My high gain aerial can't get all the Freeview channels I expected
You need a "wideband" aerial rather than a high gain one (see all about aerials). Also, if you use a signal booster in the setup, this can cause problems with digital signals.
Can I suggest that you try the following:
1. Check that all the connectors are OK, in particular that there are no stray wires and that both the outer shield and inner wire are connected;
2. If you are using any signal boosters, turn them off;
3. Check to see if you have anything like a VCR connected via a UHF fly lead - sometimes these can changed to use channels such as 68.
4. If you have a wideband aerial, if you can try raising it up an additional metre;
See also all about aerials.
Click here for the list of questions
Click here to ask a new question
Your comments
First comments 
Earlier comments ◊ Your comments are always welcome. Please use the form below to add your thoughts or questions to this page. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
NickyMonday 21 May 2012 3:48PM
Norwich I have recently bought a Toshiba 40BL702B. I cannot get any HD channels. I have tried automatic and manual installation. I have checked aerial and reception. As far as I am aware the tv has a built in freeview tuner and I can get HD in my area. Postcode is NR1 2PX and aerial is on the roof. Can you help???Nicky: The 40BL702B model does not have a built-in HD tuner. The specifications say DVB-T only, which is what standard definition broadcasts use. High definition broadcasts use DVB-T2. NickyMonday 21 May 2012 4:21PM
Norwich Thanks Dave, however I am now confused. So if it is a full HDTV with built in freeview tuner, you still can't get HD channels? So how do I get them? Have I got to buy a separate box? NickyMonday 21 May 2012 4:55PM
Norwich So I still need a box with an HDTV. All the bumfh I have read said you only need a box if your tv is HD Ready and not a full HDTV???
Although the boxes are not that expensive, I feel this shold have been explained to me fully before I bought it.Nicky: "HD Ready" is term that is attributed to TVs that can show HD pictures but do not have the means to receive them off the air. So they need a separate box to receive the HD signal and have it fed in using a HDMI lead.
"Full HD" means that it will show HD pictures in the highest resolution, which is 1080p. It does not give any qualification to receipt of signals over the air.
"Freeview HD" means that the TV has the means to receive HD signals (as well as show them).
I think that you have interpretted the inclusion of the "Full HD" log and the absence of the "HD Ready" one as meaning that it is "Freeview HD" when it is not. I think that this could be made much clearer.
There is a further confusion and that is the simple fact that these TVs carry the "Freeview" logo. One may assume that a "Freeview" and "Full HD" TV is a "Freeview HD" model when that is not necessarily the case. DavidjTuesday 22 May 2012 10:27AM
St. Albans Dave Lindsay: This correspondence has been most useful. With the digital change-over in our area we bought a new TV and we were not able to receive HD while my son who lives not too far away could and none of us could understand why. We can now see it is because he has a more expensive FreeviewHD TV and we haven't. We don't particularly want HD but this whole HD affair is much too complicated and misleading. Mike DimmickTuesday 22 May 2012 5:39PM
Nicky: The problem is that the "HD Ready" and "HD TV" logos were created (by EICTA) several years before the decision on how to transmit HD signals in the UK was made.
"HD Ready" just means getting an HD signal from another source. It didn't even have to include any kind of digital tuner, although other guidance at the time meant that they usually did. The tuners usually only have MPEG-2 decoding and usually only at 'main level' (i.e. enough memory and speed to decode SD pictures only).
EICTA's "HD TV" logo does require a digital tuner, and does require MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video decoding, but only requires the DVB-T standard. At the time the logo was created, DVB-T2 was still a couple of years away.
DVB-T2 allows about 66% more capacity per channel for the same coverage area: basically, able to carry five HD channels in the space that would only be able to carry three with DVB-T.
Other countries *have* launched HD services with DVB-T, and some using MPEG-2 compression (at High Level) rather than AVC. In those countries, e.g. France, Ireland, the "HD TV" logo is enough. Over here, you need Freeview HD-branded equipment.
