iron farm in spawn chunks not working when i'm away

(1.16.5 Java) im unsure if this is an aternos issue or just a minecraft issue, so forgive me if this is in the wrong place. i created an iron farm in the server's spawn chunks, however, when i am not near the farm it does not function. i've tested this multiple times by taking note of how many drops are in the chest before i leave the farm, and then comparing them to how many are in there when i return. it's usually only 3-5 more ingots than when i left, no matter how long i'm doing other things on the server (and i suspect this is because usually when i leave an iron golem is already starting to burn). i do use a nether portal to travel faster to and from the farm, however i have tried simply walking away from it and still see the same results. i've recalculated my spawn chunks 5 times now and it always confirms that the farm is in the spawn chunks. it works flawlessly when i'm stood beside it. i'm stumped. i can't figure out what's wrong, so i'm here. do spawn chunks just not work on aternos servers? did spawn chunks change functionality during my minecraft break? is something wrong with my farm? can anyone who has a functioning iron farm in spawn chunks direct me to the design you used so i can build it instead? thank you for any help.

Quote from YodaForce157

i'm pretty sure that the server doesnt allways load spawn chunks

yeah i was trying to search around on the forums if the servers do load them, and i didn't get a definitive answer anywhere. however, this personal experience is definitely telling me that spawn chunks aren't loaded on aternos servers. sad if that's the case. i wish i had a definitive answer though lol!

Quote from Roman

We don't modify the loading behavior of spawn chunks.

You can try to set your worldspawn to the location where your farm is to make sure that's within the spawn chunks - and you can try to switch software.

well, i'm pretty sure it is already in the spawn chunks and i don't really want to alter the worldspawn, but maybe i will as a last resort. by switching software what do you mean? sorry, i'm not understanding. thank you for your help

Quote from Roman

With Software I mean Paper, Spigot and Vanilla.

Different types of software have different characteristics.

ohhh, i see! thank you, i will have to try that