Action soon for lighthouse webcam
A much-watched Oban webcam sent off-line by a technical hitch, could soon be live-streaming again.
Telecom giants Openreach and Talk Talk were being blamed for the delay in getting the webcam on the lighthouse pier back up and running - until we asked why it was taking so long.
During the pandemic a LoveOban campaign raised nearly £5,000 to keep the webcam and another on the North Pier running so virtual visitors could still enjoy the view. Both cameras were replaced and fundraising continued to support ongoing running costs.
But the socket for the lighthouse pier webcam’s broadband line needed to be relocated within the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) grounds and for that to happen there had to be a site meeting involving both the utility companies.
Duncan Monteith-Hodge from Oban-based Pole Position Internet Services Ltd had been trying for months to coordinate the line move between broadband suppliers Talk Talk Business and Openreach, as well as the IT department at the NLB.
‘The NLB have been very accommodating but Talk Talk and Openreach will not communicate with each other, let alone with the NLB!
‘The whole thing requires Openreach to make a site visit when the IT manager is onsite at NLB so that they can discuss the positioning and routing of the new master socket for the line.
‘This is where the problem lies and it is incredibly frustrating. Everyone outside of this scenario, such as the folks that donated money, has no clue as to how difficult this is to coordinate and are understandably upset,’ Mr Monteith-Hodge told The Oban Times.
James McIntosh from Ayr was one of the many people who donated to the LoveOban appeal to keep the webcams working.
He got in touch with The Oban Times frustrated that the cam had been plagued with problems. If it had been a product he had bought, he said, he would have been owed his money back.
‘It is ridiculous that this cam has been plagued with problems ever since and despite me contacting various bodies we are no farther forward.
‘If this had been a product we had purchased, we would be due our money back. A hotel in Oban donated a very generous donation.
‘Although the North Pier cam has been a success, the Lighthouse would have given a different angle on the bay and its shipping. It is amazing I can watch webcams from around the world but not this one in Oban!’
After The Oban Times contacted both Openreach and Talk Talk, an Openreach spokesperson gave this statement: ‘We’re really sorry to hear about this and have been investigating what’s gone wrong. The Northern Lighthouse Board needs a new link at a building which is some distance from their main premises. There’s no existing infrastructure at the new site to enable this, so it’s not a straightforward install. We’re working together with the service provider (Talk Talk) and the NLB to get it sorted.’
Talk Talk replied: ‘Openreach has been in touch with us about this and we’re looking into it.’
Originally both webcams were maintained by Oban and Lorn Tourism Alliance (OLTA) but have since been taken over by BID4Oban.
BID4Oban chief executive Andrew Spence said the problem was ‘very frustrating for all parties involved and is not the fault of any of us in Oban’.
He added: ‘NLB hosts the camera on our behalf at no cost and it is a pity that the two utility suppliers cannot resolve this in a timely manner.’