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[Kevin Wood]

Generally, if the HR is near the termination point, ADSL will still work, but the phone line won't.

//Edit HR = poor connection or a corroded wire. High Resistance.

Is that BT speak for the master socket?

No. I think it's when you get so frustrated with pestering BT to fix your broadband / phone that you top yourself.

[TheBoy]

Generally, if the HR is near the termination point, ADSL will still work, but the phone line won't.

//Edit HR = poor connection or a corroded wire. High Resistance.

Is that BT speak for the master socket?

No, thats Network Termination.  In this case, I meant the termination of the line, which may be beyond the NT

[Taxi_Driver]

Well , apparently BT carnt find the fault outside my house, so they want to come inside.

I was asked to a make an appointment, by my ISP, (they use a message board system on their website) i was given the options of AM (8.30am to 1pm) or PM ( 1pm to 6pm) Mon to Fri with 3 different days choices.
I replied back saying my options were, 10.30am to 2.30pm anyday weekdays, anytime Sat.

An hour later i had a call on my mobile asking if they could make a SAT AM (tomorrow) visit 

A question tho? They say im liable for a £60 charge if fault is found with my equipment or wiring inside my house (ive tried another phone in the master socket, no different). There are no extensions running from the master socket. Do they mean extension wiring or wiring going to the master socket?

[TheBoy]

They mean any wiring beyond the termination point.

If you just have 1 socket, you just have to make sure its not your phone (which sounds like you have) or broadband equipment.

[Taxi_Driver]

They mean any wiring beyond the termination point.

If you just have 1 socket, you just have to make sure its not your phone (which sounds like you have) or broadband equipment.

Ah right.....cheers 

Looks like its their problem then......as said earlier, Ive no extensions running from the master socket and when i tried another phone i plugged it directly into the master socket, ie removed the adsl filter.

[Taxi_Driver]

All fixed now 

Openreach blokey found the fault was 184m away when he tested at my master socket.

Apparently fault in cable somewhere between nearest cabinet and my master socket. So he routed a spare line to my master socket.

He said it took him longer to complete H&S checks than it did to climb the telegraph pole and switch the wires over 

He's just left, 2 hours after he arrived!

Checked the router and its gone from 4M download to nearly 14M......which he reckoned was pretty good considering how far i am from the exchange and the exchange is 20M max

[TheBoy]

All fixed now 

Openreach blokey found the fault was 184m away when he tested at my master socket.

Apparently fault in cable somewhere between nearest cabinet and my master socket. So he routed a spare line to my master socket.

He said it took him longer to complete H&S checks than it did to climb the telegraph pole and switch the wires over 

He's just left, 2 hours after he arrived!

Checked the router and its gone from 4M download to nearly 14M......which he reckoned was pretty good considering how far i am from the exchange and the exchange is 20M max

Lazy breakwit - in my day, we'd be in and out of all the joints finding it. Presumably he used a mole to get the distance, easy enough to pace it out. The moles are really accurate once you get to know 'yours'. I once measure a fault (from both ends) on a 3.8km run of buried cable. Threw the spade in the ground where I measured to, bounced straigt off the joint (funnily enough, that was also a day where my mate Rik (see Kwaka thread) and I were arsing around )

[Taxi_Driver]

All fixed now 

Openreach blokey found the fault was 184m away when he tested at my master socket.

Apparently fault in cable somewhere between nearest cabinet and my master socket. So he routed a spare line to my master socket.

He said it took him longer to complete H&S checks than it did to climb the telegraph pole and switch the wires over 

He's just left, 2 hours after he arrived!

Checked the router and its gone from 4M download to nearly 14M......which he reckoned was pretty good considering how far i am from the exchange and the exchange is 20M max

Lazy breakwit - in my day, we'd be in and out of all the joints finding it. Presumably he used a mole to get the distance, easy enough to pace it out. The moles are really accurate once you get to know 'yours'. I once measure a fault (from both ends) on a 3.8km run of buried cable. Threw the spade in the ground where I measured to, bounced straigt off the joint (funnily enough, that was also a day where my mate Rik (see Kwaka thread) and I were arsing around )

It was a handheld device, that he clipped onto the wires.....it gave a reading of 184m.

Are you trying to tell me, that if the cabinet had spare capacity and you had other AM calls that day, you would start digging the pavement up and let BT pay for missed appointments 

[TheBoy]

All fixed now 

Openreach blokey found the fault was 184m away when he tested at my master socket.

Apparently fault in cable somewhere between nearest cabinet and my master socket. So he routed a spare line to my master socket.

He said it took him longer to complete H&S checks than it did to climb the telegraph pole and switch the wires over 

He's just left, 2 hours after he arrived!

Checked the router and its gone from 4M download to nearly 14M......which he reckoned was pretty good considering how far i am from the exchange and the exchange is 20M max

Lazy breakwit - in my day, we'd be in and out of all the joints finding it. Presumably he used a mole to get the distance, easy enough to pace it out. The moles are really accurate once you get to know 'yours'. I once measure a fault (from both ends) on a 3.8km run of buried cable. Threw the spade in the ground where I measured to, bounced straigt off the joint (funnily enough, that was also a day where my mate Rik (see Kwaka thread) and I were arsing around )

It was a handheld device, that he clipped onto the wires.....it gave a reading of 184m.

