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[renluop]

Or am I behind the times?

My BB has been intermittent and voice noisy. Openreach found a battery fault and tied it down to 42metres cable length from my house.

This morning there were two DSL drops ~50 mins apart, and there is no dial tone. Voice is now completely dead.

Does it mean they can work on that type of fault without recourse to digging a hole, and how?

All seems strange to me.

[roseway]

Is the cable from your house to 42 metres away actually underground?

[renluop]

Yes it is.

[waltergmw]

The JDSU device many BT O engineers have contains test facilities to detect the distance of a disturbance of the line such as the effects of the crimps in a joint sleeve.
BT can presumably examine a fault from both ends or an intermediate point if they open a joint sleeve and isolate a section of the line.
However if a real repair is required then 'ole digger is necessary. The nasty bit comes sometimes when we all know the (often unducted) cable is in dire need of replacement but can still carry a phone signal.
In that case No USO might mean no digger !

In your case with a dead phone line something must be done. You might mention the unmentionable aluminium and politely ask if the time has come to do a proper job ?

We have several notorious lengths of direct buried cable near an electricity substation here. You might be fooled into thinking that BT have been remarkably generous with their joint pits but in reality when a repair is made the cheapest way is to remove a faulty section by jumpering a new section either in one new joint pit or perhaps two quite close together. On the other hand where BT have discovered the remarkable properties of buried ducts it is much simpler to remove the entire faulty cable between the nearest joint pits and replace it.

Kind regards,
Walter

[renluop]

Hi Walter! My ignorance needs feeding and brain is befuddled by cold. I cannot recall what the acronyms stand for! The break spot is spray marked. Actually no pit is to be seen in our cul-de-sac: the one that serves us is ~400ft away. When was aluminium in vogue?
Our estate house dates from  1971.

[razpag]

The engineers will have used the TDR or Wheatstone Bridge on their meters to try and determine where your fault is. What I would have done then, is used a Cat & Genny to track the cable and a Pedometer to measure it. If your feed cable is DIG (Direct in ground), then they will have to have the area exposed where they perceive the fault to be. Our contractors carry out the excavation work and will dig a 1mtr x 1mtr area. A 'Joint box' will be then put in the ground if it is feasable, so that no future excavation work is necessary.

Houses built in the 60's and 70's are notorious for having DIG cables. The main 'Spine' runs down the street with 'Tee-offs' at each and every house. We call the underground joints 'Submarine joints' as they resemble a submarine, but they are awful to remove as they are resin-filled and form a solid block around the conductors. We therefore have to 'Buzz' each pair one at a time and connect through to a new strap cable that by-passes the old joint. As time has gone by, these joints are now beginning to break down and allow ingress of water, thus causing problems.

Try not to subscribe to Walters misery towards BT/OR renluop. Cheap plastic ducting wasn't available back in the day, and at the time the powers that be decided that DIG armoured cable was practical, cost-effective and served its purpose. Fast forward to today, and yes of course we use duct where at all possible which means no further excavation should ever be needed. I wish I had Walters 'Powers of hindsight' sometimes, there's lots I could complain about.

[renluop]

Thanks razpag. It does not really matter as the line was so noisy that using it would be a PITB. Why should the tone have continued till today, mystifies me a little?

Time wasting I found that BT estimates for the 6 houses opposite is 6Mb, as is 1st on our side. The other 5 on ours are 5.5Mb.

Any one recall my photo, way back, of a tiny cabinet? OR man told me it is a pillar off cab # to serve our estate.

[renluop]

On the rainiest morning there they was digging that 'ole in the gtound!

And so

One more step along the Openreach Road we go
From the.....

[burakkucat]

Having read --

Openreach found a battery fault

-- and noted that the original posting shows --

April 01, 2011, 03:08:06 PM

-- I'm not sure if I should say to renluop: "Yes, you are behind the times. You posted after midday!"   

[renluop]

OMG, after two visits one of which tested there was no EU fault; three texts; one hole dug, we had a call this evening that they are coming again to check there's no wiring fault.

I never saw anything about a takeover of BT by TT

[burakkucat]

OMG, after two visits one of which tested there was no EU fault; three texts; one hole dug, we had a call this evening that they are coming again to check there's no wiring fault.

Being naturally inquisitive, I'll ask if you went and 'ad a look in the 'ole in the ground?

[renluop]

No! It was raining bad yesterday  and I am not at my best, otherwise you might even have a photo

[renluop]

BTo been and gone, actual guy very nice. Now waiting fr a nother hole bu a beighbour's drive. Plenty of spare pairs but all faulty.

[burakkucat]

It was raining bad yesterday  and I am not at my best, otherwise you might even have a photo

Although I always like to see a picture, precipitation from the sky is to be avoided and your well-being must be foremost.

BTo been and gone, actual guy very nice.

Aren't they all? (Waves to Messrs. RP & Ezzer.)   

Now waiting fr a nother hole bu a beighbour's drive. Plenty of spare pairs but all faulty.

So I assume the cable defect is between the first 'ole and the second 'ole that is to be . . .

I hope you are on good terms with your neighbour and continue to be so, once the 'ole digger has done the excavation.   

[renluop]

Neighbours round our little end to the forest all OK, so should all be OK