Why is My TV Aerial Not Working?
If you’re familiar with the no signal message popping up on your TV from time to time, you’ll be familiar with the frustration that comes with it. What’s even worse is not knowing what is causing it and having to try and figure this out for yourself. Let’s take a look at some common causes of this message and what you can do to get your TV working again.
Why is There No Signal on My TV?
Of course you’ve experienced the ‘no signal’ message on your TV, and there’s a good chance that you had no idea why it was saying this. Well, there’s good reason for this, because the ‘no signal’ message could mean a whole host of issues. What this means is that you’re going to have a challenging time figuring out exactly what the issue is so that it can be resolved.
Another issue to complicate things is that just because your TV is telling you it’s got no signal doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re without signal completely. The TV itself is programmed to display this message whenever there is a general problem, whether it’s related to the signal or not.
This means that in order to get to the bottom of the problem you will have to do a bit of investigating yourself because the ‘no signal’ display message doesn’t reveal too much.
How Do You Check if a TV Aerial is Working?
Power Supply Unit or Amplifier is Turned Off
Both of these features should be on your TV if it’s a modern model. If you do, they could be the cause of the problem. With this in mind, it’s worth checking that they’re connected and working properly. Disconnection is another common issue that has a simple solution.
Check Your Aerial Cable
While this sounds like a solution that’s too simple to be true, it could be the answer. One of the first things you’ll want to do is make sure that your aerial cable is connected at the back of your TV. If something has been taken out of the TV by someone, then you may just have to simply plug it back in.
While this sounds incredibly simple, it could end up saving you time and money – you don’t want to get someone out only to have them plug a cable back in.
TV is on the Wrong Input or Source
This is another incredibly common issue, and unfortunately, all it takes to experience this problem sometimes is pressing the incorrect button. Again, if you’ve pressed the incorrect TV input and you’re getting the same message, this doesn’t necessarily mean your TV doesn’t have a signal.
It means that your TV isn’t getting a signal from the input that you’ve selected. For example, if you have selected HDMI1 and you’ve got the DVD player connected, all it means is that the DVD is not on because you’re not getting a signal from the DVD player.
Because every TV is a different model and make it can be hard to figure out how to get around this, however, the solution can actually be incredibly simple, which we’ll cover in a little bit.
TV Needs a Tune
If you’ve just moved to a new location and you can’t get your television working, then it could be the result of an untuned TV. In your new location you’ll have a brand new transmitter that you’ll need to connect with – because in each region the frequencies are different. Your TV isn’t going to automatically connect to the right one, which is why you’ll need to help it find it.
Faulty Aerial or Antenna
While a lot of these issues may sound obvious, they’re definitely worth checking to help save you both time and money. In saying this, though, checking for a faulty antenna should be your last resort. This is because you’ll need to access the roof to do so.
Even if your aerials are all looking as they should be, there can still be an issue with them. There are factors to consider like an aerial installation that didn’t go to plan or even damage from water. Additionally, if you’ve had the same aerial for a long time it could be on its last legs.
Faulty Aerial Cable
If you have a TV aerial that’s mounted to the wall, you run the risk of there being a fault with the lead that connects the antenna socket to your TV. You may even have a low-quality factory made lead that can lose signal easily even if they’re not faulty or broken.
How to Fix Your TV Aerial
Now that we’ve covered a number of reasons why your TV aerial isn’t working, let’s take a look at the solutions:
Power Supply Unit or Amplifier is Switched Off
For this issue, simply plug it back in and make sure that you have the aerial output and input around the right way. It’s worth noting here that if you’ve been trying to retune your TV while the signal was off, then it’s likely you’ve lost any stored services from your TV.
Checking Your Aerial Cable
To fix this issue, look behind your TV to make sure that the aerial is properly in place. If it isn’t look for where it is loose and plug it in if you find it.
TV is on the Wrong Source or Input
To fix this issue, you’ll need to locate the button that switches inputs from one to another on your TV. It will usually be called ‘input’ or ‘source.’ Once you have found this, press it, and you will be shown a list of input selections to choose from. While there may be many options, the ones you want are DTV or TV. Click on either one of these, and they should take you back to where you need to be.
TV Requires a Tuning
The modern TV makes this an incredibly easy fix. All you need to do is find the tune menu on the TV and set this to ‘autotune’. It can then scan through all the local services and land on the right one for your TV and region. You may need to manually tune it if the autotune is picking up unreliable signals, but generally speaking, this should fix the issue.
Faulty Antenna or Aerial
For this fix, we recommend replacing the aerial. If you’re not sure what aerial to buy, do a bit of research online and remember that you will need to mount the new aerial accurately so that it corresponds with the transmitter being used.
Faulty Aerial Cable
We recommend fixing this issue by purchasing a high-quality cable that you can use to make your own aerial cable, so you don’t keep losing the signal. There are plenty of videos on YouTube that can help show you how to make your own high-quality aerial cable.
Luckily, with the growth of satellite TV and the increased demand for installation of Freesat dishes, it’s possible you can avoid these issues!
Book Online
Please complete the enquiry form below, and send your details to our customer service team. Once you have completed this form, one of our engineers will contact you to discuss your requirements further and to arrange a suitable appointment.