Power cut

I was reporting my power cut this morning on the phone and as soon as I reported the postcode the phone cut off and started rapid pips. Then power came back on but the pips were still there for about 20 mins on the phone. Anyone know what these pips meant. Broadband couldn't connect either.

Edited by Banger (Mon 21-Sep-20 14:17:56)

Anyone know what these pips meant

.. time to put another 10 pence piece in the slot ?

Beat me to it!!

Openreach engineers have a system whereby they can put a repeating tone on the line then probe at the wires to check if it is connected or in order to locate that particular line. This happened to me once when my neighbour had a fault and they put the tone on my line by mistake.

It is not usually audible on a ‘normal’ handset.

You need an amplifier to hear an oscillator .

Yes. I believe even without a phone (or other device) connected the voice circuit can be tested across the two incoming legs via a resistor contained in a NTE5. I guess the test signal would be an audible repeating tone if a phone was connected to the front of the NTE5?

A question for you: a distinct buzzing/ humming sound when doing a quiet line test, no internet but the router remained syncing to the exchange with no issues. When the buzzing/humming stopped, without any interventions by me, the internet (PPP link) was established. The line is ADSL SMPF and all has been OK since - any guesses as to what that might have been all about, an exchange issue?

Perhaps you accidentally got patched into MDZhB

A humming sound is often associated with an earth fault.

That it came and went fairly quickly, and hasn’t returned seems to imply something like a contact on the frame (MDF) which got knocked off again shortly after ... but it’s all just conjecture really.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

Anyone know what these pips meant

.. time to put another 10 pence piece in the slot ?

Haha sounded just like that. Backup battery on last legs signal?

In reply to a post by caffn8me:

Perhaps you accidentally got patched into MDZhB

Ruskies are everywhere.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

A humming sound is often associated with an earth fault.

That it came and went fairly quickly, and hasn’t returned seems to imply something like a contact on the frame (MDF) which got knocked off again shortly after ... but it’s all just conjecture really.

It lasted a few days over a weekend and my ISP got onto the problem rapidly, an OR SFI was soon booked but I cancelled the visit due to the problem somehow being resolved remotely - if it had continued then perhaps I would have known the cause from the SFI. OR/wholesalers don't seem to have communicated back to my ISP regarding the issue. It remains a mystery that perhaps will never be known!

Thanks for your reply

Backup battery on last legs signal?

Why ? In the vain hope that it’s plaintive bleeps were heard by someone who might be able to replace said battery ??

Just a thought, obviously not right.

Have you got your landline with uno also? I guess you have TTB VDSL2 broadband and a BTw phone line...

Yes, I believe that is the setup.

When you got the tone on the phone line that was when the broadband was down. Seems similar to my experience with broadband issues except I'm on uno ADSL TTB and a uno BTw landline (SMPF) and the router held sync normally with the exchange yet i couldn't establish an internet (PPP) session. The buzzing/humming that I had, with a quite line test, almost sounded like a distant dial tone.

No this wasn't a tone it was a rapid pipping and DSL could not sync until the pipping had stopped.

Thanks for the clarification regarding the sync status.

BTW I've just noticed that uno are now offering FTTP - hope i can get it here soon, the phone lines are 50 years old and have had to endure numerous roadworks for water, gas and electric hence I'm not currently interested in FTTC.

Thanks for the heads up about FTTP, I am on a Digital Durham subsidised cabinet for FTTC so FTTP me be a way off for me. I am looking at load balancing a 4g dongle if it ever arrives.