crackling phone line

ali-t

I have virgin media phone and broadband and at Xmas bought new panasonic house phones. All was ok for the first month but then the line started crackling and I checked with Virgin but there was no problems with the line so I took the phones back and exchanged them.

Now the new phone has started doing this too (it is only a few weeks old) so I bought a filter as recommended in the instruction manual to block out broadband noise (I think??). This hasn't worked either but I think this may be because I have my phone line downstairs in the living room but the wireless broadband is upstairs so can't be connected into the filter.

Any ideas what else to try as virgin say it isn't a problem from their end and I have tried a couple of phones and it still happens. At the moment I am paying out for a landline that I can't even use as it is so fuzzy.

societys_child

You really really need to get another filter for your router.
In my experience ISPs normally provide two.

You could check that it is the bb causing the problem by un-pluging the router and trying the phone.

Browntoa

I'm not clear , are you using cable broadband from Virgin or a ADSL line from them

ali-t

It is cable broadband I am using. I did have problems with the phone line before and they were going to dig the road up but decided against it.

societys child, I don't understand where I would plug it in on the router? All of that equipment is upstairs plugged and wired in but I don't think there is a phone type socket there. It is in the lodgers room so I can't check it.

spike7451

@ SocietysChild;
You don't use microfilters on Cable phonelines as the BBand comes over the same line as the TV.You CANNOT have broadband on a cable phone line.
@ali-t;
What you need to do is remove the bottom faceplate on the CTE-5 Master socket & plug an ordinary,corded phone into the test port,If it is still crackling then you need to get an engineer out as ot IS on their side & VM are responsible for it..
I suspect it is a faulty/corroded Krone strip in the street cabinet or the installer has nicked the cable somewhere & water is getting in,most likely in the ETB (Gray box on your outside wall) unless the drop cable has been damaged & repaired at some point.It could even just require the line card being re-seated in the Mux.

CTE-5 is the cable version of a BT NTE-5.

ali-t

spike7451 you are speaking in forked tongue!! I have no idea what you are talking about as I am a total technological muppet but will go back to them and be persistent and get them to come out again to check the line. They did mention water getting in the last time I contacted them but for whatever reason decided not to dig up the road.

I don't know if it is connected but the phone also rings of its own accord, 1 ringers but there is no record on 1471 of anyone calling. Weird.

societys_child

Sorry ... reading the original post:

so I bought a filter as recommended in the instruction manual to block out broadband noise

I assumed it was a copper line in which case the router would have obviously need a filter as well. Should have questioned it first ...

spike7451

ali-t wrote: »

spike7451 you are speaking in forked tongue!! I have no idea what you are talking about as I am a total technological muppet but will go back to them and be persistent and get them to come out again to check the line. They did mention water getting in the last time I contacted them but for whatever reason decided not to dig up the road.

I don't know if it is connected but the phone also rings of its own accord, 1 ringers but there is no record on 1471 of anyone calling. Weird.

You have a damaged cable.What is happening is it is shorting across where the damage is thus it 'rings'.The installer probably used a knife to cut the outer sheathing on the cable & kicked the inside wires.In extreme cases this can result in the police turning up as the short causes the cable to 'dial' 999.
Do you have any extensions connected to the master socket?

Here's what you do..

Locate the master socket (see pic in link)

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Images/Products/size_3/GPNTE5A.JPG

Unscrew the bottom bit,(any extensions should be connected to this) & remove it.

Connect a wired phone into the test socket;

http://www.hmmm.ip3.co.uk/images/nte5-test-web.png

Is the line still noisy?

ps-remove the filters,you dont need them

ali-t

I will give it a go and chap some of the neighbours to see if anyone has an old fashioned phone. thanks for explaining it more simply, much appreciated.

spike7451

ali-t wrote: »

I will give it a go and chap some of the neighbours to see if anyone has an old fashioned phone. thanks for explaining it more simply, much appreciated.

No problems.If the line is clear,then it's an extension that's the culprit.If it's still noisy,you need an engineer out,especially as you say they were going to replace the drop cable.(the cable from your house to the street cabinet)
If this is damaged it may be the repair that is the culprit.If an engineer does come out,mention that to him.

ali-t

Would you believe it, not a soul in the street has an old style phone. I have phoned out an engineer and sods law there was hardly any crackle when I was on the phone to virgin - flipping typical! The engineer is coming out on Saturday.