Omega Owners Forum

Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Dusty on 12 August 2008, 13:12:14

Title: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: Dusty on 12 August 2008, 13:12:14
Hello

Haven't been on the forum lately because the telephone line is down.

It will be over 2 weeks before BT can repair it. >:(

Farmer brought it down with his combine harvester, which was OK. This has happened before, and BT have repaired it quite quickly. :)

Unfortunately, this time the Health and Safety Laws have come into play, and BT are not prepared to fix the line when it has electric cables attached. ::)

So instead they are putting up 4 new telegraph poles to bring the wire to my house.

This must be quite costly for them, and is certainly a great nuisance to me. The engineers say that it would only be 10 minute job to reattach the wire but, they are not allowed to do it.

Has the  Health and Safety Laws gone completely mad?

Guess I will have to read your comments when I get reconnected, which is hopefully Friday  :-/

But who knows :-* :-* :-* :-*
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: TheBoy on 12 August 2008, 13:46:27
Yup, I know from my friends in BT that the rules are getting tighter to what they can and can't do.  And as they send out quality checkers, they can't even break the rules.

I used to work for BT fixing lines, and things were much easier.  OK, we have quite a lot of accidents back then - ladders slicing through electric cables on poles etc, but rarely serious injuries, and we got the job done quickly.

But when a firm is run by accountants, as BT is now...
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: TheBoy on 12 August 2008, 13:57:29
Quote
Yup, I know from my friends in BT that the rules are getting tighter to what they can and can't do.  And as they send out quality checkers, they can't even break the rules.

I used to work for BT fixing lines, and things were much easier.  OK, we have quite a lot of accidents back then - ladders slicing through electric cables on poles etc, but rarely serious injuries, and we got the job done quickly.

But when a firm is run by accountants, as BT is now...
Which is quite amazing if you knew some of the stunts we used to get up to - strapping 2 ladders together to make them longer, stepladders on van roofs, throwing hammers tied to wire so whilst up poles so we could get wires across busy roads without stopping traffic etc ::)
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: JonArgraig on 12 August 2008, 18:57:11
For us, when a BT Line is down we have a quick fix - Vodaphone Data pack :)

quite sacry how many of our sites end up on GPRS because the BT hard lines are so poor
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: Vamps on 13 August 2008, 00:27:17
How long will it be before bt lines are no longer used, with mobile phones and wifi, why bother? we are begining to wonder ::)
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: Snips on 13 August 2008, 00:36:20
Quote
Hello

Haven't been on the forum lately because the telephone line is down.

It will be over 2 weeks before BT can repair it. >:(

Farmer brought it down with his combine harvester, which was OK. This has happened before, and BT have repaired it quite quickly. :)

Unfortunately, this time the Health and Safety Laws have come into play, and BT are not prepared to fix the line when it has electric cables attached. ::)

So instead they are putting up 4 new telegraph poles to bring the wire to my house.

This must be quite costly for them, and is certainly a great nuisance to me. The engineers say that it would only be 10 minute job to reattach the wire but, they are not allowed to do it.

Has the  Health and Safety Laws gone completely mad?

Guess I will have to read your comments when I get reconnected, which is hopefully Friday  :-/

But who knows :-* :-* :-* :-*

on the subject of health and safety, i recently completed my scafhold supervisors course. you must wear a hard hat at all times while on the scafholding, but what's going to fall on your head?!?! but pedestrians walk under scafholding on pavements all the time! :-?
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: The Red Baron on 13 August 2008, 00:39:44
h&s sucks these days tbh.
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: The Red Baron on 13 August 2008, 00:42:33




on the subject of health and safety, i recently completed my scafhold supervisors course. you must wear a hard hat at all times while on the scafholding, but what's going to fall on your head?!?! but pedestrians walk under scafholding on pavements all the time! :-?[/quote] maybe a boing 747 but who cares by then.!. ;D ;D
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: Vamps on 13 August 2008, 00:46:35
I know we have to be safe, but it has gone ott, so many jobs take much longer and cost much more. :(
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: iggy21uk on 13 August 2008, 00:47:29
Quote
How long will it be before bt lines are no longer used, with mobile phones and wifi, why bother? we are begining to wonder ::)

I live on high point less than  1/2 mile from 02 mast signal near zilch.
Neighbour on Voda not idea where mast is  can only use in garden - just. Not in UK outpost.  :(
  
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: Vamps on 13 August 2008, 00:51:12
Quote
Quote
How long will it be before bt lines are no longer used, with mobile phones and wifi, why bother? we are begining to wonder ::)

I live on high point less than  1/2 mile from 02 mast signal near zilch.
Neighbour on Voda not idea where mast is  can only use in garden - just. Not in UK outpost.  :(
  

