Error 1043

[memsahib]

NTL Orig-area, 4000 box.

For the past ten days or so pressing either the "interactive" or the red button produces the error message "Your set top box is not set up to receive interactive services. Error 1043".

It takes about an hour from power off and on (done many times) to go through "ramping to sign on", "receiver locking", and finally "address allocated". The diagnostic page in the engineers screens shows "lost OO Block" every few minutes, whatever that may mean. (or "lost OOB lock", hard to tell?)

I'm in CB4. I notice on the NTL server status page a problem with "total or intermittent loss of service" for broadband internet in the CB4 (and other) areas. Is this what is causing my problem, albeit I'm not talking about broadband? Seems to be taking a long time to fix it; that message was posted there on the 14th July with no resolution posted yet.

Anybody else in CB4 got interactive on the set top box at present?

I'll ring CS if needs be but it's impossible for me to be at home during office hours for another month, so I'd like to know if it's just me or a general fault.

[Ben]

Hi memsahib & Welcome to the site,

Your best bet I would of thought would be to phone though to CS.

"total or intermittent loss of service" for broadband internet in the CB4

This is for BB and not for interactive (allthough I suppose its possible its cauing interactive problems to)

If you have rebooted many times I think its time to phone them :)

[memsahib]

Yes, I know I can call CS, and will eventually, but

a) I'm interested to know what the problem actually is and

b) At best they'll send an engineer, and I have to wait a month for that because I can't be at home, so I wanted to know NOW if it might mysteriously start working again or whether that's a forlorn hope.

I hoped somebody might know what error 1043 was.

[Russ]

All the times I've ever had that error in the past, they've needed to send an engineer out so I wouldn't say it was looking good for you... :erm:

[memsahib]

Ah, right, thank you. At least I know where I stand. Wonder if I can persuade CS to book an enginer outside the 9-5 Mon-Fri slots...I'll give it a go.

Thanks again.

[handyman]

Originally posted by Russ D
All the times I've ever had that error in the past, they've needed to send an engineer out so I wouldn't say it was looking good for you... :erm:

1043 is in most cases a problem that is resolved at the headend.

If you reboot your stb and check the connection status it should be 5 connected, address allocated.

Basically I would give it a hour before calling in as these things tend to be resolved fairly fast :)

[memsahib]

It's been ten days...

[handyman]

Give them a call, They will be aware of the fault if there is one in your area. A tech may need to be sent out, I have sent a tech to a 1043 already today, would have expected more calls but we only got one?

:)

[memsahib]

Here is closure on this one, as our Colonial cousins might say.

Engineer came out. Error 1043 is "a modem failure sir". Box was replaced and all was well.

Points of interest (to me at least!)

The default frequency on the old box was "wrong, and you may not have been getting all the data you should be". He changed it on the new box "to match what Cambridge use" and I can detect no difference, other than the epg is now marginally quicker. This may be a non-sequitur.

I originally had a phase 1 (Pace 4000 series) box. I was offered both a phase 2 and a phase 1 box. He said the phase 2 boxes offered nothing extra; indeed they were worse in the sense that the splitter enabling me to video terrestrial channels whilst watching satellite had been removed, as had the separate audio outputs, all of which I knew. There is allegedly no other difference in performance, memory size, speed or reliability other than that, none of which I was sure about.

So I elected to have a straight swap, and now have a phase 1 box again. It's just fine. Well done NTL.

[Lord Nikon]

Originally posted by memsahib
[snip]The default frequency on the old box was "wrong, and you may not have been getting all the data you should be".

I assume he meant the frequency listed on page 1 of the engineer page. Which is the Modulator Output Frequency and has NO bearing on BB at ALL

ALL the frequency does is change what frequency the box sends its picture to the TV on... (For those who don't use SCART leads)

[Proppinupthebar]

Originally posted by Lord Nikon
I assume he meant the frequency listed on page 1 of the engineer page. Which is the Modulator Output Frequency and has NO bearing on BB at ALL

ALL the frequency does is change what frequency the box sends its picture to the TV on... (For those who don't use SCART leads)

The frequency he is talking about is the default frequency. Its nothing to do with the RF out, it is the frequency that the box will tune to first when rebooting.

[Lord Nikon]

I wasn't aware the default frequency was tunable from the initial engineer menu....

I stand corrected