The low quality of digital television is one of the most pressing problems for most Russians, because analogue TV has been turned off and is now only digital. The vast territories of the Russian Federation and low population density make it difficult to ensure stable and high-quality television and radio broadcasting.
According to official sources in the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, problems with digital television in the DVB-T2 format are relevant in 17,910 settlements of the Russian Federation (out of 136,082) - there is simply no signal there.
Let us add that an outdoor antenna is needed by almost all residents living in rural areas (about 20% of the population). As a rule, far from television repeaters, of which there are not so many. When the signal is lost, one of the few means of communication (even one-way) with the outside world is lost.
Let's figure out what possible reasons there are that there is no digital television signal and ways to eliminate them:
- Failure in the software settings of the receiver or TV;
- The connector or high-frequency cable is damaged;
- The DVB-T2 receiver-set-top box has failed;
- The digital television transmitting and receiving module is broken;
- Interruptions in power supply or repeater equipment;
Why is there no signal on the TV today?
I will describe the most basic problems that lead to this.
Settings are wrong
When there is no signal on your digital set-top box or TV, try returning the settings to factory settings. In rare cases it helps. Then you will again need to scan the air for channels. The cause of the problem may be a “floating” failure associated with a faulty logic chip.
No contact with cable
If the cable is OK, check the ground contact (cable braid to the connector). Move the connector on the wire and it will become clear what's going on. If the situation has changed, remove it, strip the cable with a knife and screw on the same connector.
Under no circumstances should you connect a cable without a connector by screwing the wiring onto the body of the TV connector. By doing this, you risk damaging the transmitting and receiving path of the TV. Before manipulation, the equipment should be de-energized.
Malfunction of the digital receiver power supply
Inexpensive digital television set-top boxes are more likely to fail. The most common problem is swelling of the capacitors, which is not difficult to determine by eye. The cover of the device can be easily removed. Reasons: the manufacturer saved on electrolytes or voltage drops in the network.
Don't rush to take the console in for repair. You can resolder capacitors yourself. There is nothing difficult about replacing. Even if you are soldering the Conders for the first time, you can get it done in a couple of hours. And the console will work as if nothing had happened.
TV breakdown
Failure of the digital TV transceiver module. If the TV at least shows “no signal from the antenna,” then you can already breathe a sigh of relief. The inverter and backlights are fine. However, most likely some logic chip has failed.
Frequent causes are power surges and static electricity discharges. Now only to the service center. In the future, purchase ESD protection and connect your digital TV through a surge protector.
Unstable signal
If the signal is too low (15% or less), unstable operation is observed and the signal periodically disappears. Check if the antenna is pointing there. It could easily be turned away by a squally wind or a small whirlwind tornado.
It is also possible that the gain of your antenna is not enough for stable operation and you need to choose the appropriate option.
Digital television malfunctions and their elimination
There are many reasons why connected digital television does not show. But in most cases, consumers have to deal with:
- lack of signal;
- settings problems;
- The set-top box does not work;
- limited operation of the first multiplex.
Important! Each problem has its own causes, which means they solve it in their own ways.
Eliminate the reasons for the lack of signal on digital TV
No signal
Every user of digital television has experienced the fact that the broadcast stops or the interference becomes so strong that it is almost impossible to watch it - the picture crumbles into fragments, the image is divided into stripes or squares. Despite the fact that this problem occurs more often with satellite TV, it is not alien to digital TV.
There are two main problems that cause the signal to disappear:
- bad weather;
- prevention.
Each of them has its own symptoms and solutions.
Bad weather, such as a thunderstorm or storm, causes the signal going to the receiver to become quite weak. Constant electrical discharges during the same thunderstorm simply do not allow the TV signal to pass from the antenna. It manifests itself like this: the channels are found, but constant interference and freezes interfere with watching, or the set-top box did not find a specific signal at all, or does not find all the channels.
Solving the problem of a signal missing due to bad weather begins with measuring the signal level. Modern smart TVs and set-top boxes have a special testing function. If the signal is extremely weak, it can be increased. For this purpose, the use of special gadgets, simply called amplifiers, is provided. They are purchased in specialized stores.
In this video we will look at the reasons for the lack of signal on TV:
Another case of image disappearance is during maintenance work. During their execution, the picture disappears immediately, without any preliminary interference or freezes. It is not uncommon to see a warning message on the screen of your TV device. But, if it is not there, then the consumer is asked to make sure that he really has prevention by going to the website rts.ru. This resource provides all the information about the dates and duration of such work.
Not configurable
The problem with digital television not being tuned is one of its most common failures, and repairing such a digital television failure is actually not that difficult. In most cases, it is enough to simply contact the operator company and resolve the issue over the phone.
In some cases, the television starts working after the receiver is rebooted. Although before this the TV may not have seen the console at all. To do this, turn it off for literally ten seconds and turn it on as usual.
The set-top box does not work
There are quite a few reasons why digital or cable TV does not work. Of these, three are considered the most common:
- non-working set-top box;
- broken antenna;
- damaged cable.
When faced with problems, the first thing you need to do is determine what exact reason you have to fight. Each of them has its own symptoms and solutions.
Receiver breakdowns are one of the most difficult and incomprehensible problems for most ordinary people. This is still a new device for many compatriots, so they prefer to immediately leave its repair in the hands of masters. But is this always necessary?
The first step is to figure out what the symptoms of this particular malfunction are. They are quite simple: if the set-top box is broken, then the indicators that should light up when turned on do not do this. Or the light is on, but very weakly. Or the wrong one lights up.
Often the cause of the malfunction is a problem in the power supply, as a result of which the current does not flow or flows intermittently. This is a breakdown that you can fix yourself. The power supply of receivers is often independent and has a power of 5 Volts, and the adapter is standard. It is easy to check the operation of the latter by connecting the appropriate part from the router.
