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My Freeview box has no EPG, is blank on FIVE, ITV3, ITV4, ITV2+1, has no sound o

My Freeview box has no EPG, is blank on FIVE, ITV3, ITV4, ITV2+1, has no sound or the channel line up is wrong

My Freeview box has no EPG, is blank on FIVE, ITV3, ITV4, ITV2+
published on UK Free TV

To deal with the problem you must clear the channel list completely and then rescan - if your box has it in the menus, please the 'installation menu' to do an initial scan or a reset to factory settings or First Time Installation. You MUST delete the entire existing list of channels. On most boxes this technique can be also be used:

Try this:

1) unplug your Freeview box (or idTV) from the mains;



2) unplug the aerial from the Freeview box by disconnecting the cable from the 'RF in' socket;



3) wait 30 seconds;

4) plug Freeview box (or idTV) mains back in;



5) do a complete scan for channels - it will fail without the aerial. (This may be in the installation or initialization menu, and is distinct from any 'add channels option'). Once this is done your channel line up should be empty;



6) reinsert aerial by reconnecting to the 'RF in' connection;



7) do a complete scan for channels again.



The Freeview channel line-up provided by six "multiplexes" - each of which carry five or more TV channels, radio channels, text services and EPG data. In this diagram each ROW represents a multiplex. If you are still missing a whole multiplex (ie everything on the row) you may need to replace your aerial with a wideband type, purchase a larger aerial or you may have interference from a VCR, games console, Sky Digibox or similar.



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Comments
Sunday, 1 January 2012
C
cuil
11:58 AM
Perth

At my postcode, I only get the multiplexes1 and 2, I don't get A, B, C, D. I do have an aerial in the loft (a new aerial). This area is supposed to be fully switched over to digital. If so, why do I not get all the other channels that are available to everyone else?

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cuil's 1 post GB flag
cuil's: mapC's Freeview map terrainC's terrain plot wavesC's frequency data C's Freeview Detailed Coverage
K
KMJ,Derby
sentiment_satisfiedGold

2:00 PM

cuil: Unfortunately the Digital UK postcode checker predicts that you are only able to receive signals from the Perth relay transmitter, which only carries the three PSB muxes. The owners of the COM muxes declined to extend coverage to further sites when the switchover was implemented. Currently reception of the COM muxes is therefore only available in your area to viewers able to receive signals direct from Angus.

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KMJ,Derby's 1,811 posts GB flag
Monday, 2 January 2012
Rev Derek Hollis
11:12 PM
Haverhill

We moved in last September and had a new wideband aerial installed. We have just lost multiplex D. It was there until recently. We have a Humax PVR9300T recorder/tuner downstairs and a labgear FV300 tuner upstairs. Both have lost the same channels,in particular 12 "Yesterday" so I think it's a case of what you call "single frequency interference". Problem does not relate to one box interfering with the other as it happens when the upstairs one is completely disconnected! Both are well away from any kitchen appliances mobile phones etc. Location Mill Road CB9 7NN, aerial on chimney on roof. The engineer who fitted the new aerial also fitted an "attenuator" as he said the signal was too strong.Any advice please? I believe our aerial receives from Sudbury transmitter.

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Rev Derek Hollis's 1 post GB flag
Rev's: mapR's Freeview map terrainR's terrain plot wavesR's frequency data R's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
A
Alan
1:49 PM
Daventry

Hi.

We have had our digital aerial (pointing to Oxford) for more than 12 years now. I had an early Sony TV and gradually the channels became more reliable as time went by. When the Oxford Xmitter was prepared for upgrade, we lost all but BBC, but had Pick and Film4. When the fire debacle was overcome, some channels returned, but not ITV/4/5 etc.

At switch over we got ITV1, C4 and 5 and some more channels than we had before. However, we lost Film 4 and Pick TV as well as some of the other channels that were there in the interim. Interestingly, we can get different channels on different tuners (i have about 10 different digital tuners) but assume that is better hardware.

All the tuners get South East and Midlands (Midlands is stronger) BBC/ITV regions with Midlands being the stronger.

Yes, I have tried all the checks and re-tuning as in the early days that was the norm! We are in the NN11 3DL area, so a long way from Oxford. I know there is nothing wrong internally (wiring and tuners) because we have had all channels over the years. Should the aerial be moved to point at Sutton Coldfield/local booster? I'd rather keep South East region, but at the cost of additional channels would accept Midlands.

Thoughts?

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Alan's 2 posts GB flag
Alan's: mapA's Freeview map terrainA's terrain plot wavesA's frequency data A's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

3:21 PM

Alan: The Digital UK predictor suggests that Oxford isn't really an option.