I'd now like to see the 'HD Ready' and 'HD TV' logos removed from anything on sale that isn't Freeview HD compatible, though the manufacturers would no doubt argue that the packaging is printed for more than one country.M jakesMonday 30 July 2012 7:29PM
Dorchester Our post code is. Dt2 8jq we have an LG tv with freeview and hd ready and cannot get the 20 NBC channels our Aries is on the roof the T V is only 2years old can you help hayleyFriday 10 August 2012 8:57AM
We have moved into a new build property and have decided not to have sky this time. BT offer a service to fit an aerial for £120 but we thought we'd try and save some money and do it ourselves. We have bought a SLx Megaboost tv aerial kit for £45 from b&q and have installed it in the loft space pointing in the direction of the others in the area, but just can't get any channels! There are 5 aerials cables in the loft (2+3) and we have tried the aerial to each of these but nothing!! Any help would be much appreciated? Our post code is SN4 8FLjb38Friday 10 August 2012 11:50AM
hayley: The aerial you purchased is an excellent device that can outperform much larger aerials, however where have you installed the power supply unit that came along with the aerial? as the coax from that "has" to go directly to the aerial and not coupled into anything else or it will short circuit the supply.jb38Friday 10 August 2012 12:13PM
hayley: As far as reception is concerned, you are indicated as being able to have good reception from either Oxford (@ 35 miles / 60 degrees) or Mendip (@ 37 miles / 236 degrees).
By the way this is based purely on the post code supplied and which for some reason best known to Google Earth, places you right in the middle of a field to the SE of Broad Hinton. Of course Google Earth maps can be up to three years old, and you are in a new development.
There is another aspect you have to beware of with a loft mounted aerial installed in a "new" property, being that sometimes the roofing insulation has a metallic content which can seriously affect reception, but if there are other aerials installed in the loft then this is unlikely to apply.JackWednesday 12 September 2012 11:19AM
I am only receiving 16 channels of the 65 on my freeview.
I have an indoor amplified aerial and i have a couple of HD channels as well, but the diference of 1 mile down the road and my friend with the same tv and aerial gets all channels.
Dunno what to doJack: In order to make a diagnosis, more information is required. Specifically your location (preferably in the form of postcode or nearby postcode, e.g. a shop) and the transmitter you are using. If you don't know which transmitter you are using, then your location and the direction of the aerial should allow this to be deduced. It may also be helpful to know whether your aerial is horizontal (elements flat) or vertical (elements up/down) as different transmitters use different polarisations.
Some transmitters don't broadcast all channels; the Commercial (COM) channels only cover around 90% of the population whereas the Public Service (PSB) channels cover 98.5%.
See this page and identify which of the PSBs and COMs you have and let us know what you find:
DTG :: DTT Services by Multiplex Val HowardSunday 23 September 2012 4:22AM
London My ariel is digital and mounted on the chimney stack and goes directly into a scart freeviw plug in to tv. I had all freeview channels but have now lost half of them I have retuned tv on a daily basis and cannot get these channels what can I do Frustrated new mover Saturday 10 November 2012 7:25AM
Your site looks very good so thank you. Hopefully we can find the answer we need soon! We have a hd freeview tv which we know works and can pick up hd channels because it worked in our last house. We have just moved into a new build, aerial in the loft space, 7 aerial leads coming out, when the tv is connected the HD channels are not there! Frustratingly too there is no aerial in the room we wish to have the tv in, 4 "male" leads coming from the wall and probably linked to the satellite dish. We don't really want to call in an aerial engineer, is our best option to go for freesat instead ? (Br3 postcode very close to crystal palace so reception should be excellent) Frustrated new mover : That is odd. Have you identified the 7 rooms that it serves and are you sure that the room in question isn't one of them.
Do the dish feeds run from the loft or could one be fed from the loft? The cable used for satellite is ideal for Freeview as well, it is just the plug that might need changing or a suitable adaptor fitting. jb38Saturday 10 November 2012 5:53PM
Frustrated new mover: As your post code area is located at only 2 miles away from the Crystal Palace transmitter you should be able to receive a signal with the simplest aerial possible such as a set top type, as it should be appreciated that if a receiver is being overloaded by a grossly excessive level of signal HD reception will be the first to suffer, and indeed can blank out completely until the signal level is reduced.
If for a test you cannot borrow a set top aerial (not an amplified type) then try connecting a short length of wire (about 3 feet or so) into the middle receptacle of the TV's aerial socket and carry out another retune, giving an update on results.
jb38Saturday 10 November 2012 7:23PM
Frustrated new mover: In addition to that already said, with reference to the 4 leads which you have said comes from the wall, are these terminated in "F" (screw type) connectors such as used by all satellite equipment? my only reason for enquiring being because of you linking these leads to the possibility of them being used by a satellite dish.
