Troubleshooting Your Freeview Television Reception
Basic Installation
It is important to check that your installation is intact. For example all the cables between your television equipment and aerial are connected securely and none is;damaged. Further information is available in our Freeview installation guide.
Works and Warnings
Check our Works and Warnings section;to see whether;there are any known problems.
Transmitter faults
Using our Transmitter Checker, check your transmitter is not undergoing any work.;
When Should I Scan For Channels
You need to scan for channels every time theres a change in local broadcast frequencies. That means you have to rescan every time you move, every time you buy a new TV or antenna, and every time a local TV station changes to a different broadcast frequency.
In this past, this roughly translated to if the TV aint working, scan for channels. But right now, America is undergoing a broadcast TV transition. Due to an FCC mandate, broadcasters are steadily switching over to 4K-ready, ATSC 3.0 compatible;frequencies that dont interfere with cellular frequencies. As a result, all TVs are going to lose track of local channels slowly. Plus, entirely new channels could pop up in your area, and your TV wont know that theyre there.
The solution? Scan for new channels every month, or every time you notice that a local broadcast goes missing. Its an easy process, and its worth doing for the sake of free OTA TV.
Samsung TV Wont Auto Store Channels
If you would like to scan all the channels available to you with broadcast and store them within your Samsung TVs memory, you will need to auto store those channels. This workaround helps to efficiently locate all the channels at your disposal without you having to store them individually or look for them independently. If you are having trouble auto storing, here are the steps to ensure that it will work seamlessly.
One of the biggest problems that Samsung TVs encounter during auto storing is that the aerial is not properly plugged into the TV or is plugged into a DVD player. Be sure that the aerial is securely plugged into the TV and not through any other source. If this is still not the problem, tune the TV to the DVT input that is located on the remote and select plug & play on the menu as it will guide you through the tuning process.
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Q: How Do I Locate The Broadcast Towers To Aim My TV Antenna
A: Weve taken all the work out of aiming your TV antenna. Simply download our free Antenna Point app to your Android/iOS smartphone or tablet or go to www.antennapoint.com and enter your zip code. You will find a map with your local broadcast towers, a list of your local channels, and the radius of coverage from your area.
If you need further assistance, our Connection Crew is available 7 days a week, by phone or live chat right here on our website.
How To Get Your Antenna To Pick Up More Channels
We did a comprehensive guide that shows you 10 ways to pick up more channels with an antenna. However, below are some Quick Tips you can use to get the most out of your antenna right now.
Quick Tip #1: Higher is better
The height of your antenna is the most important factor in getting reliable reception. This is why outdoor, roof-mounted antennas always outperform indoor antennas.
As a general rule of thumb, you should place your outdoor antenna at least 30 feet above the ground.
If you are using an indoor antenna, place it as high as possible, for example, in your attic or anywhere on your second floor.
However, when placing your antenna, make sure to also consider the length of your cable. If its going to be above 50 feet, then you might want to install a preamplifier.
Quick Tip #2: Aim your antenna
If your antenna is directional , make sure to point it in the right direction.
A multidirectional antenna, on the other hand, doesnt need to be aimed but they tend to be less receptive for signals from distant towers.
Quick Tip #3: Use a distribution amplifier
If you are using a splitter, then you should expect signal losses since the signal is, after all, split. So, youd most likely need a distribution amplifier or a preamplifier if you are using a splitter.
Not sure what the difference, check out our full guide here.
As a general rule of thumb:
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Buzzing And Clicking On Your Radio
Thermostat
The buzzing and clicking lasts from a few seconds to a minute at a time. Switch off heating systems and see whether;the problem goes away. If the problem persists when you turn the heating system back on, the problem could be with the thermostat, which may need to be repaired or replaced.
Light switches
To find out if a particular switch is causing the problem, try turning the lights off one at a time.
LED lights
Many people are now using low power LED lights instead of the more traditional varieties. However, if the original light used a transformer rather than directly running off the mains, it is possible the transformer is causing the interference. This is because the transformer would have been designed to operate at the higher power and not the lower power the LED lights use. This has the potential to cause electrical interference.
Street lamps
Street lamps can sometimes cause buzzing and crackling sounds on;your FM radio.;Keeping a note of when each lamp comes on and goes off;will help to identify whether this is the cause of your interference.;If it is, contact your local council.
