Is it possible to order NTL cable?

[Chris W]

Ok so i think the time has come... from the terms and conditions...

Originally Posted by http://www.home.ntl.com/page/termsresidential Section 9

9.5 Nobody other than an ntl representative may tamper, add to, modify or interfere with the Equipment in any way. As well as any other rights We may have, such action may result in our suspending the Services, terminating the Agreement and/or our retaining the whole or a part of any deposit.

you are best of lifting the floorboads and then having an engineer change the cable, and replacing them when he (or she!) has gone

[Nemesis]

Is the cable deemed "equipment" ??

[SMHarman]

Maplins CT100 cable should do the trick. That said you can send digital cable signals down standard coax without difficulty, sounds like lazy engineers. The signal he should be concerned about is the one at the TV, not the one at the box outside the house. Perhaps there are some poor terminations on the internal cables but an engineer can move the cable to a stronger signal feed at the green box near the house and check all other terminations are good, you are in a flat, so the cable run from outside to the TV can't be that long.

When did this engineer turn up, Friday PM?

Some more useful engineers will give you a reel / the rest of a reel of cable for this purpose. If you see one in a van on the street, ask they may oblige, the furthest run on my house is completed with TV coax (not Sat) and I get a picture just fine, the signal loss was driven more by distance than the cable, however this cable runs along the side of teh building and into the roof space of the extension. The engineer pointed out that this cable will break down over time as it is of a lesser quality and left me a cable drum to replace the cable through the ceiling etc as and when I feel like it. In the mean time this STB gets a perfect DTV signal and full interactive (well full NTL interactive).

[ian@huth]

Just a few questions that might help resolving your problem.

1. Who laid the cable under the floorboards?

2. How do you know the signal is good outside the flat but poor at the STB?

3. What NTL services do you have?

NTL will not sell you the cable because according to your contract you are not allowed to interfere with NTL equipment and cabling. NTL have an obligation to ensure that you have an acceptable quality of service in return for the subscription that you are paying. NTL should sort the problem out for you and NTL associates who post on here can help you in giving you the right contacts within NTL to ensure that this is done to your satisfaction.

[andre]

Engineer check the signal, both outside and inside flat. I didi actually see with my eyes that the singlen strength is ok outside and not inside.

Cable from the outside the flat to the back of the box must be no more then 5 meters long.

Engineer actually showed me that NTL cable has a kind of hard "core" in it, while coax does not.

He mentioned that Maplin does not seel that.

The funny bit is that the NTL guy who came and check when I companined suggested I should ask some NTL engineer I see on the road to sell me some.

Do you know any NTL installation engineer in London.

Thank you all a lot.
Andrea

Originally Posted by SMHarman

Maplins CT100 cable should do the trick. That said you can send digital cable signals down standard coax without difficulty, sounds like lazy engineers. The signal he should be concerned about is the one at the TV, not the one at the box outside the house. Perhaps there are some poor terminations on the internal cables but an engineer can move the cable to a stronger signal feed at the green box near the house and check all other terminations are good, you are in a flat, so the cable run from outside to the TV can't be that long.

When did this engineer turn up, Friday PM?

[Nemesis]

I have a quantity of "NTL" cable that I can send to you .... PM me some details.

You will need to get an engineer to put the correct 'ends' on it though.

[andre]

Originally Posted by ianathuth

Just a few questions that might help resolving your problem.

1. Who laid the cable under the floorboards?

2. How do you know the signal is good outside the flat but poor at the STB?

3. What NTL services do you have?

NTL will not sell you the cable because according to your contract you are not allowed to interfere with NTL equipment and cabling. NTL have an obligation to ensure that you have an acceptable quality of service in return for the subscription that you are paying. NTL should sort the problem out for you and NTL associates who post on here can help you in giving you the right contacts within NTL to ensure that this is done to your satisfaction.

1. I bought a flat which has already cables passed in "channels" inside the wall and under the floorboard. It is standard coax cable.

2. I complained to NTL about this problem, and they sent an engineer around.
He had an electronic tool to check the strength of the signal . He plugged the NTL cable outside the flat into that tool, and he said everything was fine.
Then he did the same at the back of the STB and saw that the signal was not strong enough.

3. I have NTL digital.

Thanks a lot.

Andrea

[seaneeboy]

erm - why didn't the engineer fix the problem for you?

[andre]

Originally Posted by seaneeboy

erm - why didn't the engineer fix the problem for you?

i think I have already answered this.
this guy said he came just to check the problem.
in order to fix it he said I need to call NTL, ask for an installation engineer, and either lift the florboards (which is very difficult in that flat) or have him pass the cable around the skirting boards (which i would not like if possible)

that's why

[seaneeboy]

Apologies, I didn't realise he was only there to diagnose.

Much clearer in my head now!

Good luck with your problem, let us know how you get on.

[ian@huth]

Usually when new flats are pre-cabled with co-ax this is taken to the loft space where it is connected to a communal aerial or distribution amplifier outlet. Have any of the other flat owners in the block got NTL and if so, what is their reception like? How did the NTL engineer that did the initial installation of your equipment identify the cable to your flat?

[andre]

I think the guys upstairs just have cable running on top of skirting boards.

The engineer that initial didi the installation saw the cable outside the living room...and entering "inside" the wall of my flat.

Unfortunately there is not common loft area (and not even basement!)

thanks
andrea

[Graham M]

Well I think NTL ought to sort this out for you for free with no problems at all. Get the lazy arses to lift the floor boards.

[zoombini]

Basically Andre want's to get a piece of sattelite coax, fit it under the floorboards himself & then get an NTL engineer round to fit plugs to the ends & sort out the problem.

Although, discussing this with the NTL CS who is arranging the engineer, should organise either the engineer to fit it or someone to supply the correct cable to do it.
As NTL have not provided the correct cable in the first place, then he should not be charged for this.

Someone is a lazy arse & needs a kick! Stop paying your bill due to insufficent service being provided

[andre]

Originally Posted by zoombini

Basically Andre want's to get a piece of sattelite coax, fit it under the floorboards himself & then get an NTL engineer round to fit plugs to the ends & sort out the problem.

Although, discussing this with the NTL CS who is arranging the engineer, should organise either the engineer to fit it or someone to supply the correct cable to do it.
As NTL have not provided the correct cable in the first place, then he should not be charged for this.

Someone is a lazy arse & needs a kick! Stop paying your bill due to insufficent service being provided

Hi, I see your point, but stricly speaking they did not provide the cable initially as the flat was wired already.
I do not mind paying for this, just would like the thing to work properly.

Thanks
Andrea