Missing channels regularly

[Violette]

My youview regularly loses freeview channels, dropping from 163 channels to 130. I’m having to retune a couple of times a week to restore them. When I retune, I select the preferred area (Kent) but the BBC retunes to London.  Is there anything I can do to stop losing channels and get the correct region please? 

[TimCurtis]

@Violette 

I suspect you might have an issue with the signal strength so can you check that in Settings.

I occassionally have had an issue with BBC One SD picking up BBC East instead of London (my preferred region) so if I reduce the signal strength using an attenuator I can block out EAST but if I go too low my channels drop from 166 to 139 (or thereabouts) because my signal strength is then too low for alot of the HD channels.

I tell you that as it ties in with your channel numbers and the symptoms you describe.

An ideal signal strength is around 90% with quality at 100%.

Report back with your figures and we'll see what might be the next step.

[Violette]

Thanks for your reply 🙂 Had a quick flick through on a few channels. The signal strength on all is at 100% (of the ones I’ve checked). Signal quality is fluctuating from about 92% to 98% on bbc but gets as low as 82% on Drama - which is one of the channels that keeps disappearing. I assume that’s due to the windy weather? What do you think I can do?

[TimCurtis]

@Violette 

A signal strength of 100% can , and very often does, cause you problems which I must admit does seem strange.

The tuners on the BT Youview boxes are very sensitive to the signal strength and whilst your TV will be just fine these boxes can produce strange results with a very strong signal.

It's generally thought that a strength figure of around 90% - mine is 92-94% - is to be aimed for and the way to do this is to fit an attenuator to the aerial in socket on the back of the box & then the aerial into that.

A variable attenuator with a range of 1 - 20dB would do the job nicely, like the one I just bought on eBay called a "Coax TV Aerial VARIABLE ATTENUATOR SIGNAL Reducer 1-20dB Coaxial FREEVIEW Digital"

With that fitted adjust it until you reduce the strength to 90% & then retune & hopefully your problems will disappear. If it doesn't work then you've not lost much, the chances of it working are good.

[Violette]

Many thanks. Have ordered it so fingers crossed it will help! 

[TimCurtis]

@Violette 

Let us know how it goes.

[Violette]

So have fitted it, reduced the signal to 91% and retuned. It is now showing Kent, not London, which I’m hoping is a good sign. I hadn’t realised that once again I had lost channels - so that would be within the 5 days since I last retuned. All back now so will see what happens.

[JulieBBBBBBBB]

I'm having exactly the same issue in the Kent area these past 3 weeks. Please advise if this is the solution. Strange it's just started happening

[Violette]

Sadly not 😞 I think it was on Friday that I suddenly lost all channels. I retuned again and now am ✖️ back to London ones gggrrrr...

[TimCurtis]

@Violette 

I think that may be a fault with the Youview box's tuners. If you're still in contract I'd suggest requesting a replacement unit from BT.