Passing traffic
A faulty or uncompressed engine can cause a distinct buzzing ‘whine’ which varies with engine speed – motorcycles tend to be the worst. Try to move your radio away from the street or use an external aerial.
Electric motor
What Do I Do If Rogers On Demand Wont Load Or Is Showing An Error Message
Sometimes the communications between your digital cable box and the broadcaster can be affected by factors such as a weak signal or outdated wiring in your house. The best and easiest solution to this is to just reset your digital box . If that doesnt do the trick , call Rogers Support or go online for a Live Chat.
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Sony TV Stuck On One Channel
Even worse than losing channels on your Sony TV is when your TV is stuck on one specific channel. This means that you are prevented from being able to scroll up or down, get back to the TV menu, and may even have difficulty getting to various applications. This is inconvenient for owners, but even more, it presents a problem that many simply dont know how to remedy.
If your Sony TV is stuck on one channel, check to see if the channel is stuck on 5.1 . If this is the channel that it is stuck on , simply unplug the antenna from your TV and then turn the TV on. Once the TV is on, reconnect the antenna and avoid channel 5.1 initially to prevent another freeze up, but then be sure to delete 5.1 from your channels.
If you are still having trouble with the channels on your Sony TV getting stuck, try simply performing an electrical reset on your TV by unplugging it from the power source for two minutes then plugging it back in. It is also possible, although it may seem unlikely because it is so obvious, that the batteries in your remote have either died or are not strong enough. Make sure you have good-quality batteries in your remote and see if this unsticks the channel.
Check For Signal Interference
Sometimes, your poor TV signal reception may be caused by a TV signal interference. There are a lot of signals that may affect your signal reception. This may be caused by an interference via 4G, interference via neighbouring transmitters, or interference via impulse noise.;
TV interruptions may also be caused by external factors such as weather changes and technical issues, which may be out of your control. If you want to know more about this, read our article about Freeview TV Interference.
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Check All Cable Connections
Check the back of your Freeview Box if the aerial cable is securely connected to the Aerial In/Antenna In port. Check also if the same cable is connected to the aerial itself. If your aerial is a powered indoor aerial, check if the aerial is connected to the power supply. Make sure that the aerial is turned on.
Q: What Is The Difference Between Uhf And Vhf Antennas
A: The most obvious difference between VHF and UHF antennas is the size. We’ve written a blog about this, but here’s a short example: Reception of different frequencies is related to wavelength.;Think of it like this: a wave in the ocean is approaching a large boulder. If the wave is large and more spread out, it will suffer less disruption when it hits the boulder, and more water is able to make it over or around the obstacle. This is how VHF signals travel through and/or around obstacles between the TV towers and your TV antenna. When a smaller wave hits the boulder, its short length means that it is much more disrupted by the obstacle and less water will make its way over or around the boulder. This is how UHF;signals are affected by obstacles and it is much easier for these signals to degrade over long distances.You need a different type of antenna to receive larger or smaller waves, based on what’s available in your area.
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Why Am I Unable To Receive Local Radio Or National Radio Such As Bbc Radio Scotland On My Dab Radio
The BBC’s local and national radio services are carried on local commercial DAB Multiplexes. Please see our help page to see how DAB multiplexes work, Therefore, you may not be receiving this service, as there is not a commercial DAB service in your local area. To check what coverage of DAB services are availablein your locality, please see our;Transmitter checker tool.
Some TV Channels Are Missing On My Samsung Smart TV: How Do I Fix
After the launch of Samsung TV Plus for free, more and more smartphone and Samsung Smart TV users are enjoying TV channels a lot. Youll get all the on-air TV channels in multiple languages. However, it seems that some TV channels are missing on Samsung Smart TV which literally ruining the TV viewing experience. If youre also facing the same, make sure to check out the steps to fix it.
There are so many live TV channels that all the Samsung Smart TV or Samsung TV Plus users can get. But unfortunately, some TV channels are missing and users are only getting channels 2 through 13 which isnt expected at all. Additionally, random channels are missing which means youll not be able to see what you want to see. Luckily, the Samsung team is aware of this issue and theyve provided an easy way to fix both the issues individually.
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Who Is Responsible For My Shared/communal Aerial
It is worth first checking to see whether the problem is;with your own equipment, or the local transmitter. If neighbours are having the same problem it may be that the aerial itself is at fault, or there may be an interfering signal. In either case, you will need to ask your landlord or management committee to solve the problem.
