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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
Monday, 2 September 2024
D
Damon
7:32 PM

Hi Steve

It seems.to be London...Same issues DTV only..did a rescan and no.luck with HD channels. Can't see any maintenance on transmitters?

Damon

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Damon's 5 posts GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:57 PM

Damon:

"London" has many Relay transmitters as well as the main Crystal Palace one.
We really need a full postcode to be certain, but it is likely that you are receiving from the Hemel Hempstead transmitter. If so, your aerial is likely to be pointing roughly NNW with its rods vertical.
Also, if so, see my reply to Lionel Hayward prior to your previous post.

If you aerial is pointing differently, please advise which way it is and which way the rods are and confirm your full postcode. We can them check whether you might be having interference issues from a new/upgraded phone mast.

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Chris.SE's 4,360 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 3 September 2024
D
Damon
8:24 AM
Watford

Good morning Chris

Checked this morning still no HD channels

1. Postcode is WD25 0JR
2.rods are vertical. Aerial facing northwest North.
3. Can I get a booster /can you recommend one?
4. Can an aerial.engineer fix this issue. Expensive /cheap solution?
5. Trying to verify the TV HD tuner isn't broken?
Thanks again

Damon

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Damon's 5 posts GB flag
Damon's: mapD's Freeview map terrainD's terrain plot wavesD's frequency data D's Freeview Detailed Coverage
S
Steve Donaldson
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

1:07 PM

Damon: I suggest you contact Restore TV and ask them to send you a filter, which is free. Restore TV is the organisation responsible for alleviating issues with TV reception caused by mobile phone masts operating on frequencies previously used for TV. As they were previously used for TV, the front end of TVs is capable of receiving them. Sometimes their presence can be an issue to reception of one or more TV multiplexes.

I wouldn't be concerned that resolution of the issue may require more serious and expensive action at this stage. Mobile interference is not an uncommon issue, and is therefore worth suspecting. The test is to install the filter. If the problem is solved with the filter in situ but not without then this is confirmation that mobile interference is the cause.

Link to Restore TV (it says addresses in your postcode have been sent a postcard):

https://restoretv.uk/post…ure/

Use manual tuning to restore the missing HD programme channels. Now we know you are using the Hemel Hempstead transmitter, I can tell you that they are on UHF channel 46.

Automatic tuning clears all tuning information currently stored and scans through all frequencies (UHF/broadcast channels) to see what is available. This therefore takes more time, as well as deleting what is already stored.

On the manual tuning screen, enter UHF channel 46 (C46) and see what happens. If the TV gives indication of signal strength and quality on the manual tuning then see what it says for C46. Give it ten seconds or so to see what it stabilises on. Try scanning/tuning the channel, seeing if it can decipher the signal and add the programme channels (the HD ones) carried on it.

Also, it might be worth seeing what it says for other UHF channels used by the transmitter. These are 40 (BBC standard definition TV), 43 (ITV1, Channel 4 and some others), 37, 31 and 29.

If you do find there is a signal there and it will tune, then don't reset and retune if the channels go back to "no signal" message. Indeed, as I said previously, resetting cleared what may have been correct tuning information and now you are looking to get it back. You cannot watch nor tune to something which is not there, which isn't coming down the aerial lead, for whatever reason. It is therefore advisable not to retune in such situations.

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Steve Donaldson's 254 posts GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

1:50 PM

Damon:

Just to add what Steve has said, you are surrounded by mobile phone masts, at least 8 within 1.5km, but there is one carrying at least Three and EE signals directly on the line between you and the transmitter, which I'm guessing is the most likely culprit.
As Steve says, contact Restore TV and get the Free Filter(s).

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Chris.SE's 4,360 posts GB flag
D
Damon
3:52 PM

Good afternoon Chris / Steve

thanks for all you help and advice, and excellent level knowledge and expertise here, I will contact Restore TV now

thanks again

Damon

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Damon's 5 posts GB flag
S
Steve Donaldson
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

4:39 PM

Damon: I wonder if one of the mobile networks has turned on base stations on the former TV frequencies (700MHz and 800MHz bands) over the last few days across the area.

There is a report on the Hemel Hempstead transmitter page saying that reception of C46 has been lost. This is on multiple TVs with two different aerials. The person says C43 has some errors. He also says others on Facebook are reporting the same issue in HP3.

Another user of the transmitter in Hatfield says C46 was "no signal" yesterday and is unstable today.

C46 is the highest channel, with C43 the next lowest. The 700MHz frequencies now passed over to mobile operators are C49 and upwards. Thus, C46 is the closest to any potential 700MHz mobile signal.

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Steve Donaldson's 254 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 4 September 2024
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:02 AM

Steve Donaldson:

See my post https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Hemel_Hempstead/PGSTART830/irt1117910#b1117910

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Chris.SE's 4,360 posts GB flag
D
David Males
2:48 PM
Hemel Hempstead

Have exactly the same problem as others, live in the HP3 9EB postcode. Restore fitted the bypass filter a couple of years back and I had the mast head amp changed last year. Seems strange that C46 and C43 channels miraculously disappear virtually overnight and nobody knows why

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David Males's 1 post GB flag
David's: mapD's Freeview map terrainD's terrain plot wavesD's frequency data D's Freeview Detailed Coverage
S
Steve Donaldson
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

3:57 PM

David Males: Contact Restore TV (again) and they should come out if you tell them you have a masthead amp. The older filters blocked the 800MHz band, UHF channels 61 to 69. After channels 61 to 69 had been given over to mobile operators, amplifiers were sold that had an in-built filter for those channels.

Now the 700MHz band, UHF channels 49 to 60, has been given over to the mobile operators, an 800MHz filter may need replacing with one that blocks channels 49 to 69. Where an amplifier that has an in-built 800MHz filter is in use, it may require a 700MHz filter (C49 to C69) fitting to its input.

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Steve Donaldson's 254 posts GB flag
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