My Freeview box has no EPG, is blank on FIVE, ITV3, ITV4, ITV2+1, has no sound or the channel line up is wrong
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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MR &MRS GODDARDThursday 10 May 2012 7:47PM
Ferndown hi,we had freeview hd for wks before the retune on april the 18th, still got freeview channels but no hd since the retune?jb38Thursday 10 May 2012 9:11PM
MR &MRS GODDARD: If you received Freeview HD before Rowridges (@ 25 miles) switchover to high powered operation then its most likely because your signal is now excessively high and that will block HD before SD, so if you use any type of booster then try by-passing it.
If you do not use a booster, then should you have access to a set top aerial trying plugging that in and carry out another re-tune, giving an update on the results.
Eric TuckerThursday 10 May 2012 9:27PM
Bushey I don't know why but it's only Sky News and Sky teletext that has the weakest signal.Sometimes they are impossible to watch yet I receive all the other t.v. and radio channels without any problems.DeborahThursday 10 May 2012 9:41PM
In just the last few days (ie since about 8 May 2012) I have lost all BBC channels. Reception on other channels is good. I have tried rescanning, factory reset, scanning without aerial plugged in and then rescanning with aerial, etc etc. Location is London N7 6RR and digibox indicates that it is tuned to London. Aerial is on the roof.ColinThursday 10 May 2012 10:41PM
A family member has a Panasonic TV with Preview built in. She cannot receive Yesterday Ch:12. I did DVB auto tune, no change. I did Shipping Condition still no change. The screen shows "Invalid Channel" when Ch:12 is pressed. I have a portable Panasonic with built in Freeview. I connected the aerial to my portable at the family members house and received Ch:12 with no problems. So obviously the aerial isn't the problem. The Ch:12 does not appear when the "Guide" is pressed.jb38Thursday 10 May 2012 11:59PM
Deborah: By being located at only 10 miles away from Crystal Palace its very likely that you are receiving an excessively high level of signal and that can cause problems in the tuner, so if you have any form of booster this must be removed or by-passed.
If though you do not use a booster, then for a test try a set top aerial plugged into the set and carry out a re-tune with that installed, or if you cant borrow a set top aerial a short piece of wire about 12" long or so pushed into the inner part of the aerial socket would work, giving an update on results.
A re-tune must always be made with any of these tests as the TV or boxes memory will be partially blank.
I would also like if you could give the model of TV involved, as there is a range of models that has problems with a certain technical aspect of the new transmission modes being used.Colin: Some receivers have known issues picking up signals after switchover. This may affect certain ones using certain transmitters.
The model number and transmitter being used will be useful. An idea of the location may be as well. ColinFriday 11 May 2012 7:00PM
Cleethorpes Dave: Many thanks for your reply.
Panasonic TX-28DTX10
Colour television with ITGD U.K.Standard.
Done:DVD Auto set-up
Shipping Condition
Settings-Default
DVB Auto Set-Up without aerial followed
by plugging aerial in and repa
eat Auto Set up.DeborahFriday 11 May 2012 7:40PM
Dear JB38
Thanks a lot for your reply. Removing the booster by itself did not solve the problem, but removing a splitter in the aerial cable along with the booster did the job. Now just have to solve the neighbour's opposite problem, of no ITV or ch 4 or 5, but I can see from your earlier posts how I might do that.
Thanks again, Deborah Colin: According to the comments on this page, that model isn't likely to be able to receive all channels from Belmont:
ZERO digital channels on Panasonic TV after DSO - Technical - Digital Spy Forums
It appears as if it might be the negative offset problem in 8k mode.
8k mode is the mode of transmission used after switchover (it is 2k mode before).
A TV signal is transmitted on a channel which is at a particular frequency. For example, channel 30 is at 546MHz. C30 with a negative offset (C30-) is at a 545.8MHz which is a slightly lower frequency than the "centre" of C30, but higher than C29.
It is known that ITV3 is carried on C30- from Belmont, so if the problem is that it won't pick up negative offset channels, then I would expect ITV3 to be missing as well.
Yesterday is on C60 and according to Digital UK Tradeview, this also has a negative offset, although some other sources don't say that it has such an offset. Perhaps it does have an offset, but this was not originally planned which is why in some places it isn't mentioned.
Refer under the heading "After switchover configuration" here:
Freeview multiplexes | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
This shows the five standard definition groups (BBC B carries HD services). One of these is "SDN" which carries ITV3, so if it is missing, then I expect all others on that line to be as well. Similarly, Yesterday is on ArqB which also carries Film 4, ITV4 and others. Colin: I should point out that the problem may be that the TV cannot tune to 8k signals that have a negative offset.
