Another BT problem - Noise & dead line

tonydee

We moved to our new address in December and had BT line enabled as the previous owner had cable. The master worked fine but in the end had to call an engineer out to enable another socket upstairs.

The line has never been great with people often complaining they could hardly hear us but as we don't use it that often we lived with it.

Recently this week and coincides with the Earthquake our line has been very tempremental. When you try ringing it, it will either ring once and then go to a crackling sound or it will just give the engaged tone.

When attempting to ring out it will either have no tone at all, the crackling sound or a very faint dial tone. I must say that the dial tone is not present for very long.

The boradband internet connection however doesn't seem affected?

I've bought a new phone today and the exact same thing occurs. BT say the line test came back fine and it's an internal problem (funny that). We however suspect otherwise. We've changed nothing in the house that would suddenly cause this problem but like I say the problem has definately worsened since the Earthquake.

Any help much appreciated

:beer:

MoonRose77

We had the exact same problem during the rains - well that's what we attributed it to. BT tested the line and could find no fault - from their end through the exchange to where the line entered our house.

Do you have an extension from the main point? Have you tested the phone in the internal socket on your main entry phone point? If it works from the internal socket they say the problem is with extensions - but I will be honest with you ours didn't work from their either with or without extensions plugged in. We ended up changing the cables til we found a combination that would work as one of the internal cables was faulty.

Good luck sorting it out.

tonydee

We have one extension upstairs for another phone and the PC. This runs externally to the master socket of which both are the old style and not the new ones with the test socket.

I suspect the Exhange is where the problem is, it's just proving it.

MoonRose77

Ah slight problem with my suggestion then - are you able to access the socket in order to check the wires and make sure that they are in correctly?

Or have you been to the BT website and tried the phone line testing thing on there - I just don't want you to end up with them coming out and slapping you with a £125 bill because they put it down to an internal problem.

https://www2.bt.com/btPortal/application?pageid=ftpd_hub&siteArea=con.mya&portletid=ftpd_hub&wfevent=event_wc.ftpd_home&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.portlet.event&s_cid=con_FURL_faults
That link should let you test straight from your pc - if I have done it right

tonydee

All wires are fine in the socket. I've even managed to use the phone at one point today but no joy for the last 5/6 hours.

Line test comes back ok.

Thanks for your help

MoonRose77

No problem - like I said don't want you ending up with a charge that you don't need. I'll see if I can find out any other info for you.

Our was like that - able to use the line one minute and completely kitkatted the next! And pc worked fine as well - amazing seeing as it goes through the same box - never worked that one out either.

Like I said will keep looking and wracking my brain for any other info/ideas for you.

Best wishes

Browntoa

try the phone straight into the bt test socket,eliminates all the wiring in the house, connect direct to the BT pair coming into the house , so at BT's last point



http://www.ispreview.co.uk/articles/week/socket.jpg

tonydee

Browntoa, we have the old style sockets and not these new ones with the test sockets. We also run 2 filters from both of our working sockets like everyone advises.

Should have stuck with cable and fibre optics.

Incidently I've just checked if I have a ringtone at the mo and yes it's crackly but it's there. Won't be for too long tho

BritBrat

Sorry thought you had a NTE box.

Dial 17070 and listen to message, select quiet line test.

Any noise?

If I was you I would rewire it with a NTE box, but as that is illegal you may have to get BT to do it, but it will cost a arm and a leg.

http://www.clarity.it/xcart/product.php?productid=16150&cat=262&page=1

Just extend the wires out of what you have now to the new NTE box, then run all extensions from the new box.

Adding your own NTE5

Here's a small point raised by an observant punter recently;
An existing extension cable running from a non-NTE5 master might well also be BT property and thus technically you shouldn't be fiddling with that either. In the real world a visiting BT engineer is likely to flip if you've replaced your BT master socket illegally, and quite rightly so - but probably not be bothered with the extension cabling and what you do there. Technically then, if you're not sure about the ownership of an existing hardwired extension, and want to strictly adhere to the Book, you should add your own NTE5 to an extension cable that's plugged in to the real master. The choice, as always, is yours.

So if BT did all your extensions it may all be BT property/responcibility and if so no charge, but I would ask first.

DonnyDave

If you have an old style "master" socket, which looks just like any other phone socket, then I presume you have extensions for other rooms plugged into this using one or more of those piggy-back plugs. In which case unplug everything from this socket (including all your extensions).

Plug in one of your phones directly into the master socket (and nothing else). There's no need for a filter. Is the fault still there? If yes, then try another phone.

If the fault is present with each of the phones plugged into the master socket, then that proves that it must be on BT's part of the line.

gt94sss2

BritBrat wrote: »

If I was you I would rewire it with a NTE box, but as that is illegal you may have to get BT to do it, but it will cost a arm and a leg.

Conversion of hard-wired master socket to Linebox and Regularisation of illicit master socket is listed in the BT price list at £25+ VAT, unless someone is disabled (as per the Disability Discrimination Act) when its free.

I think if you have a BT engineer there for another reason though - quite often they replace them for free..

Regards
Sunil