Unaslob,
You need shaker grates. Keep your coal bed 8-10 inches thick and keep the ashes out, from the bottom. That is all important. If you dig around the top it WILL go out or burn like crap for a while. I haven't put a stick of wood in mine since Thanksgiving after struggling, like you are now, all last year. Once you get coal figured out, you won't go back to wood, unless you get it for free. I tend it twice a day and it takes 3 minutes, tops, each time. Coal is cleaner, requires less work, and takes up less room.
I believe you e-mailed me last year. I'm sorry to see you've had no success. I am glad I have this stove now that it has been modified so it burns coal properly. With anthracite, from several different sources, I keep temps constantly between 180-185. It will work, the grates are the key. Don't let anyone tell you that coal is hard to burn. If it was, no one would use it.