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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, 24 July 2023
S
Steve lovegrove
8:30 AM

I have no signal at all. I use a loft aerial using Sutton Coldfield. Freeview tell me ther is planned work with a week signal built that would have not been happening over the weekend. Does any one know what may be the problem

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Steve lovegrove's 2 posts GB flag
S
Steve lovegrove
8:32 AM

No signal at all I have loft aerial using Sutton coalfield. Been down since Sunday morning

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Steve lovegrove's 2 posts GB flag
S
StevensOnln1
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:52 AM

Steve lovegrove: There is planned engineering work listed for Sutton Coldfield this week, however it would be worth checking for any loose or damaged cables or connections behind your TV and also check that the aerial is still mounted securely in the loft (if you can safely access it) with the cable still connected, as it has been known for mounting brackets to come loose over time and drop down without anyone noticing.

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StevensOnln1's 3,671 posts GB flag
D
Diane
12:00 PM

Wondering if anyone has an Honor Band Smartwatch and if they have any problems with their Humax Youview box?

If the band is switched on in the living room the TV has no problems, but if it's switched on in the bedroom, where I'm closer to the TV and box, my recordings show as having recorded zero minutes. I have to switch off my watch and switch off the box and TV at the plug then switch TV and box back on and it's back to normal.

Does this happen to anyone else or does anyone have a solution for it? I wanted the watch to record my sleep and levels during the night and now can't wear it in the bedrooom

Thanks in advance.

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Diane's 3 posts GB flag
Thursday, 27 July 2023
D
Darren Brown
9:04 PM

Hi all
I have a bit of an intermittent problem with freeview. Every night at around 21.30, I lose signal on channels including Drama, 5USA, 5STAR and 5ACTION. The picture starts to pixelate then no signal. This has been happening for a few weeks now. I live in the NE10 area and use the Chatton transmitter. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Darren

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Darren Brown's 13 posts GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:40 PM

Darren Brown:

Hi Darren. The Chatton transmitter is currently listed for Planned Engineering with Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 24/07/2023 Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels.
It's most probable that this could be the cause of your issue, especially if they are running on reduced power or reserve antenna.
The problem might be made worse if your normal reception of the SDN Multiplex which carries those channel;s you've mentioned, is not as good as some of the others but we'd need a full postcode to check that. The reception predictors don't work on partial postcodes and reception can be very variable across such a large area due to terrain fluctuations.

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Chris.SE's 4,363 posts GB flag
D
Darren Brown
10:24 PM
Gateshead

Chris.SE:
Hi Chris thanks for your reply. My full postcode is NE10 8JP.

Darren

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Darren Brown's 13 posts GB flag
Darren's: mapD's Freeview map terrainD's terrain plot wavesD's frequency data D's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Friday, 28 July 2023
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:10 AM

Darren Brown:

Hi. Reception of the COM multiplexes (SDN, ArqA, ArqB) can vary across your postcode and is generally not as good as the PSBs (BBCA, D3&4, BBCB) although ArqA & B seem to suffer a bit more depending on precise location. Predictors can't take account of very local things like trees and adjacent buildings which might make your reception of the SDN mux a bit more variable.

See Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview for which TV channels are carried on which multiplex.

It's most likely that the engineering is the cause of your issue with signal propagation conditions changing slightly just after sunset.
However, it's always worth giving you aerial system a checkout. Check that your coax connections/plugs are clean with no corrosion and properly plugged in. Check that the downlead isn't deteriorated (brittleness and cracks on the sheath). Also check that the aerial looks intact and is pointing correctly which should be at compass bearing 344 degrees for Chatton with its rods (or squashed Xs) horizontal.

Check in your TV Tuning section that you are correctly tuned to Chatton's UHF channels as your location is predicted to receive 3 other main transmitters and you might be inadvertently incorrectly tuned if you retuned at an inappropriate time when signals were poor or missing.
In the multiplex order BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6
The correct UHF channels for Chatton are - C41, C44, C47, C29, C31, C37

More about signals and the other transmitters in a moment.

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Chris.SE's 4,363 posts GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

1:05 AM

Darren Brown:

The predictors show that you could fairly readily receive signals from Chatton 344 degrees. Fenham 300 degrees (rods vertical), Pontop Pike 242 degrees & Bilsdale 157 degrees.
Aerials can receive signals from the rear, on side-lobes, even the wrong polarisation but obviously not with the strength they do in the direction they point. This is why you should check you are tuned to Chatton if your aerial points that way.

If your aerial has always pointed at Chatton and is quite old, it may be a Group B which may not get the COM muxes as well as they are now on lower channels since the 700MHz Clearance (this could compound your current issue). If you change your aerial at any time you should go for a Group K although Group T / Wideband would work these latter two leave you more vulnerable to interference from new/updated Mobile masts that may use the 700MHz band. (There are 2 EE masts which are quite close and are the most likely candidates for this issue.) You should have received a postcard at some point from https://restoretv.uk/ and you can get a free filter from them if such interference is a problem (it's more likely to affect the UHF channels neareer C48).

Chatton (medium power) is 69km away.
Having said you can get 3 other main transmitters, Fenham is the nearest but variable to poor reception as it's low power.
Pontop Pike is the next nearest (16km) and has high power for all 6 muxes, Bilsdale also 69km also has the same high power for the PSBs, half that for the COMs.
It's not clear why aerials in your postcode should not be pointing at Pontop Pike as the predictors suggest very good reception for virtually all the postcode, but I haven't done a terrain check for Pontop Pike to see if there's potential issues. (if Steve Donaldson is reading, he might be kind enough to do that as he's very good at that sort of thing).

In any event the advise of a reputable/recommended local installer should be sought when deciding which transmitter to use (They are all Tyne Tees region but the Local mux from Pontop Pike is Newcastle (good reception), and Middlesbrough, but poor reception of the local mux, from Bilsdale).

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Chris.SE's 4,363 posts GB flag
D
Darren Brown
8:12 PM

Chris.SE
Hi Chris
Thanks for your help. It is much appreciated. We have always been with Chatton and our aerial is fairly new. However, not all aerials in my street are pointing in the same direction. I have also done a signal test on my TV and UHF29 seems to be the weakest. Signal quality is between 95 - 100% but signal strength is only 14-18%. I am leaning towards getting somebody out and switching to Pontop Pike.

Thanks again

Darren

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Darren Brown's 13 posts GB flag
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