You don't really rely on a multimeter when checking the operation of a power supply. The fact is that in the absence of loads, this device will still show the required 5 Volts.
There are symptoms that most likely cannot be eliminated without the help of a specialist. So, the receiver starts to reboot randomly or the sound becomes too weak and disappears completely, despite the fact that there are no problems with the TV speaker. The digital television set-top box does not pick up channels at all, although the indicators are on.
It is extremely rare, but you can still encounter problems with the operation of indoor antennas. The reasons for the malfunction can be different - from mechanical damage to the same thunderstorm. An obvious sign that something is wrong with it is an unsuccessful attempt to reconfigure the receiver. If even after several similar attempts no channels are found, it is worth starting to correct the situation:
- Check the integrity of the plug and wires.
- Check the current coming from the power adapter.
- Try connecting a new antenna.
Important! Before the owner of the device begins to repair it, he must check whether the antenna is tuned to the transmitter - perhaps there is no image because of this.
The last, but extremely common problem with displaying TV channels is a damaged cable. It leads to the fact that the signal coming through the wires is lost. Accordingly, the main symptom is that the TV does not show any channels at all, although there is no planned prevention.
When faced with a similar situation, the first thing to do is check the integrity of the cable along its entire length and connections. The most fragile wire is considered to be the RG-6 wire intended for indoor installation, which is distinguished by its white color. Sometimes it is used outdoors, which significantly reduces the service life of the wire.
There are situations where problems are caused by a combination of several factors, but they are quite rare.
Contact a technician to troubleshoot problems related to digital television.
Doesn't show 10 channels
Residents of many regions of Russia are faced with a situation where one day they are left alone with only 10 working channels of the first multiplex. And this despite the fact that all digital equipment works quite correctly. In this case, the first thing to do is test the signal. The reason for its absence is often the shutdown of the second multiplex.
This usually happens because the second multiplex was working in test mode and was turned off as soon as there was no longer a need for such work. Unlike the first, it is not mandatory and is not even present in all regions of our country. Therefore, when faced with such a problem, it is worth, firstly, to find out whether there is a signal from the second multiplex in a particular area at all.
Where to call if there is no digital television signal?
A malfunction on the repeater may well be the cause of the “no signal for digital channels” message. Remember that television transmitter infrastructure is maintained by people. They can be wrong too. Therefore, the repeater may be de-energized or the equipment may fail.
We recommend calling the CETV hotline number: 8-800-220-20-02.
For a temporary solution, you can try pointing the antenna towards another broadcast tower. You can find the tower closest to you using the digital television coverage map.
Causes
The first thing you need to figure out is why there is no signal quality on the digital set-top box, and the picture on the TV leaves much to be desired. Note that in half of the cases the hardware itself or incorrectly entered settings are to blame.
But let’s not guess and highlight the main reasons:
- Errors in choosing an antenna.
- Incorrect digital channel frequency setting.
- Mismatch between digital set-top box and TV.
- Interference in the signal path due to LTE or GSM connection.
- Oxidation of contacts on the amplifier.
- Lack of DVB-T2 support.
- Mechanical equipment failures.
- Other reasons.
Above we looked at the main explanations for why there is a bad signal on a digital TV set-top box. But identifying the cause is only half the battle, because it also needs to be eliminated.
Selecting a TV antenna
When digital television does not show, you need to purchase a narrowly directional outdoor antenna - a “wave channel” or a broadly directional “panel” antenna.
If the distance is up to 20 kilometers, using an antenna with a built-in amplifier is not advisable.
When purchasing, pay attention to the manufacturer. Most often, antenna equipment developers from Russia (who do not resell Chinese products) have adopted engineering experience from the USSR and are highly qualified. Therefore, the antenna corresponds to the declared characteristics and is effective. And most importantly, it is adapted to our reception conditions and operating ranges.
We recommend our rating of antennas for digital TV, which will help you choose a quality model.
It is better not to order antenna equipment on Alixpress. Even judging by the image of the Chinese antenna, one can understand that the declared characteristics in reality are 5-10 decibels lower. Not to mention the “industrial” type high-frequency cable included in the kit, which leads to a catastrophic loss of the useful signal.
Homemade antenna for digital TV. Read how to do it here.
When the diplexer is connected
The receiver can combine several broadcast types into one. When connecting satellite and digital TV, you should remember that the operating principles of the devices are different, but they are displayed on the TV as one unit. Reception difference:
- For a home antenna, the quality indicator and the weather are important, since the TV station distributes the signal over the entire area;
- The satellite is characterized by an example of a strong signal that exceeds 10 GHz.
Channel frequency changes can only be displayed on one type of reception. If there is no program for two at once, this is a sign of systematic work being carried out.
Selection and installation of a mast
Another pressing practical task is the installation of the mast. It is optimal to place the bracket directly on the wall, using the height of the house. There are also brackets on sale that are attached to the gable roof beam with self-tapping screws. An added bonus is that you can install it alone.
Another common budget solution, time-tested, is to use a “sushina” (dried wood, pole) tied to a stepson (reinforced concrete or metal post, dug close to the house).
Installation of the mast on the gable
You can’t go past the less common option - a telescopic mast made of several links. It can be secured in a vertical position with retractable brackets to the house. The advantage of the solution is that grounding, although not carried out in compliance with all GOSTs, is provided automatically. There is a considerable probability that the discharge will not go to the TV or receiver.
Before installing the mast, it is better to think about proper lightning protection. Unfortunately, there are numerous nuances and subtleties here. so that it is almost impossible for a non-professional to protect equipment from lightning. Therefore, during lightning strikes and in advance, it is better to de-energize the system and disconnect the antenna from the TV.
