People complaining about a terrible noise on my phone when they call me or I call them.

[#1]

Hi - for a few weeks people who call me say that there is a really loud noise when they ring me on my landline (Plusnet) and when they ring back again the noise has gone. This is from several people in various places from landlines and mobiles. I cannot hear any noise, but can hear the other people perfectly well. I rang a friend today, just up the street and they said they couldn't hear me - just a really loud noise. I had to call them back from my mobile. I have searched for a solution to this problem and wasn't sure what to do. I can test the main box upstairs with a corded phone but I cannot hear the noise so I don't know if this would accomplish anything. My phones are cordless and all seem to work but if others complain about noise then I need to investigate. Thanks for any suggestions

[#2]

Sorry to hear you're having issues with your phone line.

Our tests aren't showing any issues so we'd need you to go through the steps shown here before we can progress further.

Let us know if this doesn't sort your issue.

[#3]

Hi Matthew, sorry I didn't get back to you before but the problem is intermittent. I have had a few calls over the past few weeks where people say there is a terrible noise when they ring me - both when they are ringing me and after I have answered. They have to hang up and ring back - sometimes 2-3 times. If I ring them, the same happens. There is no noise at my end and I can hear the caller perfectly well. Last weekend, the same person rang me 3 times but couldn't hear me because of the noise. I rang them back but the noise was still there although there was no noise at my end. I tried ringing my landline from my mobile but there is no noise on the line when one of the family answers. The people who complain about the noise live in various places in the UK and they can't all have dodgy phone lines so it must be my line. I have looked at your suggestions and checked that everything is in order but have no way of knowing if the problem is still there as I don't hear the noise. If I can just say that I have changed nothing since our fibre optic line was installed around 2012 - I was part of the 80/20 trial. I did change the batteries in my handsets this week but the noise was back again this afternoon when a friend had to resort to ringing my mobile. I don't know if it's relevant but this seems to happen after it has been raining. I have been reluctant to report the fault as it has been so intermittent but something must be done about it now.

Thank You, Regards, Karen

[#4]

Unfortunately our tests aren't showing a fault which doesn't mean there isn't one but we will need to arrange a engineer visit if you want to progress the issue further.

If you want to do this just respond to the ticket I've just raised on your account.

[#5]

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@Katie222 wrote:

I have had a few calls over the past few weeks where people say there is a terrible noise when they ring me - both when they are ringing me and after I have answered.  (my bold 198kHz)

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And therein is the big clue. If the caller is hearing noise before the call is answered, the noise cannot be emanating from @Katie222's line.

It's somewhere in the switching network transmission path, and only affecting one direction.

198k (ex BT)

[#6]

Whilst I'd tend to agree, unfortunately as no fault on the line is being detected we don't have the ability to book an external engineer.

[#7]

@Chris  Indeed, there is no point in booking an external engineer, as the fault is patently somewhere in the switching/transmission area. 

What are Plusnet's options in this case?

[#8]

Thanks for replying guys. Unfortunately, I dont understand what this means - 

'as the fault is patently somewhere in the switching/transmission area.'

Are you talking about the cabinet or exchange?

Katie

[#9]

@198kHz wrote:

@Chris  Indeed, there is no point in booking an external engineer, as the fault is patently somewhere in the switching/transmission area.

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kredhead wrote:Are you talking about the cabinet or exchange?

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 Honestly, I'm unsure what this means.

@198kHz wrote:

What are Plusnet's options in this case?

 As we're detecting no fault through automated testing, the only option would be to arrange an engineer appointment.

[#10]

This is interesting, it's almost an exact mirror image of the problem I've been struggling with, now hopefully resolved.

https://community.plus.net/t5/forums/v3_1/forumtopicpage/board-id/Phone/highlight/false/page/1/threa...

Sorry it's a long thread, but it may be worth your while to go through it.

Good Luck - Alastair

[#11]

In a telephone exchange, there is a Main Distribution Frame (MDF), a flexibility point where the internal 'network' - switching/transmission - is connected (jumpered) to the 'access network' - cables, cabinets, poles and wires up to the customer's master socket. The two sides are known in the trade as 'Office' and 'Line' respectively.

Openreach's remit covers the frame itself and everything on the 'Line' side.

Pretty well everything on the 'Office' side is the responsibility of 'Technology, Service and Operations' (TSO).

As explained in Message 5 of this thread, the fault lies within the internal network, so there is no point in booking an Openreach appointment.

So I ask again PN - what are the options? Are you allowed to contact TSO, or do you have to report the problem to BTOR as your only supplier?

[#12]

Unfortunately, we'd have to book an engineer appointment as we're unable to raise any external tasks if there is no fault detected via automated testing.

[#13]

@198kHz - That's interesting info - a shadowy semi-secret division, yet another layer in the organisation where the blame can be apportioned, if it's anything like some of the big organisations I've seen, it'll be a real 'them & us' situation. A bit like MI5 and MI6 - on the same side, but in competition.

I have no doubt that my recording of the problem (which I will keep) helped the resolution. How you could organise something similar might be a challenge, you'd have to have someone ready to record a video whilst dialling your number the 2 or 3 times they got the noise and then get the clear version on the same recording, holding the landline earpiece to the mic on the phone . . .

Then give you the vid to give the OR eng, who would then (according to 198khz) have to take it up with TSO . . .

Hmm - could happen - couldn't it?

But it looks as if PN may have limited powers here - might be worth escalating it.

Good luck . . .

[#14]

Having ready through Odyssey's post above, I could try his method of waiting till someone complains about noise on the line then go upstairs (can't hurry I'm afraid) and plug a corded handset into the test socket behind the OR main socket, get them to ring me back and see if the noise has gone, or is still there. I may have to do this for a while as the noise is intermittent - sometimes it clears after one call, sometimes after 2-3 calls. I must stress that I cannot hear any noise at all at my end. When I do manage to get a noisy call from someone via the test socket, it seems that I will then need to purchase a different corded phone and repeat the whole process again to make sure the phone is not faulty. OK - if that is what is needed to confirm the noise.

I also need to add that I have no extensions with sockets.
When I changed to fibre, I already had an extension from the main box in my downstairs front porch to my office upstairs. The extension went from the main box in the porch, through the wall into my attached garage, round to the other side of the garage, out through the wall, up the external wall to thelevel of the upstairs office than back through the wall into the office.
The engineer inspected the extension cable and said he was satisfied with it and that 'they' would adopt it. He then wired the original extension cable directly to the OR box in the office, installed the fibre modem next to it and put a blank plate on the original main box. I have no other extensions - no sky - nothing!!

Katie

[#15]

@odyssey TSO are hardly a secret organisation, they are just the people that keep the networks and equipment going, Openreach look after the lines.