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[kitz]

Thanks for the update..   in a way its good news that others are also seeing it too and means the more chance of it being escalated.
Please keep us informed how its going

[markthomas]

small update...

When I initially discovered the source on my car radio I did drop an email to Wessex Water, not really expecting much to happen.  By coincidence they replied this afternoon stating that they were going to investigate and have independently asked BT to check the telephone line to the pumping station.  All good news...

Mark.

[kitz]

looking good

[markthomas]

I decided to canvas the local area on Thursday night just to let people know about the potential issue with the pumping station.  I had a feeling that there were probably a number of people suffering and struggling to the get the problem diagnosed by their ISP or BTw.

So far I have been contacted by 8 houses out of 32 all with similar or worse symptoms to my own.   I have no idea how many out of the 32 have ADSL but I suspect that some people aren't necessarily aware that they are being affected.  I guess it depends on their expectations and perception of broadband.  One of the houses that has contacted me also informed me that the local electricity board had stated in the past that the pumping station was the likely cause of some long term problems with our mains supply (light flicker, power cuts).  I hadn't mentioned this previously as I had not linked the two things together.

I also had an update from UKOnline.  A BT Proficiency Testing Officer is now coming on Tuesday.  Hopefully he will confirm the source and then deal with Wessex Water if it is the pumping station at fault.

I'll let you know what happens after the PTO has been here next week.

Mark.

[kitz]

>> with similar or worse symptoms to my own.

interesting.

Yes please do keep us informed.  Good luck.

[markthomas]

I have still not heard anything from BT but I think they were near the pumping station yesterday doing some work.  Wessex Water have been in contact with me to say that they think the source of the interference is due to a new pump they installed.  They are still doing their investigation and I have not heard that they have done any remedial work yet but I have also heard reports that they were at the pumping station yesterday.

It seems as though some work has been done (by either BT or Wessex water) as the SN margin fluctuation has improved significantly.  My line now initially syncs at 2.3mb / 12.5db but I am still seeing periodic drops by approx 3db and then back up to 11/12db.  I am not sure what level of SN margin fluctuation is considered "normal"... is 3-4db too much?  My sync then gradually reduced to 1.5mb.

Can anyone advise on what level of fluctuation is normal?  I have attached a graph from routerstats which shows the fluctuation I am seeing now, my sync is still 2.3mb as I have also just rebooted the router.

Thanks,

Mark.



[attachment deleted by admin]

[kitz]

There is obviously still some fluctuation there - but that is well within normal parameters for your length of line. 
That sort of  fluctuation may not even be due to the pumping station and may just be 'general household stuff'.  IIRC your previous fluctuations were 10dB+ which was high.
2-3dB is perfectly acceptable.     

If it keeps like that - then hopefully within a few weeks your Target SNR will drop and you will then be able to get higher sync speeds.
- In fact over time it may even drop down to the default (6dB).

If I were you I'd monitor it for a while longer, but looking from that graph now, Its does look like some work has been completed and its soooo much better than it was before.

[markthomas]

Thanks for the advice... yeah it is much better 

I guess I was just a little concerned why the sync speed dropped from 2.3mb down to 1.5.  I wasn't running routerstats at the time so I don't know exactly why it happened.  I am going to leave it running now for a few days and see what happens.

My IP Profile is still at 750k, I guess this will take a few days to sort itself out...

Mark.

[HPsauce]

What is interesting about that graph is the "step" nature of the change, does that continue over longer periods?
It's almost as if there's a background level and then something cuts in (pumps?) for a few minutes causing increased interference.

If the interference stays lower your target SNRM will hopefully change and your speed increase, but that will take some time.

FWIW my own SNR graph from routerstats looks completely different. Little wiggles over a short period but a day-by-day pattern of interference ramping up around dark and reducing late at night with a minimum (best margin) from about 9am to tea-time. No sudden steps at all, though I do get occasional very short bursts of interference that can cause a resync (or 2 or 3); there's something nasty in my neighbourhood but it's not sustained.

[markthomas]

I think the fact that I am still seeing the "steps" in the graph suggests that the pumping station is still causing interference, but as Kitz has pointed out the +/- 2-3db I am now seeing is much better than the +/- 10-12db I had before!

I really need to wait until I hear from BT or Wessex Water to find out what exactly was done yesterday and whether there is still more work to be done.

Thanks,

Mark.

[Ezzer]

Should point out that if BT Openreach locate an interference source from a 3rd party then the're not exactly allowed to tell you. It's more a case of "located the source of the problem and it's in hand/being investigated/followed up" (or what ever)

Which bears the question in the fact that under the data protection act your in your rights to see all the notes a company like bt would have on your account which of course will include the notes from any engineers who've worked on your line ?

[HPsauce]

under the data protection act your in your rights to see all the notes a company like bt would have on your account which of course will include the notes from any engineers who've worked on your line ?

No, you misunderstand the DPA. It's about personal information not technical data not related to you personally.

[Ezzer]

Our notes do appear on customer records which are avalable regardless wether they're technical or not. It's due to the fact as an engineer I could have access to your line, your property with all the security implications that entails including any potential comment someone might make on any records which you have the right to see.

This is in part why if you see an engineer working nearby and you have a problem on yours were not permiteted to work on your line as a specific fault unless we have an actual reported fault pinned to us regardless if you poped up and said can you just have a look and sort so and so out (unless it was a case of something being a danger to the public)

It's not a case of being jobworth but a case of accountability. Who has had access to where your lines have run. If we get spotted say up a pole with a dp totaly unrealted to anyjobs pinned to us then we had better have a damm good proveable explanation.

Thats also why if any one either enters a note or even looks at your account details within the bt group then it always leaves a footprint. Say for instance if I was working of a pc and inadvertently mistyped a number and went into a sensitive account by accident, I would have to call bt security and explain myself pretty quick as the would know.

It's the first thing that got drummed into me when I started with bt and it's taken hellishly seriously which I find very reassuring

[markthomas]

I'm not too worried about BT telling me the source of the interference... just what they did yesterday (if anything).  It's entirely possible that the improvements are down to something which Wessex Water has done and not BT.  I won't really know until Monday when I get an update from both companies.

Line still sync'd at 2.3mb  however BRAS profile still at 750k  .  I have read in another thread that rebooting the router a few times will help force the BRAS profile to correct itself.  Is this true or am I best off leaving it along for a few days...

Thanks,

Mark.

[Ezzer]

I would leave it to convince the dlm everything is stable, then it's more likely to start changing the settings