Troubleshooting Your Cable TV

I’m going to cover the most common cable problems that you can solve without calling your cable provider.

Here you are:

• “No Signal” is displayed on the screen
• “One moment please, this channel will be available again soon” or “Not approved for use”.
• The red “recording” lamp lights up when nothing is being recorded
• There is no light on the front of the cable box or it says “standby”.
• snow on the screen
• Can only receive channel 3
• No sound when using a new HDMI cable
• The TV turns on and the decoder turns off or vice versa
• I can only receive regular cable TV, no digital channels

“No signal” message on the TV screen

The “No Signal” message is almost always due to one of the following three issues:

1. The cable box is not turned on or has no power.
2. The video cable that connects the TV to the decoder is not plugged in.
3. The TV is tuned to the wrong input channel.

The solution to problem number 1 is quite simple: just make sure that the decoder has power and that the power button has been pressed.

Problem number 2 is a bit more complicated because you need to know which cables connect the box to the TV. Search the internet for detailed instructions on how to connect the cable box and determine what type of cables you are using. Once you determine the cable type, simply plug the cable into the appropriate jack (male) on the back of the box and TV and the problem should be solved.

Problem 3 is a similar problem. Each socket on the back of the TV has its own input channel, in addition to the normal numbered channels.

To change the input channel on your TV, you need the remote control that came with the TV when you bought it.

Second, you need to find a button labeled “Input,” “Source,” or “TV/Video” on that remote.

Press this button and a menu will open with the following choices, or just show one of the choices:

• Video 1, 2, and 3 (RCA cables)
• Components 1, 2 and 3
• HDMI 1, 2 and 3
• RGB (computer)
• personal computer
• Game (XBOX, PS3, WII)
• DVD
• Cable: This refers to the coaxial cable coming out of the wall.
• TV: This refers to the antenna socket that connects to an antenna on the roof.

If you can’t find any of these options, your remote should have the ability to toggle between the different inputs with the Channel Down button. In this scenario, tune the TV to channel 2 and then press the Channel Down or Channel “-” (minus) button. Once below Channel 1, you will see a menu with the choices listed above.

Once you’ve figured out what kind of cables you’re using to connect the box to the TV, switch to that channel by using the up, down, left, and right arrows on the remote control or by changing the channel on the TV.

If you haven’t figured out which cables you’re using, SLOWLY go through all the choices to see which ones. Leave them on for 5-10 seconds before changing channels to allow the TV to decode the video.

(If you are using HDMI and that does not solve the problem: see section VII, part 2 below).

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“One moment please: This channel will be available shortly” (Motorola) or “Not cleared for use” (Scientific Atlanta)

These messages can be due to one of several issues:

1. The decoder is connected to the cable company but does not recognize the channels you are paying for.
2. Static in the coaxial cable blocks a number of channels.
3. The “head end” (from which the cable signal comes) has a problem.
4. Your provider has deactivated your account for non-payment.
5. The channel provider has had a problem and has disabled the channel.

Of course, problems 3, 4, and 5 can only be solved by your cable provider. A message like this could mean your cable provider has disabled your account for non-payment. Call your provider and pay the bill or ask why the payment hasn’t been made. If the message persists after paying the bill, you may have bypassed the cable box so that you could watch cable TV while your account was suspended.

Problems 1 and 2 can be solved with the following steps.

• If you are using two coax cables, one from the wall to the decoder and another from the TV to the decoder, you may have swapped the two coax cables. Go to the back of the decoder and toggle CABLE IN and CABLE OUT (sometimes called RF IN and RF OUT). Check out the picture below. Check if the cable from the wall is connected to the TV or decoder. It should be connected to CABLE IN.
• It’s possible that the coaxial cable coming out of the wall is not connected at one end. When all the other connectors are connected, make sure the coaxial cable is also connected: Make sure both ends of this cable are screwed all the way in (if screw-type) or pushed in (if push-type) with your fingers.
• Set the TV to the correct input channel (e.g. ‘HDMI’, ‘Video 1’, ‘AV 1’…)

The red record light on the front of the cable recorder is on but nothing is being recorded

This problem has the same solution as above, so keep reading to find the solution.

Simply unplug the power cable from the power connector (on the right in the image above) and disconnect the coaxial cable from the cable input (on the left). Count to ten. Reconnect the coaxial cable first, then the power cord.

And now it’s time to wait.