Not all transmitters have any channels with negative offsets, but in the case of Belmont it is definately so with SDN and probably ArqB. jb38Friday 11 May 2012 11:22PM
Deborah: Thanks for your update on the situation and pleased to hear that all is OK now, and should advice be required regarding any further problems please do not hesitate to ask.
jb38Saturday 12 May 2012 6:52AM
Deborah: Forgot to add, that with regards to having to remove the splitter as well as the booster, assuming that the splitter is of the powered type then you can still split the signal if you either (1) purchase a simple attenuator of about 6-10db or so to place in line with its aerial input, or (2) stop using a powered type and purchase a non powered passive version.
ColinSaturday 12 May 2012 10:47AM
Cleethorpes Dave:A little more history. The digital TX receiving aerial is in a housing complex supplying approx: 20 flats.All residents were receiving Ch:12 from the Belmont TX incl: my family member (Motherinlaw 93).After a period of heavy rain all signals from the aerial were lost. After repairs the signals were back to normal. However my MIL was unable to resume receiving Ch:12, as I mentioned I could pick up Ch:12 on my portable set with the same aerial.How can I check if the TV is receiving MUX-D and if it is tuned correctly to C60.On programme guide the Ch: show1-2-3 etc up to 11-13..... is it possible it is tuned to MUX-C. Other people have tried to find the solution so maybe they have altered the settings somewhere ???Colin: Other than manually tuning to C60 (if the set allows), I'm not sure what else to suggest. Perhaps one of the pros could suggest something. ColinSaturday 12 May 2012 6:12PM
Cleethorpes Dave: Many thanks for your help, please be assured that your comments have been highly appreciated and I reiterate that the time you have spent answering my queries has been much appreciated. Thankyou.
ColinDavidSunday 13 May 2012 12:12PM
Peterborough I have a Digifusion FRT103, postcode is PE8 6YJ
It said to retune a couple of days ago which I did and it only picked up 32 chasnnels from 2 multiplexs.
I tried to clear the channel list by unplugging the aeriel and rescanning but it did not delete the existing channels (must only do so when it finds something ?) so I then deleted the channels manually, unplugged the box and rescanned with no aerial.
Plugged everything back in and it still had the original 32 channels !
Any ideas or should I just give up on thgis box ?
REgards,
DavidKMJ,DerbySunday 13 May 2012 1:59PM
David: I am guessing that you are able to receive Mux BBCA and D3+4, which leads me to ask if your aerial is a group "A" which is identified (usually) by a red stopper at the end of the boom. If this is the case, the frequency now used by SDN is out of range for the aerial, as are C48 and C52 as used by the other COM muxes. You will unfortunately require a wideband aerial to receive all frequencies in use at Sandy Heath. Have you tried doing a manual tune, if this option is available? Autoscan could possibly find an unreliable signal from Waltham on C29, which could lead to the S/H signal on C51 being overlooked. With regard to the deleting of channels, there are some boxes which retain the existing channel line up when doing an auto scan, if no signal is present it all stays the same, otherwise any channels found with regional differences or a different mode being stored in the 800's or other vacant positions. Doing a factory reset solves the problem (but also changes any settings you might have entered into the memory). Alternatively,using the channel delete facility removes the channels whilst leaving your other settings in place.stuart smithTuesday 15 May 2012 8:34AM
Penrith we live in CA11 0TG greystoke cumbria, served by Caldbeck transmitter and have a loft ariel.
We have problems not being able to get all Freeview channels we only have 21 channels. All ITV channels Ch5 etc are very pixelated and lose sound and vision. I have run reset as described above still no change.Is there any other remedies to gain all the channels and clear the problems? Thank you. Stuart Smithjb38Tuesday 15 May 2012 10:42AM
stuart smith: The reception predictions seen for your area indicate reasonably OK as far as the PSB channels are concerned albeit in reality that you are having problems with their reception, so if your aerial is in the loft then I would suggest that you try some experiments by moving the aerial to different positions within the loft, as its frequently found that by moving an aerial from one side to the other "in stages" can result in quite large differences in signal strengths, this being one of the benefits of a loft mounted aerial as its something that cannot be done with a roof mounted one for the obvious reasons.
By the way if you are able to do as suggested, I would leave the TV on its signal check screen so that you can get instant feedback on the results of your actions.
Do you use an aerial amplifier in the loft? as if you do not then one rated about 10db minimum would likely be found to improve things by keeping the signal at a higher level.
Maybe you could also provide the model number of your TV or box, as I notice that every channel on the Caldbeck transmitter has a negative offset on its frequency, and some devices can have problems with this situation.
