What on earth is going on in Cabarete?

Ladybird

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Dec 15, 2003
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Is it only in Cabarete or are others experiencing the same problems over the last few days... First the internet is rubbish, really bad connection when you can get it, a comp expert tested the line and said the problem is claros, codetels faulty weak tel line??? Then the electricity, so many power cuts throughout the day, then when its on, the strength is low. Lights bright then dim, bright, dim. Others in different areas of Cabarete are finding the same problems. Anyone know what is happening??
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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Is it only in Cabarete or are others experiencing the same problems over the last few days... First the internet is rubbish, really bad connection when you can get it, a comp expert tested the line and said the problem is claros, codetels faulty weak tel line??? Then the electricity, so many power cuts throughout the day, then when its on, the strength is low. Lights bright then dim, bright, dim. Others in different areas of Cabarete are finding the same problems. Anyone know what is happening??

No, I don't know what is happening but if the power is coming in weak your best bet will be to see if 220 volts is available on the power pole closest to your house. With 220 you can but a voltage regualtor and have double the amperage that you would normally have(which is needed to start the bigger appliances) and never less than 110 volts.

Suerte
 

Ladybird

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So Chip babe you want me to go outside onto the main road in my nightie, climb up the pole, check the amph wotsits compare it to the thingy voltage regulating machine then what??:cheeky: come over it should only take you about 2 hours at this time of night;) bring your tools
 

Ladybird

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Seriously though, it is not requiring a regulator that is the problem, I solved the problem in my house with one of those, this is in my apartment in Cabarete and there is another damsel in distress at the other end of Cabarete with the same problem, she is already on a 24/7 supply now, but is experiencing similar dipping problems, it has got to be something with Edenorte (just for a change) transformer or something going wrong, the only way we can find out is by asking on here.

Ive asked her to post and explain to you but shes shy, says she doesnt want any tools around her house - very strange eccentric type, very old, much much older than me, and ugly? oh - youd need garlic.
 

Taylor

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Jan 28, 2005
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The transformer makes a huge difference. I have not had any problems since the new 24 hour power lines went in... except for big power bills now!

And for the internet, it depends on where you are. Those with new lines have a way better connection. We had ours replaced and the internet is much faster now (but no where near what you would expect back home), fast enough for skype etc.
 

Ladybird

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I'm betting it's due to overloaded transformers.

I've been there too.

In a nutshell, you have primary lines that carry electricity with high voltage. A wire is run from that primary line to a transformer. Inside the transformer, the line is divided, and the voltage is lowered to 110V for each side, which is your 220V supply.

That transformer has a limited amount of current available on each line. Since many people do not hook up to 220V power, they can at times overload one of the lines. Even the Edenorte guys can hook up too many users on one side. They check which side has less consumption, then hook up another apartment to the side that is less overloaded.

It's not really noticible until nighttime, and more load is put on the transformer, a couple of refridgerators and Televisions are turned on, then you start getting the dip in voltage.

People that are hooked up illegally will go out and switch their connection from one side of the transformer to the other, which also contributes to throwing things out of whack.

In my case, I had a voltage elevator, and as people moved wires, turned things on and off, etc, the voltage in my house was impossible to control, and I burned out things left and right.

I finally bought my own transformer, was hooked up to the primary line, and had controlled voltage from that point forward.

This makes a lot of sense JD, I dont think the management here would invest in our own transformer, thank you I'll pass it on
 

Ladybird

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The transformer makes a huge difference. I have not had any problems since the new 24 hour power lines went in... except for big power bills now!

And for the internet, it depends on where you are. Those with new lines have a way better connection. We had ours replaced and the internet is much faster now (but no where near what you would expect back home), fast enough for skype etc.

Could you explain which lines you replaced? do you mean Edenorte or codetel?? thanks

Someone in procab that has the new 24/7 has the same dipping and internet problems as we do
 

Ladybird

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As mentioned above, the power "brownouts" where there is low voltage are caused by too many people being hooked onto a single transformer. Installing your own transformer should fix the problem, but is rather expensive. Installing voltage regulators can help as well, but then you are paying for additional power because the regulator is not 100% efficient.

Currently we don't have low voltage problems at the west end of Cabarete. Power is on for 9 hours and off for 3 and has been for some time and even roughly agrees with the schedule posted on the Endenorte web site:

EDENORTE DOMINICANA S.A

This means inverters are still needed to bridge the gap ( or a generator). We have been promised 24/7 power as well and are told we are on the list to get it soon, whenever that is.

Regarding the internet speed. This may have to do with how far you are from the central station and may be due to the quality of the line. It also depends upon the level of service for which you are paying. We had a problem where I noticed the speed had dropped. I called service and they replaced the twin lead wire with a coaxial cable ( similar to what cable TV used) and the speed rose dramatically. So you might want them to check that.

If you are somewhat technical, you can check your DSL modem's connection integrity. Try typing 10.0.0.1 into your web browser. This works for most Speedstream modems and is the modem's address. If you get a response from your modem, go to Status and Statistics on the left side of the page and then choose DSL. A table with many entries will no be visible. There is a heading called SNR. This is the value of the Signal to the Noise on your connection as measured by the modem. If it is in the 20's you are OK. My SNR is about 28.5, for example. If it gets into the 10's you have a connection problem that might be due to a bad quality of wire or connection.

This is most helpful windeguy Ive passed it on to the 'powers that be', I just hope they do something, as its really affecting the appliances, one of my ac is only a couple of months old and its already rattling like my friends lungs. The other ac bit the dust, and the fridge is sounding very noisy.

