BT4600 intermittent and excessive rapid sharp crackle when in use.

[Willowfield]

We bought a quad BT4600 set last December. From day one we have had problems with crackle on the audio which callers say they can hear as well. We have never had any issues with line noise in 31 years on our number, or on any previous phone (including two lots of DECT) and we do not have broadband on the line, phone only.

The crackle is not present on every call and when present it may not be throughout the call, but it can often be loud enough for the call to be unusable. When a standard telephone also on the same line is picked up during a BT4600 call (incoming or outgoing) the crackle is audible on that phone also <but> if the BT4600 part of the call is terminated the crackle disappears, ergo it must be the BT4600 system causing it. When the faceplate of the NTE5 socket is removed and the BT4600 base is plugged directly onto the line the crackle is still present.

I suspect a faulty base unit, but as it seems many others in this Community have the same issue I suspect we are not alone.

[Willowfield]

We bought a quad BT4600 set last December. From day one we have had problems with crackle on the audio which callers say they can hear as well. We have never had any issues with line noise in 31 years on our number, or on any previous phone (including two lots of DECT) and we do not have broadband on the line, phone only.

The crackle is not present on every call and when present it may not be throughout the call, but it can often be loud enough for the call to be unusable. When a standard telephone also on the same line is picked up during a BT4600 call (incoming or outgoing) the crackle is audible on that phone also <but> if the BT4600 part of the call is terminated the crackle disappears, ergo it must be the BT4600 system causing it. When the faceplate of the NTE5 socket is removed and the BT4600 base is plugged directly onto the line the crackle is still present.

I suspect a faulty base unit, but as it seems many others in this Community have the same issue I suspect we are not alone.

[rbz5416]

It might be worth replacing the cable to the telephone socket. This will likely be a BT plug to RJ11 plug. Check your corded phone & see if it has the same cable that you can detach & swap with the 4600 base. Note that there is a possibility that it won't work at all as sometimes the wiring is different despite the plugs being the same.

If that cures it then try to source a replacement cable from the retailer, although it may be more expedient to simply buy one from Ebay for a couple of quid. If it doesn't solve it then the set will have to be returned to the retailer. Although it's possible that the cause is some kind of interference from a microwave for example.

[Willowfield]

Been there, done that, etc etc as they say - no joy. I have even tried a ferrite around both the landline and power cables but no joy there either.

Tnx.

[gg30340]

If it only happens when using the BT4600 and is happening regardless of which one of the four hand sets you have for it is being used, it would appear that your assumption that the  BT4600 base unit is faulty is correct.

If your date of purchase was December 2021, it should still be in warranty. Have you contacted the supplier that you bought it from and reported it as faulty? 

[Willowfield]

The supplier was Argos.

It will be interesting to see how they respond (let alone know the rules of CRA2015!!)  😫

[rsmyth492]

Try using a different phone, if you have one, as the issue may be the phones themselves. Again, plug the new test phones into the test socket behind the main faceplate of the master socket.

Also, try using a corded phone, as it may be interference on the cordless phones. If the phones are near an electronic device, such as a radio or even a mobile phone.

Hope this helps.

[Willowfield]

Tnx.

This is the third DECT system that we have had (the others were Philips and Panasonic) and none of them suffered any crackle. It does not matter where the base unit is connected (we have four sockets plus the NTE5A) and the proximity or not of any other form of electronics, the crackle is there  BUT not on every call.

I have just discovered that under some circumstances the crackle is related to speech, i.e. it is either very low or not there at all when there is no speech on the line, but as soon as either party starts talking the crackle appears and its intensity appears to be related to speech volume levels.

As noted (four?) mails up, it looks to be the base unit that is the issue so I think its all going back.