I don't know if you can presently receive any of the three commercial channels from Caldbeck as they are indicated as being poor for reception in your area, but if you are receiving them then they do not increase in power until October 24th.jb38Tuesday 15 May 2012 10:53AM
stuart smith: I missed out the footnote concerning the power increase on the commercials, insomuch that although the power goes up from 15kw to 50kw the actual reception predictions being given for Oct 24th onwards has not really improved any, and indeed is a fraction worse.stuart smith: I don't think that you've got any chance of getting more channels until 24th October, and even then I don't think that your chances are tremendous, particularly with the loft aerial.
There re two types of broadcaster multiplex (signal): Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) and these carry BBC, ITV1, ITV1+1, ITV2, C4, C4+1, E4, More 4, C5 and the four HD services from BBC, ITV1 and C4. The rest are Commercial broadcasters (COMs).
The transmission power of the PSBs from Caldbeck are 100kW and the COMs are currently at 15kW. The power of the COMs will go up to their full final power of 50kW on 24th October when Divis vacates those channels at its switchover. Divis is serves the eastern side of Northern Ireland.
On the basis that one of the 100kW PSBs is a bit hit and miss with your current aerial (in its current location), then I don't think that you could pick up the 15kW COMs.
I used the tool on the Megalithia website to get an idea of how your line of sight to the transmitter is affected. See the plot here:
Terrain between ( m a.g.l.) and (antenna m a.g.l.) - Optimising UK DTT Freeview and Radio aerial location
This assumes that your receive aerial is 10m of the ground, although the exact figure is probably not that important. What it does show is that the ground a mile away from you is around 100m above line of sight.
If you are looking at a different aerial, I would definately go with a Group A one. All Caldbeck's channels are Group A and wideband yagi aerial' gain drops off at Group A channels. See here for some traces that illustrate my point:
Gain (curves), Again
My sympathy goes out to you. You can replace your aerial (or move your aerial, e.g. to outside) now so as to get good reception of ITV1, C4, C5 etc, but you have no way of knowing whether it will be sufficient to pick up the COMs come October and you may therefore have to set too again at that time in an attempt to get them.
Alternatively, you may move your aerial outside (for example) and find that you can pick up the COMs now on an intermittant basis. You may read into that that when the power increase comes in October that the aerial will (fingers crossed) be sufficient to pull them in reliably.
I'm not an aerial installer; I'm just a technically minded person giving my thoughts and observations. stuart smith: There may be another possibility and that is that you may be able to receive from the Greystoke relay transmitter. This carries PSB channels only, but you will be no worse off, not at least until October. It's only really low power of 2.3W, so if you don't have line of sight, then you really don't have a chance. You will need your aerial to be vertical. If it is a wideband aerial it will be suitable.
It may also be worth checking that your receiver isn't tuned to Greystoke even though the aerial faces Caldbeck. That is, that you aren't thinking that you're receiving Caldbeck when in fact you're picking up Greystoke.
You do this by viewing the signal strength screen. On BBC One for Caldbeck it will be tuned to C25 and Greystoke C60. For ITV1 Caldbeck is C28 and Greystoke C53.
The reason I came across Greystoke transmitter is because I looked on Google Streetview. The Google car has not been along the roads in your post code, but only along the main roads in Greystoke (Icold Road, Berrier Road etc). I spotted vertical aerials and wondered at what transmitter they are pointing.
As I say, Greystoke transmitter is so low power that if you can't see it, you aren't likely to be able to receive from it. You may have a better idea whether you can or can't see it from where you are. Frank JohnsonWednesday 16 May 2012 1:54PM
Hello,
I was getting good reception from the Selkirk transmitter with a full channel list. But in the recent bad weather in the Borders region I was unable some of the channels (eg Film4). I re-tuned and now I am receiving transmission from East Borders, with a very restrricted channel list. Is the Selkirk transmitter not sending out its signals with the same power? I have a new aerial, correctly mounted, and have been receiving channels from the Selkirk transmitter for about a year until the recent change in reception. What should I do to regain service from the Selkir transmitter?Tony WycherleyThursday 17 May 2012 2:09PM
Northampton I have a TV/Radio tuner in my Hewlett Packard PC (Model Media PC M7530 UK)which has worked perfectly until I retuned the system after the 9th May. Now I cannot receive BBC1 and BBC2. I have followed the recommended procedure of running the tuning programme with the aerial disconnected and then retuning after reconnecting the aerial. My post code is NN6 6EG - signal from Sandy Heath. I have a roof mounted aerial which was changed several months ago to improve freeview digital signals. I do not have this problem with my Panasonic TV. As there is no way in which I can manually tune the system, what do you recommend?Frank JohnsonSaturday 19 May 2012 12:57PM
Finally cracked it! The problem was that the aerial lead went first to my hard-drive recorder. Once I changed the aerial straight to the TV I received all the channels from East Borders (same as Selkirk I discovered).