The other thing that maybe you could clarify on is with regards to the aerial in the loft having 7 leads coming from it as this suggests that some form of distribution system has been installed, and so if the loft is easily accessible you should have a check on this. Stephen BlanchardSunday 11 November 2012 8:25AM
Crewe My sky box is fine and works downstairs, but upstairs we have 2 TVs with built in freeveiw. Both of them are saying no signal and no channels , check antenna......... Please help.KMJ,DerbySunday 11 November 2012 10:04AM
Stephen Blanchard: You need to connect the upstairs TVs to a UHF tv aerial in order to receive digital signals that the inbuilt Freeview tuners are able to decode. The Sky box receives signals transmitted on a much higher frequency and picked up using a satellite dish. If the Sky box has an inbuilt RF modulator it will output an analogue signal which can be received by TVs with an analogue tuner. This facility allows the channel being watched on the Sky box to be displayed on suitable TVs in other parts of the house when they are connected to the "aerial out" of the Sky box.jayTuesday 22 January 2013 8:27PM
Hemel Hempstead just put a tv upstairs and had no ariel so just put an aerial in the loft but not picking anything up its a
(digital tv aerial high gain ideal for weak areas)
any help would be great id rather not pay an areil man.
jay: Which transmitter are you directing it at? If I were you I would probably be looking at Hemel Hempstead rather than Crystal Palace.
Looking on Streetview most aerials appear to be on Crystal Palace (aerials horizontal on a bearing of 140 degrees).
Hemel Hempstead aerials are vertical and it is on a bearing of 124 degrees.
If the aerial has to be pointed through a neighbour's loft then I think you're pretty much on a non-starter.
If your rooftop aerial faces Hemel Hempstead then use it to tune in your TV. Ensure that it is tuned to Hemel Hempstead and not Crystal Palace by observing the signal strength screen whilst on the following channels:
BBC One C44
ITV1 C41
BBC One HD (if applicable) C47
ITV3 C50
Pick TV C59
Film4 C55
So BBC One should be tuned to UHF channel (frequency) 44. jay: If your rooftop aerial points to Crystal Palace then I suggest that attempt a manual tune on the five (or six if it's HD) channels with the aerial pointing in roughly the right direction, orientated vertically. T HarmanMonday 1 April 2013 2:59PM
Eastbourne Help please , I have just bought an Amplified Flat Indoor Digital TV Aerial Ariel Antenna Freeview HD (UHF/Freeview), FM Radio, DAB Radio, Wideband, HDTV, DVB-T trying to get reception on my bedroom Tv LG 42LH9000 , I'm guessing the Tv doesn't have built in freeview but cannot get any pictures at all , if I was to buy a freeview box would it work with the aerial I have ? can't have rooftop aerial so bit confused what I need to do .jb38Monday 1 April 2013 4:05PM
T Harman: I am more inclined to suspect that the indoor aerial you are using is not really providing a signal at a high enough level for reception because as far as I can see that model does receive Freeview, the nearest transmitter to your location being the relatively low powered Eastbourne relay @ 3 miles and with the main (all channels) station being Heathfield @ 12 miles away.
What you could try though is to select "set up" then "manual tuning" and make sure that DTV is selected, then enter UHF 26 (do not press update) in the box provided and where you will see the strength bar being indicated underneath, try moving the aerial around whilst watching for anything being indicated on the bar, if no movement is evident change the channel number to UHF 56 which is from Heathfield and try the same test, if anything is seen it has to be about half way along the scale, and if it is press up date.
If though nothing is seen then you will require an external aerial to be fitted.
T Harman: If you have a roof-top aerial which feeds another room, and it is pointing to Heathfield, as most aerials appear to do on your road, I suggest that you use it to tune the set into the transmitter.
Depending on which side of the road you are depends on whether reception from Heathfield is likely to be better at the front or back of the house.
Consider the direction to the transmitter, by observing other aerials. Then consider whether the line to the transmitter passes through lots of bricks and mortar. If it does then reduce this by moving the aerial and see if reception improves. JoannaMonday 1 April 2013 7:26PM
Just got a toshiba 40bl702b and have done the set up but it cannot find bbc1 and bbc2, they are the only channels missing and can't understand why? Any reasons for this?? updates
Automatic update every 1 minute
Smart TV failing the connectivity t…
Local TV Association elects chair -…
BBC may charge Sky for content as r…
BT Tower is just a relic? Wrong: It…
Company behind Bid and Price Drop s…
Ariel - BBC Trust: Online must impr…
Google TV: silent but not forgotten…
The quality of live subtitling Impr…
Show: 
