Due to the overwhelming popularity of this site. The costs to operate both the online streaming audio and the telephone scanner have skyrocketed. We would like to keep this as a free service to all in Dubuque and surrounding areas; however, we cannot do this alone.
While all of the radio equipment is paid for and located in Dubuque. The dedicated servers needed to operate this system are located in datacenters scattered throughout the country and are on monthly leases. In addition to the server lease payments, the connection to the internet requires large amounts of bandwidth (the amount of data sent or received by the machine) to be purchased.
We understand that we could scale back our system to conserve costs, but this would cause the system to be unavailable for some people at certain times of the day or when major events happen. It is at these times when we feel that this service does the greatest good in keeping people alerted to what is going on around them.
Current system configuration is as follows:
1 Local audio encoding server
1 Shared Webserver
1 Streaming Video Server (For webcams)
3 Online audio streaming servers (Capable of handling 330 simultaneous users)
3 Telephone System Servers (To handle all phone lines)
187 Phone Lines (63 local and 124 in Washington state)
Average simultaneous daily users: 44 Online, 12 Telephone
Average Listen Time Online: 10h 33m
Average Daily Number of Telephone Calls: 1135
Average Listen Time Per call: 46min (with no max limit)
On 12/3/2009 the system reached it peak amount of simultaneous usage. There were 639 internet and 186 simultaneous telephone users. The system maxed out but increased capacity was added within 30 minutes.
While our goal is to provide a free unlimited service, we also cannot continue to operate without outside funds. All funds received will go to the direct costs of operating and maintaining this site. Our current average operating expenses are approaching $275/mo.
We currently have come up with 2 ways you can help- direct donations and advertising.
Direct donations.
We are able to accept donations via PayPal and Check/Money order. Cash donations will be accepted at a location yet to be determined.
Advertising
We are working on several different unique advertising possibilities.
The first is our website.
We are currently receiving over 10,000 hits and 5000 visitors a month with the majority of those visitors in the Dubuque area.
The investment for website advertising here are currently as follows.
Top of page banner: $50/mo
Half banner below online web player: $25/mo
Magnet size on left or right above or below menu: $30/mo above $20/mo below
If you have multiple businesses, we can set up ad rotation on a single space for an additional $5/mo per ad.
We can also customize a package based on your business or needs.
The second is online audio ads.
Each time a user connects to the system, your 10-15 second ad or commercial could played. This ad or commercial could also be played at the beginning of each file in our archives.
Typical ads could be "This broadcast is sponsored by ABC Company, visit www.abc-company.com" or a quick ad about a current special you are having. Contact us at info@dubuquepolicescanner.com for pricing on this type of advertising.
The last advertising system we currently have is our telephone ads.
The telephone scanner currently generates anywhere from 500-2200 calls per DAY.
Your message would be heard at the beginning each call. When a user calls and hears your advertisement, they could be prompted to press "1" for more information or even be connected to your business via telephone.
There are many possiblities for this type of service.
We now also accept PayPal!
You can also help support us by purchasing a premium account.
You set the price!
The recommended amount for a total access account is $20, but any amount will be accepted and some extras will be given for any amount.
Contact us at info@dubuquepolicescanner.com if you would like to make a donation or are interested in any of our advertising options.
