MTFCA Forum

Is it my lousy Charter Internet service or is anyone else having trouble accessing this site?
Our service in general has been terrible here, I got a new modem today which helped some but it still won't load this site.
This is the third time I have tried to post this and it just times out after the little box says "Waiting for MTFCA" for a minute or two, then it just kicks it off.
It won't load the preview or anything.
Took my almost ten minutes to post that a carb is sold on the classifieds.

Now it is the 4th time. About ten minutes worth.

I have Comcast so is ok.
Stan;
Did you get my PM about the OS1 throttle lever? If you did and can't reply thru here my email is; redmodelt@gmail.com
Mark

No problems at this end of the world, all instant at a push of the key board.

Stan

You can do an internet speed test, most all providers do this service. My Comcast is very rapid, but I pay $10 more for Blast! that Comcast Xfinity has, as we stream a lot of TV from the net.... it's faster than a speeding bullet

Link for your provider:


Charter Speed Test


https://www.charterspeedtest.info/


Charter Internet speed test provides you a complete report of your internet ... Your net upload speed is when you add a file from your system to another server.

They have every excuse in the world for their lousy service. There are probably 200 Facebook posts every month complaining about how bad service is in the valley. I live in poverty flats, service is better uptown, they are the only game out here and they know it. Charter internet is the number one complaint to the public service commission, Verizon cell service is second.
Charter won't even come out here and check anything unless you raise all sorts of hell with them. Which I have done several times over the years.

You can't do a speed test if you can't get online.

I'm paying for their best service. I have my router unhooked, have one computer, no TV or phone and it's $100+ a month. Ten minutes to check email some days.

It can take half an hour to load a you tube video by the time you reload it half a dozen times and it gets kicked off.

I have had poor to no service from Charter/spectrum at times. On one phone call the operator commented that I had not paid my bill yet. My reply "I pay all my bills online, when your internet does not work, I can't pay you"

This might be totally impractical, but in Model T days, many people lived outside
the service areas of local telephone providers. A common practice was for such folks
to build their own line in from their remote location to a point where the desired
provider would hook the private line into their exchange. I have a 1915-era booklet
published by Montgomery Ward, instructing a person exactly how to build one of these
lines. They also sold all the materials needed.

Is there another provider in Helena that you could build out to for a connection ?
With all the wireless tech these days, maybe a hardwire line is not even necessary ?

-Stan-
This may be a dumb and irrelevant question.... "How old is your computer?"
Then, it's storage capacity? ("RAM" is Random Access Memory)
Computers will absorb (remember) a lot of information. 'Fragmented Files' (or 'parts of parts' being stored in many different places) will cumulatively slow things down while your computer 'searches'. How to help? = "De-Frag!"
Another 'dumb' question... When was the last time you 'emptied' your "Trash/Recycle" bin? (ALL that deleted stuff is stored there until you empty it!)

Sometimes, we overlook the obvious and ignore the simple solutions?

Computer frustrations are not fun! Especially when we didn't grow up with computers, either.... FWIW, the Geek Squad at Best Buy has bailed me out many times when frustration sets in. I've used their anti-virus/malware protection for years, but I'll still 'watch where I go'. They've even got a help-line to call, can do on-line diagnose, and help to identify appropriate actions. No, I'm not connected with them, just a satisfied customer.

I've done all that stuff. Sometimes it hooks up instantly, other times it says "resolving host" for several minutes then " no internet connection."

Is there satellite service in the area? We live in a rural area, and use Hughesnet. Not perfect by any means, but usable except during heavy rain or snow. The new plan is supposed to be faster than ours. We buy the equipment not rent, much cheaper long term.

Is there satellite service in the area? We live in a rural area, and use Hughesnet. Not perfect by any means, but usable except during heavy rain or snow. The new plan is supposed to be faster than ours. We buy the equipment not rent, much cheaper long term.

At work I have Comcast,needless to say it is very fast. At home I have a little Verizon hotspot thingy and it is faster than the AT&T I used to have.

I’m finding this forum works faster than the old one, even on Centurylink DSL.

Stan
Is your ISP a service that uses line of sight, cable, or satelite to provide you service. If they use a tower trees, hills, valleys or any type of obstruction can cause intermittent or poor service.
We live out in the country where there is no available cable and the line of sight services provide intermittent service to those that use them. We have to many high and low places between us and the towers to have decent service.
We have to use Hughes net and it works fairly well overall. We have to take what we can get that works I guess. It’s Satelitte and that’s what works for us. Most of the time it works provided there aren’t any bad storms.

It was noted in the forum that there were issues with the site locking up on the 15th. But if your still having problems read on

As noted - there are many things that effect computer speed and your internet connection. I looked up what Internet providers are in your area https://broadbandnow.com/Montana/Helena I assume your have Charter Spectrum which appears to be better than the others listed. I do question your billing and suggest that you check out what your paying for. Having said that, it would help to know what version of the Operating System you are using Windows 10 for example - what Browser - modem model etc. You said you got a new cable modem what is its Mbps rating.
While you have connection issues, need to know is this the only site that exhibits this behavior - compare to Ebay for example. Charter Spectrun internet speed is "UP TO" 100Mbps. Trying to keep the explanation simple on how this works... Your connection to Charter is actually on a line shared by others once it leaves your home. If some neighbor is downloading movies etc while your using the Internet your connection speed would be diminished.
Finally - check all he cable connections from the hook up outside the house to your computer to make sure they are clean and tight. Another source of issue, but doesn't sound applicable to you, is the number of splitters you may have to route the cable connection to different areas/devices in your home.

No help for Stan, sorry you have such poor service from your provider but I have found the new forum to be much faster to load and browse than the prior version. That is both on my computer (Comcast) and phone (Verizon).

StanHowe wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 17, 2019 12:58 am

I've done all that stuff. Sometimes it hooks up instantly, other times it says "resolving host" for several minutes then " no internet connection."

Unfortunately this is a local problem to the user - you Stan. It could be your internet service is just not very good (likely) or your PC/network configuration has an issue (unlikely but possible). The forums are on speedy servers and normally respond instantly.

A note on PM's - msgs stay in the outbox by design until the intended recipient logs on. That does NOT mean they read the PM, only that it was delivered to their inbox

This is what you see once you send the PM
What the recipient sees when they log in.

If you want to be notified when someone sends you a PM, check these boxes: I'm monitoring the servers the forums run on right now and all seems to be ok.

Jeff

Nice reply, Jeff.
I was helping another MTFCA 'T' friend this afternoon to get his profile Avatar. One part of our conversation was about 'logging OUT'!
To put it in layman's terms, when we log in, think of it as to be wearing a full-length set of 'Long Johns'.... That 'back flap' opens to do what we want or need to do, while we're 'there'. If we don't 'close it up' (by 'Logging OUT'), that back door/flap is still OPEN for whatever brand of critters to sneak in. Personally, I prefer not to catch any 'bugs' those unwelcome visitors may bring.... So, anywhere you log IN - - - Remember to also LOG OUT! And then Close Out!
Those "Creepy Computer Crawlers" will also slow things down.....
Though I'm not that tech savvy, even I can understand that....