Put the aerial back into the recorder and for good measure used a new aerial lead from the recorder to the TV and now everything works fine. Hope this helps anyone experiencing the same problem.Traceyanne DevineSaturday 19 May 2012 8:39PM
Ely Hello
we live in the Ely area and use freeview and we have lost channel ITV 3 how do we get it back tried reset what
can we do now please
Regards
Traceyanne DevineAnnSunday 20 May 2012 9:48PM
can you help - have re-tuned main television downstairs,which is fine. Have second television in bedroom which was re-tuned last week and seemed to be working fine. But on Saturday (19th May)for some unknown reason seem to have completely lost the signal on bedroom television (screen reads (no signal) although one downstairs is still ok. Have ariel on roof and a booster in the loft.jb38Sunday 20 May 2012 11:10PM
Ann: You should plug the bedroom TV into the downstairs aerial position which you know is OK, and carry out a re-tune whilst its on that connection.
Also, as this is basically a reception query you will also have to provide your location, this in the form of a post code or at least one from nearby, as you might be in an area where the possibility exists of an excessively high level of signal being received which can destabilise some equipment more than others, and if this is suspected as playing a part in your problem then you will need to by-pass the booster.
SuzanneTuesday 22 May 2012 4:34PM
Littlehampton We have two TVs - a Panasonic with built-in Freeview which is about eighteen months old and an older Matsui TV which we use with a Philips Freeview box. Before the digital switchover in March, we were able to get all Freeview channels on both TVs. Since the switchover to digital in our area (BN16), we have been unable to get any channels in your list 'C'(The one which includes Challenge and Sky News) We have retuned time and time again to no avail and also tried retuning without the aerial, as described on your website. We find it hard to believe we need another aerial, as all the channels were fine before the digital switchover. We believe we are tuned to the Rowridge transmitter. Any suggestions please?jb38Tuesday 22 May 2012 8:38PM
Suzanne: If you are tuned to the Rowridge transmitter then your aerial should have been turned around to its vertical mounting position for good reception of the commercial channels, as "if" its still mounted horizontally then you are predicted as only being able to receive the commercial stations on the status of being variable, as Rowridge only transmits its maximum power on the commercial channels on vertical polarisation, that is 200Kw vertical / 50Kw horizontal.leeSunday 27 May 2012 6:19PM
Sheringham hi im living in sheringham , and my tv has decided there is no digital signal ? is this a fault with the area right now , as i have been through all the reset procedure!Sarah CSunday 27 May 2012 7:24PM
I have recently in the past week lost PIck TV - I am the bluebell hill transmitter - My Mum lives just up the road and she still gets Pick TV - I tried rescanning and stuff but it just says ''This channel is not available at the moment''
Can somebody tell me in words for the stupid - How I can get PIck TV back pleaseeeeeSarah C: If your receiver has manual tuning, then you should go to the manual tuning function and tune to UHF channel 42.
When you do this, it may add the Pick TV and other programme channels broadcast on C42. Or it may give an indication that the signal strength is just under that needed to resolve a picture, in which case all you can do is try again at another time.
What has probably happened is that the signal strength has dropped under that which is needed to resolve a picture. The first thing NOT to do in such circumstances is do a full retune, as all that is achieved is the loss of the services from the receiver's memory. All you can do is try selecting the affected services (Pick TV etc) to see if they have returned. If they have not returned, you could have brought up the signal strength screen to see if there is a signal there, albeit it too low. As you have wiped the memory, you can't do this. KMJ,DerbySunday 27 May 2012 8:14PM
lee: The BBC status report for the West Runton Relay transmitter is "off air" since 17.03 for Mux BBCA and 17.25 for Mux HD.Lee,Sheringham.Sorry,correction to my above post.I was meant to mention look up Inversion Effect instead of Single Frequency Interference but the sunshine and the atmospheric conditions in my locality playing up,ie losing most of my Belmont transmissions yet currently picking up Waltham signals (temporarily) caused me to input the incorrect information.Apologises for my wee error. Rod BuddenMonday 28 May 2012 9:17AM
Scunthorpe We use Elmley Moor transmitter, not that it is the nearest, but the nearer ones are the other side of a hill on which my property stands. (DN17) Most of the time it is ok but occasionally we have a total break in signal, the most recent beingb at o835 this morning (28/05/12). Also, ITV channels seem weaker than BBC channels. We didn't have this problem with UHF, so I have to ask the question, is digi tv a retrograde step?Sarah CMonday 28 May 2012 9:27AM
Chatham Very wierd. I did nothing but the retne and this morning PIck TV was also one - But just now I went there, and it's back, maybe signal strength is too low? I live with lots of trees round me and it does cause my freeview box to pixel out I think - also when motorbikes go by sometimes... I thought they were going to put the signal UP around this time - But I dont think they have, cos nothing seems to be better in the reception stakes etc...