The power cut out about 6 times yesterday and that is aside from the dipping last night. It is only recently the problem has become severe. Im wondering if its because of the deluge of new apartment blocks that have been constructed in Cabarete??
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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So Chip babe you want me to go outside onto the main road in my nightie, climb up the pole, check the amph wotsits compare it to the thingy voltage regulating machine then what??:cheeky:
I might pay to watch that...:cheeky::surprised;)
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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You guys are so funny - I don't suppose you've met the better half yet! Let's just say they don't call them Mocanos "mata presidentes" for nothing! :)
 

Ladybird

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Dec 15, 2003
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Regarding the internet problems: The line I had replaced was the telephone line connection for the internet. It was originally a twin lead style wire and was replaced with a coaxial wire that looks similar to the wire used for cable TV.


LadyBird: Regarding the troublesome appliances: Did you happen to bring in the appliances from out of the DR or are they locally purchased items? Many times the imported appliances are more sensitive to voltage brownouts and spikes.

It is possible that the electrical hook ups to all of the new condos going in is affecting you, but I think not since they should have separate transformers. So unless they are dragging down the voltage on the high voltage lines that feed the transformers, I would expect the problem is as much from illegal hookups.

I bought them all here, I also invested in protectors, waste of time, the appliances with these attached were the only ones in the past that broke down. I did buy an automatic lamp that works on mains and switches to battery power when the power goes and that lasted a month!!

But these cuts and dips are very recent and as I have said someone else at the other end of Cabarete has the same problems and shes on the new 24/7 cabling. Shes a hot chick though and that may be interfering with her supply
 

Kimadj

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Oct 23, 2003
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I bought them all here, I also invested in protectors, waste of time, the appliances with these attached were the only ones in the past that broke down. I did buy an automatic lamp that works on mains and switches to battery power when the power goes and that lasted a month!!

But these cuts and dips are very recent and as I have said someone else at the other end of Cabarete has the same problems and shes on the new 24/7 cabling. Shes a hot chick though and that may be interfering with her supply

Yes yes ladybug, calm down, I have the same problems the fans slow down, lights dim and sometimes the internet cuts out too.
Dont know why, but do know there is no one hooked on my line.
 
Feb 7, 2007
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For ADSL:

SN Margin (AKA Signal to Noise Margin or Signal to Noise Ratio)
Relative strength of the DSL signal to Noise ratio. 6dB is generally the lowest dB manufactures specify in order for the modem to be able to synch. In some instances interleaving can help raise the noise margin to an acceptable level. Generally speaking, as overall bandwidth increases, your signal to noise ratio decreases. So a customer that upgrades from 1.5 to 6.0 service will typically see a corresponding decrease in the signal to noise ratio. The higher the number the better for this measurement.

6dB or below is bad and will experience no synch or intermittent synch problems
7dB-10dB is fair but does not leave much room for variances in conditions
11dB-20dB is good with no synch problems
20dB-28dB is excellent
29dB or above is outstanding

Line Attenuation
Measure of how much the signal has degraded between the DSLAM and the modem. Maximum signal loss recommendation is usually about 60dB. One of the biggest factors affecting line attenuation is distance from the DSLAM. Generally speaking, bigger distances mean higher attenuation. The lower the dB the better for this measurement.

20dB and below is outstanding
20dB-30dB is excellent
30dB-40dB is very good
40dB-50dB is good
50dB-60dB is poor and may experience connectivity issues
60dB or above is bad and will experience connectivity issues
 

Buzzard

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Feb 28, 2004
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Lol!!!!

So Chip babe you want me to go outside onto the main road in my nightie, climb up the pole, check the amph wotsits compare it to the thingy voltage regulating machine then what??:cheeky: come over it should only take you about 2 hours at this time of night;) bring your tools

Ladybird, your response was the best I've read since I started reading DR1!
I'm still laughing!!!
 

Ladybird

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Dec 15, 2003
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Thank you Buzz, although living with this elect/internet problem is driving us nuts, I just felt it was time to bring in some humour on the forum, its all seems doom/gloom and people with problems at the moment, so thought some needed cheering up
 

Ladybird

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Dec 15, 2003
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JD I think mine are the ones you mention

I bought mine in Santiago, they are called APS - American Power Source, multiple electronic protector - 1800W/15A, featuring a 10 second security cycle. I tested them on 2 appliances and these were the only two that eventually broke down. I still have 10 but am nervous about using them after that. Because of this recent problem with the electricity, my new ac is starting to rattle, the acs are not 'plugged' into a socket, hence it is not possible to use one of the protectors. Its very annoying as the last ac unit only lasted 4 months. Are you completely sure they will work if I connect one to the fridge/freezer? Im most concerned about that most of all, as in this heat I would surely lose a lot of food should the FF break down. I wish I could solve it and Edenorte were a little more helpful
 

Ladybird

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Dec 15, 2003
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JD,

On that link you provided there are different sorts, does that mean I have to buy different types for the fridge, tv, etc. Can you please tell me which ones I have to buy and where to buy them, is it possible in POP? or do I have to go all the way to Santiago? - YUK

Thank you for the great help, I'll get an electrician????!!!!! - :nervous::nervous::nervous::eek: in to sort out the ac connection, yes I did give it a bash as you said - when in doubt give it a clout!!!, I also opened it cleaned the filter but it always sounds rough after a dip/outage. It says on the front of the unit DO NOT restart for 2 mins after turning off, thats a joke with the amount of cuts Im having.