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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
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:13 PM

Rachael: 44 is Emley Moor.

If it is on 26, then it tuned to Belmont and the unplugging aerial trick should work to avoid Belmont.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
R
Rachael
9:26 PM

Dave: I unplugged it but still no itv, 4 or 5 deleted all stations and am trying a factory settings. I did a channel 44 manuel scan and it brought up the channels Emley moore offers and all those stations are the ones with problems. Its driving me nuts. Factory reset hasn't worked. It only does it from 5pm its fine all day. All other TV's in the house are fine and they are all on the same thing.

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Rachael's 3 posts GB flag
Sunday, 16 December 2012
L
Lesley
7:43 PM

KMJ: Thanks very much, we seem to think the same and Ive spoken to the aerial man about it but he didnt seem convinced and so fitted the filter to stop the signal from skipton. I also checked and think that the channels overlap from Pendle Forest and Skipton so I think that the filter - only blocking out the other channels from outside the Pendle Forest transmissions - wont work.

So, Im just wondering where that leaves me in talking to the aerial man.

Is it diffucult oand/or costly to put the two aerials together, I guess something needs to be done to join the signals.

Im going to ring him tomorrow.
Thanks everyone.
Lesley

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Lesley's 5 posts GB flag
A
Andy
8:35 PM
Worcester

Hi my post code is WR4 0EW and on the 12th our tv started to break up whilst we were watching it. To cut a long story short after re tuning we had lost some of the channels, these include itv, ch4, ch5, ch28. Our aerial is in the loft and i have checked the strength and where as it is not high it is still the same strength as before we lost the channels. Does anyone have any ideas as to what i can do to remedy this fault as i will not be the most popular of dads if i do not get this fixed before Christmas.
Thanks in advance.

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Andy's 1 post GB flag
Andy's: mapA's Freeview map terrainA's terrain plot wavesA's frequency data A's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

8:37 PM

Lesley: The issue with the receiver picking up and tuning to Skipton (which is the reason for the filter) is one which applies only when the set is tuned. The receiver scans all frequencies and then must make a "decision" as to which it will put as the main ones. The filter simply stops it from ever seeing the Skipton signals. Unplugging the aerial lead after the first 30% should achieve the same result. Only if the thing retunes when unattended (which can sometimes be a nuisance in situations such as yours) might the Skipton signal come into play in which case the filter might be the only solution. The filter does not have to be fitted at the aerial end and can be fitted behind the TV so as to allow it to be removed easily, should the need arise.

If you receive from Skipton then you will get Yorkshire regional programming whereas Pendle Forest broadcasts North West. Skipton only carries Public Service (PSB) channels whereas Pendle Forest carries all Freeview channels. Therefore those who have no choice but to use Skipton (or one of 1,000 other similar transmitters) only get PSB channels.

If the purpose of combining aerials for Pendle Forest and Skipton is to pick up Skipton PSBs and Pendle Forest COMs (the channels that Skipton doesn't broadcast), then is it only the Pendle Forest PSBs that are the issue? If it isn't and it is all Pendle Forest channels, then you will be no better off for the COM channels.

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

8:48 PM

Andy: When you mention that the strength is still the same does this also apply to the quality? if that is its not combined with the strength as in some devices, although I suspect that although it might appear as being the same it is possibly sitting just under the threshold level for reception.

Could you please also indicate the model of TV that you are referring to, and do you use a booster on your aerial? the reason I ask being because as you are located at just over 30 miles away from Sutton Coldfield I feel that you may well do.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:16 PM

Dave Timm: I notice that your query was made a few days ago and as such you may already have found an answer elsewhere, but the EPG on your TV should never blank out in the way that you have mentioned after having populated your screen, as although variations in the way this operates can be found across the various brands this type of problem suggests a fault having developed in the tuner or associated circuitry such as the power supply to the tuner etc, in other words the problem not being caused by external reasons.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
K
KMJ,Derby
sentiment_satisfiedGold

9:32 PM

Lesley: I am assuming that reception from Pendle Forest, which carries 6 muxes is subject to interference or glitches from atmospheric changes at certain times of the day, but Skipton delivers a reliable signal on the 3 PSB muxes (only). This is why I suggested using Skipton for the viewing main channels, albeit with local content from Leeds, and combining this with Pendle Forest to enable reception of the COM channels, plus Manchester based local news output. To combine two aerials on one downlead is not very expensive, requiring the use of a group A + E diplexer. Note that Mux BBCA from Skipton changes frequency to C39+ on 10th April 2013, so the channel split on the diplexer needs to be below C39. Manual tuning of the Skipton frequencies followed by the Pendle Forest frequencies will, on most receivers put Skipton PSBs in the "normal" LCN positions, with Pendle Forest PSBs in the 800s. Auto tuning would put Pendle F. channels in the normal positions with Skipton channels (only BBC1 and ITV on some receivers that don't store the whole mux) in the 800s.

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KMJ,Derby's 1,811 posts GB flag
Monday, 17 December 2012
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:28 AM

Lesley: Although its maybe a bit late on saying this now but I would not have recommended that any filter be fitted to your aerial system, as filters unless of the more expensive types in the £20 / £30 range (min) have a slightly detrimental effect on channels either side of the filter range, this no matter what the spec might indicate.

The other point is, and getting back to basics, that even apart from the occasional signal fading problems that you refer to and which are basically caused by atmospheric reasons, if the trees that you also mention are fully (or even partially) in line with your main signal path then you will never really obtain reliable reception as you are dealing with a variable that you cannot control, variable meaning that the signal will suffer from differing levels of blocking dependant on weather conditions, this even when the leaves have departed as multiple water laden branches act like a form of mesh.

However I would concentrate on what KMJ has suggested as far as aiming to use a combination of Skipton and Pendle Forrest is concerned or even Pendle on its own, as in my opinion this would be your best chance of obtaining a reasonable standard of reception.

However if this did not work out, then I would not hesitate in suggesting that you ditch Freeview in favour of Freesat and enjoy reliable reception for about 99% of the time totally free from constant glitching.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
D
Dave Timm
4:45 PM
Rotherham

JB38. Thanks for the response.
No I've not found a solution. The TV continues to work perfectly APART from the EPG which blanks at random intervals and then refreshes after a few more minutes. The interval can be quite short but typically when viewing the EPG it will be complete - after a few seconds some of the channel details will disappear and "NO INFORMATION" is displayed. Leave it for another 10-15 seconds and the missing data will begin to re-populate.
The only began happening immediately following SWITCH-OVER.
Any thoughts from anyone would be gratefully received.
Thanks

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Dave Timm's 7 posts GB flag
Dave's: mapD's Freeview map terrainD's terrain plot wavesD's frequency data D's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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