Crackle on landline phone

Legacy_user

I use a desk for my laptop in the area where the landline phone connection is, for the convenience of the router/modem. On my desk, is one of three portable phones.

The problem is we have noticed crackling on the line.

Currently we are monitoring calls in and out and from different people to try and determine if it is our phone set-up or theirs.

Something we do when talking to family, is to put it on speakerphone and wondered if that was the issue.

We have never changed batteries in the phones simply because they work, when they don't we will investigate.

Has anyone an idea what could be causing the crackle please?

Uxb

plug in a wired phone to the master socket test socket
This is the one behind and after you have removed the lower half of the socket - assuming you have a modern NTE5 master.

dial 17070 choose option 2 quiet line test
Listen to the 'silence'
The line should be totally quiet
if it is not - it is a fault on the line on the BT side

Crackles on the line are most likely an imminent or part fault somewhere back to the exchange.

Enterprise_1701C

Have you got another phone you can try in the socket, or can you borrow one? It would be handy to test with another phone to eliminate that as the fault.

Have you got a split socket where the line comes in, if so unscrew the bottom half and carefully pull it out (very carefully if you have extension sockets as this is where they are connected), under there you will see another phone socket. This is the test socket and is directly on the end of the line. Plug an ordinary phone into that and see if you still get the crackle. It would be preferable to use a corded phone for this but you can use your DECT phone. Assuming the phone is OK then if there is still a crackle there it would be on the line itself.

Oblivion

Noise on the line can also be due to a broadband filter breaking down. I experienced this problem a while back. Bought some replacement filters from Amazon ... issue solved.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004VBIX2G/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A.Penny.Saved

You need to narrow down where this is coming from before doing anything!

Avoid using the speakerphone because in some circumstances this can cause crackling/noise. Phone and use the phone normally. Try a different phone, try the test socket. Try different times of day and night. Find out where and when noise is present.

If you call your phone company and they send an engineer and they find nothing wrong with the phone line then you could be landed with a big charge! You have to be certain that it is your phone line.

If you get the noise on your line, phone up the phone company help and find out if they can hear the noise. That helps, it did when I had a noise problem some years back.

bod1467

Oblivion wrote: »

Noise on the line can also be due to a broadband filter breaking down. I experienced this problem a while back. Bought some replacement filters from Amazon ... issue solved.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004VBIX2G/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Uxb's advice will determine whether this is the case. If all is OK with a corded, analogue phone in the TEST socket then the problem is on the user side - the first culprit to check is the filters.

Also, if you have any extension sockets, make sure only terminals 2 and 5 are wired. Any wires on other terminals (e.g. 3) should be removed.

JasX

+1 you need to break down the problem and work out if it is you or the outside line.

Plug int your master test socket (you will need to open up your main socket probably with a screwdriver to access the test point) with a phone only and see if it cackles, if it does try a different phone... If it still crackles it's probably your outside line.

If no crackling take your 'good' phone and reassemble your master socket so you're just using it normally. Disconnect everything else from phone sockets in your house and check for crackling, this will test your internal wiring.

Then slowly connect things one at a time and look for the crackling reappearing

Ie first add a filter and your Internet connection, then after testing start plugging in any extra phones you have one at a time until you find the culprit

1- yes you do need filters on all points you plug something into the home line if you have broadband

2- always be careful to turn your Internet/modem off before yanking the phone cable out of it or disconnecting elsewhere otherwise you can disrupt your exchange profile and may suffer slow Internet for 5-10 days whilst it resets/re calibrates itself.

System

I thought I had posted this morning 8'ish but clearly I didn't click "submit".

Of our three portables, the two in constant use are of a pair, upstairs is an individual add-on so we will try that.

I have several unused filters, so will try them.

We don't have a corded phone but could try and borrow one.

We do have the new type phone cover and have used this means of testing before, so will aim to do that.

I will copy each of your recommendations and see what I can do and report back.

bod1467

A corded, analogue phone really is recommended for the quiet line test. Digital/cordless phones tend to have filter technologies built in to improve call quality.

£4.28 isn't a lot to pay.

System

Back again with an update. (have been away for a couple of periods)

Crackle seems to come and go, but have now had a day of bad crackle. Bought a corded single phone and used that. Crackle still present. Today I will remove the cover and insert this phone into test socket and dial 17070 and opt 2 then come back with result.

PS. Dare I say it, but last night we noted a crackle free phone call from a landline to ours. Today we received a crackle free call from a mobile. We then made two calls to other landlines which were crackle free and after a while, switched to loudspeaker, still crackle free.

SO? what can have happened?. I'm telling myself that either a) it was a gerneral thing and others have dealt with it or b), it's a flash in the pan and the crackle will return.

Either way, I have written down your welcome testing route for future use.

System

UGH, NIGHTMARE, but a step closer.

Removed cover (one of those with two entries, one for phone one for ethernet). Pluged corded phone in socket and dialled 17070 and waited for options, ready to press option 2, but all I was told, was my phone number. Meanwhile crackle continued.

Tried portable phone = crackle.

Replaced cover and tried phone without ethernet plugged in. I'm sure it was clear.

Inserted ethernet to both box and router, crackle started. No spare cable to try.

Experimented then and discovered that IMO, the crackle starts when cable inserted into DSL on router.

My plan is to buy a new 1 metre cable to try, if that dosen't work, then I will notify TT. Any further suggestions please?