Permanent loss of HD channels

[Flipperty]

After months and months of having to continually re-tune in order to get the HD channels and the frustration of seeing so many of our scheduled recordings fail it seemd we can no longer get any HD channels. No amount of re-tuning seems to bring them back. Is anyone else having this problem. I have even tried a attenuator to lower the signal stength - which did not work.

I am now out of ideas.

[TimCurtis]

@Flipperty 

I can understand your frustration.

Is it all HD channels including BBC 1/2 , ITV, C4 & C5 or just channels 106 & above? The reason I ask that is that those aboce 105 are on 2 transmission bands that are typically lower powered and are being cleared for 5G mobile usage.

Have you tried a Maintenance Mode reset , options 2 or 4 as this can cure many ills? Look here for instructions.

Options 2 & 4 keep your recordings and I think your schedule should be recovered from the cloud.

[Flipperty]

Hi Tim

Many thanks for the reply. You are quite right - 106 and above are the missing ones. I am just on the phone to BT who I believe have just done the Maintenance mode reset to no avail. Could it be an aerial problem?

[ozsat]

It is more likely to be your aerial or aerial cable/connectors than anything else.

[TimCurtis]

@Flipperty 

Never, ever ask BT to do a remote reset.

Channels 106 and above plus quite a few SD channels (like PBS America, Pick+1) are from the Com7 & 8 bands (if that's the correct term) and these are relatively low powered but importantly highly variable in power and whether they're being transmitted.

It is likely that with reductions in the power level that the signal strength being received by the Youview box is too low to be processed.

1. What signal strength do you get for BBC HD on 101 - without any attenuator?

2. What transmitter are you on? If you don't know then try this website

3. What about your TV , can it receive these channels correctly?

[Flipperty]

Hi Tim

We get 100/100 strength and quality on 101.

We are on Crystal Palace

BT sent me to Freeview who confirmed the change in those bands but said we would not be affected by that in our area. They sent me to @800 who confirmed there is a 4G mast near us that could be the problem so are sending a filter.

I do wonder if it may be the aerial since we cannot ordinarily get all channels on our TV (I plugged our old SKY dish straight into the TV and we receive Freesat using that instead!)  But the aerial, when it is in the BT box gives us all the other channels apart from the ones you list - yes as well as the HD channels we lose Al Jazera and Smithsonisn etc.

[TimCurtis]

@Flipperty 

I'm on Crystal Palace as well and I have the occassional issue with the Com7/8 channels, note that Al Jazera and Smithsonian are on 7/8. Sometimes even my TV's come up with no signal on those channels , usually at the weekend. I've a 4G mast close by but not in line of sight to the CP transmitter.

Regarding your signal strength , it's generally reckoned that you should aim for a strength around the 90% mark , I'm on about 93%. Anything too high can overload the Youview box's tuners.

You could try removing the aerial from the Youview box and retune , finding nothing, and plug it back in and retune again. Might help.

And do your own maintenance mode reset as I pointed out before.

Overall I'd be inclined to put your general TV problem down to your aerial, maybe you need a better wideband one or maybe the filter will help but the missing channels on the Youview box probably down to the transmitter issue.

Edit: Just had a check on the CP transmitter & it states that for those missing channels a wideband aerial is most likely necessary to be able to receive them properly. Just make sure you've got one.

Also those Com7/8 bands are being transmitted at about 40% of the power of all the other bands!

[Flipperty]

Wow - thank you so much for all the advice Tim and for taking the time. I will give all that a go. I am sure our rooftop aerial is very very old so maybe to time for a replacement anyway.

Fingers crossed!

[TimCurtis]

@Flipperty 

I think it was last year that changes were made to the CP transmitter that meant many people with Band B (I think) aerials needed to change them to wideband and at the time the aerial would have been replaced for a wideband one for free if channels were lost due to the changes.

Chances are you were a fringe case as you're probably alot nearer to the CP transmitter than me.

[Walkster]

We had similar issues recently with sound and no HD channels. Proved to be an HDMI hand shake issue between YV box and TV.

We did the following:

Just switched off TV and YV Box, then

Switch TV back on, once on

Switched YV Box on, then

Removed both ends of HDMI cable, then

Reinserted the HDMI connections

Let the box boot up until TV channels on

Free view HD channels, eg 101 onwards now working