Have a look around at your neighbours and see where their aerials are pointing.

There is a relay transmitter (known as Woodford Halse) on Byfield Road, near to the crossroad with Phipps Road and Grants Hill Way and its signal is directed to the south west which is in the direction of Hinton. This tells us that there are parts of that area that aren't served by other transmitters, or at least can't get Sutton Coldfield. Perhaps that is the reason for your aerial being directed to Oxford.

Keep an eye out for vertically polarised aerials in that direction and that will give an idea of where it is intended to serve. It is possible that your tuners are choosing to go with the signal from that transmitter even though your aerial doesn't point in that direction.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

4:02 PM

Alan: I had a look around your estate on Google Streetview. Most aerials I can see are on the Woodford Halse transmitter.

This is a relay of Sutton Coldfield (which means that it re-broadcasts its multiplexes. However, it only carries the Public Service Broadcaster (PSB) ones (which have the services BBC, ITV1, ITV2, C4, E4, More4, C5, HD services and a few others). For this reason you will probably wish to avoid it if at all possible.

There are some houses in the dead-end bit of Oak Drive that are on Oxford. These have larger aerials with taller masts. Membris Way, at the Byfield Road end, also has lots of aerials on Oxford.

I said that the predictor "suggests" that Oxford isn't an option. Clearly increasing the height (as well as cost of installation) of an aerial increases the likelihood of reception and the predictor has to give a figure based a particular height. For this reason, it should be used as a guide.


You said that you get South East and Midlands, with the latter being stronger. It would perhaps be useful to find out which transmitters these services are coming from.

You should be able to get the UHF channel number (frequency) from the signal strength/quality screen whilst tuned to one of them.

I would suspect that "Midlands" means Sutton Coldfield (and its relays). For Midlands, if BBC One is on Ch25, then it is being picked up from the Woodford Halse relay and if it is 43 it is being picked up from Sutton Coldfield. For ITV1, if it is Ch22 then it is Woodford Halse and Ch46 for Sutton Coldfield. What I'm saying is, check that it is Sutton Coldfield that it's picking up and not Woodford Halse.

It is also the case that the commercial multiplexes (COMs) are at 50kW from Oxford, whereas PSBs are 100kW. So you might have an aerial that is sensitive enough to pick up the PSBs but not the COMs.

I am also intrigued to know what the "South East" channels are that you're picking up. Check out the channel numbers and we can work out what transmitter it is. Unfortunately the transmitters don't give their name, but the area they serve.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

4:07 PM

Alan: I suggest that you wipe memory of all channels. There may be some option within it to do so, or you might run it through an auto-tune scan with the aerial unplugged, so it picks up nothing.

Then manually tune in the five Oxford multiplexes (six if you have HD).

They are: 53, 60, 57 (HD), 62, 59, 55

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

4:30 PM

Rev Derek Hollis: The multiplex from Sudbury is on low power until 27th June. Perhaps there has been a change in the signal level which has put it below that which your tuners will work.

Don't retune these TVs until 27th June. These channels could return.

Try looking up the signal strength whilst you are on number 12 (Yesterday). It might show a low strength signal is present.

Is the attentuator fitted to the aerial mast on the roof?

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

4:59 PM

Rev Derek Hollis: Well if you are indeed receiving from Sudbury then reception of the multiplex transmitter that Yesterday etc is on (ArQB) is not predicted as being possible at your location until next June, as its presently transmitting on very low power (2.2Kw) on a temporary basis until then before switching to high power operation. (100Kw)

To verify if you are receiving from Sudbury and not Sandy, provided that you haven't carried out a re-scan to try and recover the channel, something that should never be done!, select EPG12 and go into the tuning menu / signal check area and observe the mux channel number shown, if its Sudbury it should indicate Ch63 whereas if Sandy it will be Ch48.

However, irrespective of where its coming from its just likely to have dipped under the reception threshold through normal atmospheric changes, the attenuator on your aerial system exacerbating the problem, which of course you cannot really do anything about if the attenuator isn't adjustable, I will say though that numerous people have problems trying to receive programmes on both ArqA & B, and many of them unlike in your case, are actually predicted as being able to receive them.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
I
ian m
8:10 AM
Nottingham

hi
my postcode is ng5 1qp. i have lost channels on row 2 above. reception has been ok since the aerial was put up 3 years ago but has suddenly lost all row 2 channels. do i need a new aerial? i have tried re-tuning and the channels seem to come and go. my aerial is pointed towards the nottingham transmitter.
Thanks for any advice you can provide.

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ian m's 1 post GB flag
ian's: ...
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