I just updated a gem I wrote in 2011 (which the FCC actually starred and forked, lol) to use their new API, which apparently knows about caching now. It doesn’t provide all the same data as the old one did, which is kinda weird. No “signal strength”? Why? So the gem can still query the old, horrifically slow and crusty API if you want it to.
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station = FCC::Station.find(:fm, "KOOP")
if station.exists? && station.licensed?
#Basic attributes, available quickly because the FCC actually caches these in a CDN:
station.id #=> 65320
station.status #=> LICENSED
station.rf_channel #=> 219
station.license_expiration_date #=> "08/01/2021"
station.facility_type #=> ED
station.frequency #=> 91.7
station.contact #=> <struct FCC::Station::Contact>
station.owner #=> <struct FCC::Station::Contact>
station.community #=> <struct FCC::Station::Community city="HORNSBY", state="TX">
# Extended attributes, takes several seconds to load initially because the FCC is running this endpoint on a 1960s era mainframe operated by trained hamsters.
station.station_class #=> A
station.signal_strength #=> 3.0 kW
station.antenna_type #=> ND
station.effective_radiated_power #=> 3.0 kW
station.haat_horizontal #=> 26.0
station.haat_vertical #=> 26.0
station.latitude #=> "30.266861111111112"
station.longitude #=> "-97.67444444444445"
station.file_number #=> BLED-19950103KA
end
Ruby Gem
active
FCC