Hoping when switchover happens that they will bump the signal and maybe the pixelation problem will stop? I hope so anyways as I am very thick where technology is concerned :-)I can't find any manual tuning or anything on the reciever....Sarah CMonday 28 May 2012 9:28AM
Chatham I take that back - it's gone again - Must be low signal or something :-( Sarah CMonday 28 May 2012 2:04PM
Chatham I hope so, I am not actually in a dip in this area - like walderslade is in the dip - i am on one of the hillier bits - But I really hope when switchover happens that I get a better signal :-)Barbara DonaldsonMonday 28 May 2012 6:26PM
My freeview has been freezing for over a week now.
Switched everything off and still the same.
Is there still work being done and when will it be finished as its quite annoying.
Thank you.
Barbara DonaldsonJeffMonday 28 May 2012 9:05PM
Sale Hi, we've been having freeview problems for around 3 months in the Manchester area M33 3HF so last week paid to get the aerial on the roof sorted.Signal strength was low across all channels. We have a Goodmans GDB12XIT Digital Box. Initially BBC channels were recovered and working perfectly.4 days later BBC channels have a low signal and have no picture.Its the same with ITV 3, QVC, Gold, ITV2+1. ITV and channel 4 break up every now and then.
I have done a re-tune but this has had no effect.Have tried a signal booster and this had no impact either.Any help is welcome! jb38Monday 28 May 2012 11:18PM
Barbara Donaldson: Its impossible for anyone to offer advice on the possible reasons for your problem when you haven't mentioned your location, this in the form of a post code or at least one from somewhere close by. (a shop etc).SteveTuesday 29 May 2012 7:09PM
Hi. I don't have a freeview box, I use a TV tuner card in my PC. I only get 70 channels and they don't seem to be in the right order (Dave is 4, BBC1 is 11, etc). I have tried re-scanning without ariel, then re-scanning with ariel, but with the same results. However, my tuner card allows many source formats from various NTSC to various PAL to various SECAM. It is currently set to PAL-60. Is this right? Can you help?
I live in the PO16 area (Rowridge).Steve: PAL is an analogue standard and is no longer used to broadcast TV in your area. You are using DVB-T (or DVB-T2) if you are lucky.
You have not said which software you are using, but the good ones (Windows Media Centre) uses the correct channel numbers, cheaper ones ignore it. SteveTuesday 29 May 2012 10:42PM
Brianist: Thanks. I changed to PAL-I and got 60 channels, but seemingly in the right order while I was waiting for an answer! It's all strange!
I have downloaded the tuner card manual, and will update the card if necessary. FYI, I use the software supplied by Compro (it's a DVB-T300 card).
Thanks again.Clive DaleWednesday 30 May 2012 7:23AM
Stroud I had a digital arial installed when I could not get Freeview, but our transmitter had not been upgraded even thought the Ondigital site said it had. I went to Sky but I now want to get rid of it.
I have been given a freeview TV which I have installed in the bedroom and I can only get group 2 programmes. When talking to other people I fine out that they have similar problems. Apparently the Randwick transmitter has problems, One person stated that it is 'overloaded'.
Please can you please inform us of the problems?
Les NicolWednesday 30 May 2012 9:50AM
Clive - If there are identified problems with "Freeview" you can continue to use your SKY receiver on a non subscription basis (assuming it's out of the initial contract period)and feed the bedroom TV via the RF out port. Or alternatively take another feed from the dish - (there should be a spare port on the LNB to connect to) and get yourself an SD "Freesat" receiver for the bedroom TV. These are relatively in-expensive from Argos, Curry's, Comet etc. They are straight forward to connect, see on this site "Upgrading from SKY to Freesat"SCAREOLDLADYWednesday 30 May 2012 9:53AM
TV Signal disappeared on the 26Th April. 'No signal input detected'. Aerial on roof. Tried different TV's. Is it the socket? Scanning doesn't work. Cannot afford TV person, am disabled, I hate this switchover thing, no TV seems like hell when you are sick and disabled. AND POOR (AND NOT WANTING STRANGERS IN) 
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