Line fault

[armadillo]

Not sure if this is the right subforum but I can't think of a better one.

I have a line fault on my BT line. Basically, for the past few days, I often get no dialling tone or a terrifying screeching sound instead of one, or a screaming siren instead of one. Sometimes I get a normal dialling tone. Most of the time, I cannot receive incoming calls.

Broadband is working well, ADSL max, sycned at 8064 with a downstream noise margin currently 13.9dB.

I first tried the on-line fault report. All that did was disconnect broadband - but rebooting the router brought it back.  Then I reported by phoning from my mobile, where you can input the number that has the fault. It initiated a line test which disconnected my broadband again and then said it could not test the line because the line was busy (yeah, I know, that was the fault!). So I phoned them from my mobile and jumped through a few hoops to reach a human being. They immediately tested my landline and fortunately told me there is a fault "outside my property in BT equipment" and Openreach will fix it by 1 August and will not need access to my property.

So far, so good and I was actually quite impressed that they found something rather than telling me I needed to rebuild my house.

My question to people who know about phone lines and cabinet faults is this. I have had a long standing problem whereby the router noise margin drops from its regular approx 13dB to zero when I get an incoming call, even if nothing is connected apart from the router - no phones, no filters - router and router only, plugged straight into the master socket. Router manages to keep sync, bless it, even with zero noise margin. When call is answered or caller hangs up, noise margin returns to 13dB. It was suggested on this forum (can't remember who) that this is probably a line fault (since it happens without any phones connected). I never reported it since it does not actually cause a problem for the dear little router. My question is, when they fix the no-dial-tone fault, how likely is it to fix the noise margin drop on incoming calls? I deliberately mentioned absolutely nothing about broadband to BT.

[Steve]

I hope the faults are one and the same.

[armadillo]

I hope the faults are one and the same.

LOL. Me too. Thanks Steve. I think Openreach might have tried another line test shortly after my last post because my internet died even though the router never lost sync. Just had to reboot now and got 8064 sync with 14.0dB margin. Phone still doesn't work though 

Never mind, most of my incoming calls are nuisance calls and I can use my mobile if I need to call out.

[armadillo]

Fortunately, I discovered that my later fault is actually a faulty plugin phone extension cable that has now broken down completely. Disconnected it and cancelled the fault call to BT. Does not explain the first fault of course, which happens when no extensions or phones are connected. But that one causes no problems anyway so I will live with it. Maybe if I had left the fault open they would have fixed that one. Or alternatively, they may have charged me.

Case closed

[Simon]

Glad it's sorted. 

[armadillo]

Thanks Simon.