Thanks for looking into this Skuzzy, much appreciated.
I'm not very knowledgeable about protocols and such like, that's why I switched pingplotter to UDP.
I trust your opinion more than theirs - you are much more independent afterall, besides your detailed knowledge.

I was a little peeved about their offhand dismissal of my problems. They basically listed a standard response about ADSL filters and USB modems etc. I don't have a USB modem and I checked the filters. I also connected from the master BT socket and while the speed increased slightly, the packet loss on their network remained. From what you say and from what I can see, I still think they have a major issue on their network.
Anways, I've resolved to move to a different ISP. Zen Internet has a good reputation, and although they have a higher cost/bandwidth ratio, it actually works out cheaper because I don't use all the bandwidth I currently get with my ISP.
As for Tiscali and BT - I did an internet search and can only find speculation which was denied by BT. Perhaps they are outsourcing the link between the UK and US? Not sure if that happens. It's not a good sign though - I had the impression that Tiscali weren't very good.
gpwurzel - that will be interesting to see. Especially on how the signal gets over to the States.
