Hopes for lighthouse webcam's final fix

Watchers of an on-and-off Oban webcam will be hoping a key bit of kit might be a final fix for its live-streaming problems.

 

The webcam on the lighthouse pier has been hit by technical issues over the past two years.

 

Although it has worked from time to time, it has also gone off-line - leaving frustrated viewers in the dark.

 

During the pandemic a LoveOban campaign raised nearly £5,000 to keep it 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 lighthouse pier webcam has been plagued with problems since, complicated by the difficulty of getting telecom giants Openreach and TalkTalk to communicate. Because the webcam has been sited on Northern Lighthouse Board property, that organisation has also had to be involved in any work required.

 

However, a new power supply unit should be fitted soon, says Duncan Monteith-Hodge from Oban-based Pole Position Internet Services Ltd, who took on the webcam project on a voluntarily basis.

 

He hopes once the new part is installed that it will be 'the final piece of the jigsaw' and the webcam should be able to live-stream hitch free on a newly installed line, bypassing the Northern Lighthouse Board's own IT system.

 

"The line is now OK and is running at a good speed. I'm hoping the new power supply will do the job and these problems go away,"  said Mr Monteith-Hodge.

 

James McIntosh from Ayr is one of the many people who donated to the LoveOban appeal to keep the webcams working and he contacted The Oban Times, for the second time in 12 months, to ask why it was taking so long to fix.

 

Originally both webcams were maintained by the now disbanded Oban and Lorn Tourism Alliance (OLTA). BID4Oban did not have any involvement in this but has also been paying towards running costs.

 

BID4Oban chief executive Andrew Spence said: "We just want the webcam back up and running. We realise it's been disappointing for people. Let's hope this new bit of equipment fixes it and we'll just take it from there."