Checking for problems
Check cables and leads within your property to ensure the problem;is not a simple installation fault. Please see our Freeview Installation guide for further details.;
To see whether there are any faults with the local transmitters use the BBCs Transmitter Checker tool.;This will help you to see if there are, or have been recently, transmitter faults in your local area.;
Electrical interference
There are differences between a reception problem and one caused by electrical interference. See our help guides which explain the differences. Our sister site, the Radio and Television;Investigation Service;;also has useful information on how to distinguish the difference.
If it is potentially interference, your landlord or management committee can contact the regulator, Ofcom, for help with solving the problem, using their contact web form.;Since it is a communal aerial, you will not be able to contact Ofcom directly.
Q: Why Should I Face The Front Of My Multi
A: While most Antennas Direct antennas are multi-directional and will receive TV signals from several directions, aiming the front of your antenna towards the largest cluster of towers is a critical step in receiving the most TV channels available in your area, and this is true for all TV antennas. Our ClearStream and Bowtie antennas are engineered to receive signals at a 60-degree beam angle, meaning our antennas are best suited to provide TV signals from widely-spaced broadcast towers. Even with the best multi-directional antennas, facing the front of the antenna towards the largest cluster of towers optimizes your chances of achieving the best line-of-sight between your antenna and the transmitting towers, which will ensure you receive the most available TV channels for your location.
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Check If The Channel Is Available In Your Area
First of all, check if the channel is available in your area. Enter your postcode in an availability checker. If the channel is available, proceed to the other steps. If you cant see the channel in the list, the channel may no longer be available in your area. This issue could be due to changes in the transmitter or some updates from Freeview. We recommend you to contact Freeview Advice Line to assist you with your problem.
Why Are Subtitles Sometimes Delayed Or Out Of Sync
For programmes which are pre-recorded, we create the subtitles in advance. A technician uses the audio and picture to sync them with whats happening on screen.; For a programme broadcast live, , subtitles will be generated as it is broadcast, which is a complex and problematic process. This means youll often notice a delay when watching live programmes.
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Q: Why Did Some Of My Channels Go Dark
A:;If you have noticed that a particular TV channel you usually receive has gone dark , this doesnt necessarily mean you no longer receive that channel. This could occur more frequently as some channels begin to move to new frequencies .
This just means that the location from which that channel was broadcasting has changed, but your reception of the channel won’t. Performing a channel scan on your television or converter box will allow the TV you are watching on to pick up the new broadcasting signal for that channel and it should show up just as before.
As a general rule, it is recommended to scan for channels periodically throughout the year, especially after periods where there has been a shift in the weather.
If you need more information or any help regarding channel reception, contact our Connection Crew! Available 7 days a week.
Antenna Not Picking Up Channels
Devishi Arora4.65
Did you also just grab a drink and sat back wanting to relax and just watch something on your TV and be at peace for a while but then your antenna started acting up too?
Cant find the channel you used to get before? Getting no channel at all? Video blurry? Or any such thing? You have come to the right place. We did a research on the possible troubles with the antenna, the causes and on how to resolve that particular issue. The contents of this troubleshooting guide are not valid only for or limited to Mainstream or the popular brands of TV or Antennas; the TVs or Antennas mentioned here are generalised.
An Antenna works on Digital Signals and Digital Signals to air is like water to oil. They move in a similar way. Digital Signals are not robust like Analog Signals, which used to deliver in any sort of weather conditions be it as snowy or as hot as it could be. There are a lot of factors that determine the connectivity of these TV signals and you can never say for sure which one is affecting your connectivity unless you really know the causes of your particular trouble.
If youre having trouble with your antenna connectivity, use this troubleshooting techniques as your guide to get back to your prime-time television again.
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How Can Weather Affect Dab Reception
DAB reception is rarely disrupted by high-pressure weather conditions, but under some circumstances, signals from very distant transmitters can cause reception to break up, or be lost for periods of time. If you suspect this – particularly if you are also getting interference on FM – wait until the weather changes.
Can I Connect My Satellite Dish To My Smart TV
You cannot connect your satellite dish to your TV. The signals from satellites are in a different format since they come from such a far place. You need a satellite TV receiver to demodulate the signals from your dish. So, it is a coaxial cord to the set-top box and set-top box HDMI cable to your TV.
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