I used to live in Little Berkhamstead, under the mast used in spooks. :y
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: Martin_1962 on 13 August 2008, 10:19:14
Quote
How long will it be before bt lines are no longer used, with mobile phones and wifi, why bother? we are begining to wonder ::)


Head a story about someone sent to install a WiFi router and wondered why it needed to be plugged into a phone line - might even have been on here
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: JonArgraig on 13 August 2008, 10:21:10
Quote
Quote
How long will it be before bt lines are no longer used, with mobile phones and wifi, why bother? we are begining to wonder ::)


Head a story about someone sent to install a WiFi router and wondered why it needed to be plugged into a phone line - might even have been on here

Yup that was one of my now P45'd engineers
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: Debs. on 13 August 2008, 10:47:59
Hiya Dusty.....same situation here soon (I guess); my landline comes up the hill attached to the same poles as my electricity supply and passing  only 1 metre-under (at right angles) to the area`s 11Kv 3 phase overhead transmission catenaries.....the last time the B.T linesman came to repair the phone cable (after it was struck by lightning) he mentioned that the arrangement would no-longer be considered 'legal' by H & S.......so, I think next time it`s damaged it`ll take a while to be repaired. :(
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: TheBoy on 13 August 2008, 18:08:56
Quote
How long will it be before bt lines are no longer used, with mobile phones and wifi, why bother? we are begining to wonder ::)
Years - the demand for bandwidth is increasing and I can't see the UK government freeing up that much of the spectrum...
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: STMO123 on 13 August 2008, 18:54:50
Quote
Quote
Yup, I know from my friends in BT that the rules are getting tighter to what they can and can't do.  And as they send out quality checkers, they can't even break the rules.

I used to work for BT fixing lines, and things were much easier.  OK, we have quite a lot of accidents back then - ladders slicing through electric cables on poles etc, but rarely serious injuries, and we got the job done quickly.

But when a firm is run by accountants, as BT is now...
Which is quite amazing if you knew some of the stunts we used to get up to - strapping 2 ladders together to make them longer, stepladders on van roofs, throwing hammers tied to wire so whilst up poles so we could get wires across busy roads without stopping traffic etc ::)

When I was on my 'A' course in Manchester (Overhead and UG), they taught us all sorts of unsafe stuff. It was good, unlike the namby-pamby gits in charge now.

That was in the days of Post Office Telephones, not BT!
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: Dusty on 18 August 2008, 16:20:32
Quote
Hiya Dusty.....same situation here soon (I guess); my landline comes up the hill attached to the same poles as my electricity supply and passing  only 1 metre-under (at right angles) to the area`s 11Kv 3 phase overhead transmission catenaries.....the last time the B.T linesman came to repair the phone cable (after it was struck by lightning) he mentioned that the arrangement would no-longer be considered 'legal' by H & S.......so, I think next time it`s damaged it`ll take a while to be repaired. :(

Hello Debs and everyone else.

Yes, still no sign of a repair as yet. We have had several dates, but unfortunately it is stuck with the council now, awaiting permissions ::)

We have no idea how long this can take. We have been off since the 30th July and it is going to be a least a week yet. Thinking of buying a vodafone dongle, then I might be able to access the forum a little more frequently.

The crazy thing is 2 BT repair men have said they can connect it in less than 10 mintues, but due to these H&S laws they simply refuse to do it.

So now we are still waiting for 4 new poles to be fitted.

Your guess is as good as mine when it will be done.

I have 1 last thing to say.................ARGHHHH!!!!!! >:(

Speak to you all sonn when I'm next in the library next :-* :-* :-*
Title: Re: Telephone Line Woes
Post by: iggy21uk on 18 August 2008, 17:42:56
Quote
Quote
Quote
Yup, I know from my friends in BT that the rules are getting tighter to what they can and can't do.  And as they send out quality checkers, they can't even break the rules.

I used to work for BT fixing lines, and things were much easier.  OK, we have quite a lot of accidents back then - ladders slicing through electric cables on poles etc, but rarely serious injuries, and we got the job done quickly.

But when a firm is run by accountants, as BT is now...
Which is quite amazing if you knew some of the stunts we used to get up to - strapping 2 ladders together to make them longer, stepladders on van roofs, throwing hammers tied to wire so whilst up poles so we could get wires across busy roads without stopping traffic etc ::)

When I was on my 'A' course in Manchester (Overhead and UG), they taught us all sorts of unsafe stuff. It was good, unlike the namby-pamby gits in charge now.

That was in the days of Post Office Telephones, not BT!

Might still have the course notes !!!
and 360 notes -- Those were the days - its called progress  :'(