Most stations sound OK, but many of them tell me my...

Many Internet connections work better in one direction than the other. For example, if you are using a so-called "56k" modem, the best possible connection you can achieve is 53k downstream (from the Internet), and 33.6k upstream (to the Internet). When you connect, you may see a message reporting your downstream speed, but your upstream speed is usually not displayed. You may find that hanging up and re-connecting will give better results.