• Scientific Atlanta Cable Decoder: Simply wait for the time to appear on the LCD display on the front of the cable decoder. (This can take a long time: up to five minutes). Then press “Power” on the decoder and wait until you see a picture. Press ‘Drive’ and you’re done.
• Motorola cable box: Wait about 60 seconds after connecting the cable. If the decoder doesn’t turn itself on, simply press the power button once and wait for everything to charge, usually around two to three minutes.
• TIVO: If there is no light on the front panel after you reconnect the power cord, simply press the power button. A TIVO is like a computer: if you restart it after turning it off, it takes a long time to load and display an image. It can take three to ten minutes depending on what you want to download and update. Make yourself a cup of coffee or a sandwich; this may take some time.

No light on the front of the cable box or “standby” message

When the “Power” button is on and this situation occurs, no power is received.

• Make sure BOTH ends of the power cord are plugged in.
• Press the power button on the front of the device (do not use the remote control).
• If that doesn’t work, you need to figure out if the problem is with the home outlet or with the decoder. To do this, you need to move the power cord to a different outlet.

Plug it directly into the wall (not into another power strip slot) and see if that helps.
If not, take the decoder and power cord to another room and plug them in there.
If the lights come on, the problem is where you plugged the box into; if you don’t get lights then the problem is with the box and you will need to replace it.

snow” or “ants” on the screen

Snow on the screen usually means:

1. The TV’s input channel has been switched to an analog channel. Take the TV remote control and press one of the following buttons: “Input”, “Source” or “Video”. Press the button repeatedly to change the channel, or use the arrow buttons to select the correct input channel.
2. Another possibility is that the cable has been broken; in this case, you will need to call your cable provider.
3. If you’re not using a cable box, the snow could mean the coax cable isn’t connected to the back of the TV. If you’re not using a decoder, just connect the coax cable from the wall directly to the TV.

I can only receive channel 3: everything else is snow or black screen

About this error I have to ask a few quick qualifying questions:

Are you using a decoder? And are you using two coax cables to connect the wall to the decoder and the decoder to the TV?

1. If you use a decoder and two coax cables:

• You change channels on your television and not on your decoder.
• Set the TV to channel 3.
• Press “CBL” and then “MOT” (for Motorola), “SA” (for Scientific Atlanta), or “SAT” (for satellite).
• Now press “Guide” or try changing the channel.

2. If you use a cable box instead of two coaxial cables:

• Two types of video output cables can be connected at the same time.
• If you have good quality cables such as HDMI, Component, or even RCA, there is NOT a need to connect a coaxial cable to Cable Out and then to the TV.
• Remove the extra coaxial cable and switch the TV to the correct input channel (HDMI, Component, Video, AV, etc.).

3. If you are not using a decoder, but your TV is connected to the wall with a coaxial cable:

• You need to do what is called a channel scan.
• Take the TV remote control. Press “MENU”; use the arrow keys to select “SETUP”; you may need to press “SELECT/ENTER/OK”; then press “Channel Scan / Auto Program”.
• Have a drink; this will take a while.
• You should then be able to change channels normally.

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No sound when using a new HDMI cable

This is likely due to one of two common issues:

1. Many cable boxes have a setting that allows you to toggle between Dolby Digital Surround and HDMI Digital Output.

• Just double-press “Menu” to bring up advanced settings.
• Go to ‘Audio Setting’ or ‘Audio: Digital Output’.
• Change the setting to “HDMI Digital Output”.
• After making the change and following the on-screen instructions to apply the new setting, the sound should turn on.

2. There’s a little-known technical issue that’s only talked about in remote tech support basements: for some weird reason, sometimes a TV and an HDMI cable just stop communicating with each other.

• First, turn off the TV and unplug it.
• Then unplug the HDMI cable from the box or from the TV (it doesn’t matter which).
• Reconnect the TV and turn it on again.
• Finally, reconnect the HDMI cable to HDMI 1 and make sure the TV is set to the HDMI 1 input channel.

The audio should now work properly. This sometimes works with “No Signal” as well. Let’s say about 50/50.

The TV turns on and the decoder turns off and vice versa

You’re using one of those cool remote controls that let you turn multiple devices on and off with a single button press.

• Don’t press “All Power” or “System Power” anymore.
• Go to the device that is currently off and turn it on manually without using a remote control.
• You should now have an image and can use the “All Power” button again.

I can only receive Basic Cable, no digital channels

If you are not using a cable box:

• Perform a channel search.
• If that doesn’t help, you have what is called a “trap” on your outside line and the only way to remove it is to call your cable provider.

If you use a cable box:

• Call your cable provider. You may have accidentally been downgraded to Basic Cable or experienced widespread signal loss.

So that’s it… Easy, isn’t it?

I hope the above solutions helped you solve your cable problems.

I wanted to give you the exact same advice I would give to a client I’m talking to on the phone.

If you still have questions, you can leave me a comment below and I will do my best to answer them.