline for brief times when the DSL service was out for a few hours due to ice or thunderstorms or the power was out longer than 80 - 90 minutes which is all my UPS can meet things alive.

I use the free service of LogMeIn (http://www.logmein.com) to remote access the streaming computer should something need my attention and I am not at home. It can be accessed from anywhere there is a web browser or from an iPhone or iPod touch with Wi-Fi and the LogMeIn application.

Finding a dedicated computer for a stream is easy. Almost any computer will work and ask around if needed to get an old one from a friend. The machine I use is a laptop which has a broken DVD, broken floppy disk, and no working display or battery. (Remote access is my only access.) I got it for nothing. (It also runs my Davis weather software for my weather site.)

I want to point out a couple things about my feed. It is always on with the rare exceptions mentioned above. (Even then it was just a few hours offline.)

I promote it outside of the “scanner enthusiast” community hitting the local community. With it being reliable and available 24 x 7 x 365, people listen.

You will notice I am usually one of the top feeds if not the top feed and have just a medium sized market to pull from. (You would think the large metro areas would clobber me but they don’t.) You cannot build a listener base when your feed is up and down at your convenience.

When stuff does happen in my community, people get online to listen. The TV news stations from Indianapolis often use my feed for breaking news information in this area. Why? Because they know my feed is on and available 24 x 7 x 365.

Take a look back at a newspaper article from April 2008 which I shared here at RR. I had nearly 1000 listeners that evening with 520 at once during the peak. Why? Because the local community knows my feed is on and available 24 x 7 x 365. Take note that I was away on business when this all went down. I didn’t even know something happened back home until someone else at the conference asked me about the “boom in Kokomo” since it made the news.

If you want a successful feed, you have to be on all of the time plain and simple. I don’t have any problem with RR and the staff and how they have it set up now. Just remember they are not saying you cannot reapply to offer a feed again should you be offline for an extended length of time.

I know it seems like I am hammering on you but a successful feed has got to be online all of the time to be successful. I don’t get anything out of it other than thanks from the community and from the local sheriff (who links to my site) and mentions me often to others in the area.