In case you didn't know, my webserver address is http://216.49.128.236:8080/. It has been online since the summer of '24 and for me it's a fun project.
I won't lie. Getting it to work has been a learning experience. It has been frustrating at times because much of the process is new to me. Unfortunately for me, my ISP is using CGNAT. Port forwarding would not work for me until I found out why. I tried port tunneling, which worked but after a weekend or two I would run past my data limit and the webserver would quit. Finally, as a last resort, I called my ISP, found that they did offer static IP addresses (for an extra charge). I bit the bullet and signed up and I don't regret it.
I enjoy watching people from all over the world listen to my local FM stations. American FM radio probably sounds foreign to people in various parts of the world. If you do not live in North America, here are some things you should know when you check out my webserver:
1. Believe me when I tell you that there is NOTHING from 87.5 to 87.9 in North America. Well, almost. There are about 13 radio stations on 87.75mhz scattered across the continent. These once were part of analog TV channel six. Those are long gone, but a few of them stayed on as FM radio stations. The one closest to me is in New York City and broadcasts mostly Russian. If you hear anything else between 87.5 and 87.9, the chances are excellent that you are hearing a pirate. I have one south of my location on 87.9. Remember, North America is not Europe. FM starts at 88 here.
2. 88-92mhz is reserved for public and non-commercial stations. Some networks are regional, such as Connecticut Public Broadcasting and New England Public Radio. You will also find some college radio and religious broadcasters in this part of the FM band. Translators are allowed on the "educational" band.
3. 92-108mhz is for commercial broadcasting but you may also hear college and religious broadcasters here. One huge national religious broadcaster in the US is called K-LOVE. Our local K-LOVE station is on 106.9. You will also find LPFM (low power FM) stations and translators. Translators are low powered stations (250 watts or less) that rebroadcast full power stations. Many LPFMs and translators use RDS.
4. Many full power stations transmit in hybrid digital mode. For example, WDRC 102.9 is analog, of course, but it transmits digital on 102.7 and 103.1, rendering those two channels useless, for the most part, for DXing. In my local area, there are about 20 stations transmittig in hybrid digital, so their adjacent channels may seem to be empty, but they are not. They are transmitting digital and each digital transmission can broadcast up to five sub-channels. With an analog radio, though, you can't hear any of them.
Now. Go check out my FM band and I hope you enjoy (?) what you hear. I would bet that American radio is something that many of you find "different".