Many factors can affect the status of a particular audio feed.
1) Internet connection problems.The Internet is a fragile, complex network and wasn't really designed for long-lived connections like we use here for the audio feeds. For that reason, connections go down from time to time. The problem could be the connection between the feeder and the central audio server.
2) Computer problems.We have a good selection of fairly reliable audio feed software. But computers will be computers. As I recall a saying I heard once, "...all hardware sucks and all software sucks. They just suck at different times." Computers can experience hardware and/or software problems at any time. It happens more than we like to think.
3) Server problems.LiveATC.net uses the
Icecast server as its core audio infrastructure. Icecast is an amazing piece of software and stays up for *very* long periods of time. But from time to time even it needs to be restarted or worked on.
4) The feeder may have other priorities or limitations.Some feeders share their computer with other family members who may need to access the microphone or Line In for their own needs. Some feeders have ISP's who cap (put a limit) on the amount of bandwidth each customer can use per month, limiting the amount of time they can feed an audio stream.