Are you trying to tell me, that if the cabinet had spare capacity and you had other AM calls that day, you would start digging the pavement up and let BT pay for missed appointments 

Ah, one of the new moles, not the bloody great things we used to have to lug about, with CRTs in.

Correct. Only time we'd swap pairs was E side (exchange to cabinet), as the cables were pressurised (and in my day, many E sides still had sections with paper insulation, which got a bit grumpy when wet ).

There was one job in Aylesbury, where my mate Rik (he does get about, doesn't he) and I had a earth fault on a buried estate. Out with the Megger, measured, dug, tried again. And again, and again. About a week we were there before the tosspot manager would send out a proper underground bloke to help us (the street looked like The Somme with all the holes).

First this the underground bloke asked was where we got our Meggers from. "The old man" (meaning the manager), we replied. "Oh, these were the ones we handed back to him, as they are known to be faulty". <Send the word censor mental>.

[pscocoa]

All fixed now 

Openreach blokey found the fault was 184m away when he tested at my master socket.

Apparently fault in cable somewhere between nearest cabinet and my master socket. So he routed a spare line to my master socket.

He said it took him longer to complete H&S checks than it did to climb the telegraph pole and switch the wires over 

He's just left, 2 hours after he arrived!

Checked the router and its gone from 4M download to nearly 14M......which he reckoned was pretty good considering how far i am from the exchange and the exchange is 20M max

Good result - had a similar chase around a few years ago as I was in middle of dispute between Orange (EE!!) and BT Wholesale as to where fault lay. Now just have BT for Broadband Infinity to keep it simple.

[Taxi_Driver]

All fixed now 

Openreach blokey found the fault was 184m away when he tested at my master socket.

Apparently fault in cable somewhere between nearest cabinet and my master socket. So he routed a spare line to my master socket.

He said it took him longer to complete H&S checks than it did to climb the telegraph pole and switch the wires over 

He's just left, 2 hours after he arrived!

Checked the router and its gone from 4M download to nearly 14M......which he reckoned was pretty good considering how far i am from the exchange and the exchange is 20M max

Lazy breakwit - in my day, we'd be in and out of all the joints finding it. Presumably he used a mole to get the distance, easy enough to pace it out. The moles are really accurate once you get to know 'yours'. I once measure a fault (from both ends) on a 3.8km run of buried cable. Threw the spade in the ground where I measured to, bounced straigt off the joint (funnily enough, that was also a day where my mate Rik (see Kwaka thread) and I were arsing around )

It was a handheld device, that he clipped onto the wires.....it gave a reading of 184m.

Are you trying to tell me, that if the cabinet had spare capacity and you had other AM calls that day, you would start digging the pavement up and let BT pay for missed appointments 

Ah, one of the new moles, not the bloody great things we used to have to lug about, with CRTs in.

Correct. Only time we'd swap pairs was E side (exchange to cabinet), as the cables were pressurised (and in my day, many E sides still had sections with paper insulation, which got a bit grumpy when wet ).

There was one job in Aylesbury, where my mate Rik (he does get about, doesn't he) and I had a earth fault on a buried estate. Out with the Megger, measured, dug, tried again. And again, and again. About a week we were there before the tosspot manager would send out a proper underground bloke to help us (the street looked like The Somme with all the holes).

First this the underground bloke asked was where we got our Meggers from. "The old man" (meaning the manager), we replied. "Oh, these were the ones we handed back to him, as they are known to be faulty". <Send the word censor mental>.

I suspect its changed since your days, TB.
This Openreach blokey was on his own, didnt have a mate called Rik with him  and is probably told by his manager/supervisor to get round the calls asap.....ie fastest/cheapest fix....

[TheBoy]

I know its changed in that the OR guy now paints on the path where the hole has to be dug, and a contractor comes out and digs it. And invariably fills it back in before OR get back there

I seem to recall you saying yours was overhead fed? Less likely to be a buried estate, as when that came in in the late 60s early 70s, virtually all was underground fed. By late 70s, DPs were going in boxes...

[Taxi_Driver]

I know its changed in that the OR guy now paints on the path where the hole has to be dug, and a contractor comes out and digs it. And invariably fills it back in before OR get back there

I seem to recall you saying yours was overhead fed? Less likely to be a buried estate, as when that came in in the late 60s early 70s, virtually all was underground fed. By late 70s, DPs were going in boxes...

To the telegraph pole, yes, then goes underground to the cabinet......184m is further than the telegraph pole, so the fault must be underground somewhere between telegraph pole and cabinet.

This house and all the others around me, were built before that Bell blokey had been born 

[TheBoy]

I know its changed in that the OR guy now paints on the path where the hole has to be dug, and a contractor comes out and digs it. And invariably fills it back in before OR get back there

I seem to recall you saying yours was overhead fed? Less likely to be a buried estate, as when that came in in the late 60s early 70s, virtually all was underground fed. By late 70s, DPs were going in boxes...

To the telegraph pole, yes, then goes underground to the cabinet......184m is further than the telegraph pole, so the fault must be underground somewhere between telegraph pole and cabinet.

This house and all the others around me, were built before that Bell blokey had been born 

I think I can imagine it. I bet if you took HD for walkies towards cab, you would pass many, many JB4 (about 2' by 4' concrete covers, likely with GPO or Post Office Telephones (or if its been replaced in the last 30yrs, British Telecom or BT) on it).