Intermittent incoming calls fault

Yorkie1

I am encountering intermittent problems with my home phone.

It sometimes cuts out after 1 ring. When the person re-dials, it seems to then get through more often than not, although my parents say that it cut out every time they rang over 2 days.

I haven't changed anything equipment-wise in the house. The main incoming socket is a line box, with microfilter and main cordless phone / answerphone. There's an extension cable going upstairs to an extension box, which has a microfilter and the BB wireless router.

One of the wireless extension handsets (i.e. just have a power plug, do not need to plug into the phone line) is currently off-line awaiting new handset batteries.

I wondered whether it might be the main phone, but have changed that to a new phone / answerphone so that rules that out.

Has anyone any ideas from previous experience as to the most likely place to start looking? As some calls get through without difficulty, I assume it is unlikely to be a line fault.

I am with Plusnet if that is of any relevance.

notbritishgas

Yes that sounds like a fault known in the trade as Ring trip.

There will be some "low insulation" that is some high resistance between the 2 line wires, not low enough to operate the equipment in the exchange (or it would be permanently engaged) but just enough to trip the ringing current.

You may find it is weather dependent made worse by wet. However you also say you have a linebox, do you mean the one with a test socket? If so and you have plugged into the test socket and the fault still persists then the fault is out to line. If not then the fault could still be on your own wiring/equipment.

Yorkie1

Thanks, nbg.

I've put a corded phone in the test socket in the line box and repeated the fault. I also removed the microfilter / router upstairs, plugged the phone into there and repeated the fault. It seems to be occurring about 10-30% of the times.

Unfortunately in removing and then reinstating the front plate of the line box, I appear to have done some damage to the wiring going to the upstairs extension box as that line is now dead when plugging the phone into it.

Is it a case of contacting plusnet?

spike7451

Yorkie1 wrote: »

Thanks, nbg.

I've put a corded phone in the test socket in the line box and repeated the fault. I also removed the microfilter / router upstairs, plugged the phone into there and repeated the fault. It seems to be occurring about 10-30% of the times.

Unfortunately in removing and then reinstating the front plate of the line box, I appear to have done some damage to the wiring going to the upstairs extension box as that line is now dead when plugging the phone into it.

Is it a case of contacting plusnet?

Yes,it's ringtripping.No point contacting Plusnet for the extensions as they would send out a BT Openreach engineer who would charge you well over £130.SP's are only responsible for & upto the main part of the NTE5 Master socket,not the extensions.These are the customers responsibility (ie-yours) so you'd be better contacting a spark as it'll be cheaper in the long run.
You will however need to contact Plusnet for the fault on the main line to the NTE5.

Yorkie1

Thanks spike, much appreciated.

Have contacted plusnet to report the ring tripping and will see how they respond.

notbritishgas

Just a bit more info for you until the engineers arrive.
When you hear the phone give one ring then if you are quick before the caller hangs up they will still be on the line so you do not lose the call.

Heinz

notbritishgas clearly has more hands-on experience that me but I'd still like to mention the phrase 'line card fault at the exchange'.

Yorkie1

Thanks Heinz. I will google the phrase and mention it when plusnet get back to me.

ukcarper

That fault could be anywhere you need to plug a good phone into the test socket and see if it is still present. If it is the fault is either outside or in exchange if it isn’t it is on your wiring or equipment.

Yorkie1

I did already plug a corded phone into the test socket and replicated the intermittent fault, thanks ukcarper.

DVardysShadow

Yorkie1 wrote: »

I did already plug a corded phone into the test socket and replicated the intermittent fault, thanks ukcarper.

Are you sure that when you open up to expose the test socket, all other wiring is disconnected? Sometimes, wiring gets connected directly onto the incoming network cables. Just another little thing to watch out for when trying to present a 'clean' fault to BT with no grounds for them to pin it on your wiring.