[Ben]

My calls on Orange are currently reminding me of the quality 'back in the day' on Three.

Recently people on the other end of the phone have said I sound like a dalek and I've been heavily using my Vodafone instead which, of couse, is flawless. Other people I know using Orange in the locality are having the same problems - lots of digital echo, choppy sound, breaking up etc. All this is with full signal.

Can anyone report similar problems elsewhere or is this specific to my geographic area?

[bernifreshman]

Hi Ben

I live in Herne Bay and work in Chestfield (business park behind Sainsburys) and have had no problems with Orange at all recently. I dont know of any engineering work being done as I know they have been busy especially in Herne Bay putting up new 3G masts. Im on select 750 so use it quite a bit and have no issues. What mast are you using? Is it the central Whitstable mast of perhaps the mast next to Voda @ Tyler Way (near chestfield train station).

[Ben]

Hello, welcome to Talk3G!

After a bit of pottering around it seems to be isolated to the mast near the Long Reach Beafeater and Travel Inn. I experience the problem in Pean Hill, and to the best of my knowledge that area is served from the aforementioned mast.

[bernifreshman]

That mast (Wraik Hill) is shared with a Tetra mast so perhaps there is a conflict. There is also a 2g/3g mast @ the Joseph Wilson that could be playing up.
After some thinking I remember having the same problems a few years ago when there were implicating 3g cells on the existing 2g masts. Perhaps a possible HDSPA is taking place.

[Ben]

(adds that he's currently using Orange on 2G)

Well, lets hope Orange get it figured out soon! :(

[miffed]

Hey ! nice to see another "local" on here :o

Howdy neighbour !

[3g-g]

What's the Orange site reference Ben?

[Ben]

I think it's this one:

KNT0063

Cheers G.

[3g-g]

Meant to ask also, 2G or 3G?

There was an issue with the 2G site earlier in the week, however it's apparently been resolved. Let me know if it's still the case and I'll try and find out some more.

[Martin3G]

Hi Ben

Can you confirm if there was any change in call quality after 13:30 today :)

[Ben]

2G, thanks both - I'll report back tomorrow :D

[Ben]

It's still dire unfortunately :(

[3g-g]

Do you still have the network monitor software / field test to confirm the cell ID and also the idle BCCH channel you're attached to? Just so as we can make sure it's the correct site, iirc are there not 3 or so around you?

[Ben]

I don't I'm afraid, I'd pop my Orange SIM into my N80 but I never got fieldtest working on that. My Vertu is my Orange phone these days.

[Ben]

I did log the complaint btw, I had to coax the new employee through the fault reporting process (we eventually ended up reporting the handset as the SE Z1010 as it was the last Orange branded handset I had), which included me reassuring her that her supervisor didn't hate her because she was scared to ask them for help. The girl sitting next to her told her to just hang up. Nice :) They were in Portsmouth, just incase there are any higher-level Orange folk here who feel like firing some thoroughly useless employees.

Once again several people asked me for alternative numbers to call me on today :( Orange and Vonage between them are really making Vodafone look lik the good guys, and I'm not niave enough to believe that that's true!