How to troubleshoot a TV and antenna

Is the TV or antenna faulty?

Often the reason there is no picture on the TV is not because it is broken. It could be as simple as a dead battery in the remote control, a disconnected cable to an antenna or another source such as Foxtel.

When the TV is powered on, and you press a button on the remote, volume or channel, it should show on-screen display a channel number or an HDMI input number, regardless of what TV is connected to, antenna, Foxtel or Fetch box. When the antenna is faulty or disconnected, the TV should show an on-screen display too, usually saying something like 'no signal' or 'check antenna' or 'no channels found'. A similar message is when you move the TV from one house to another other, and you need to tune the TV for stations in that new location.

Remote control faults

If the TV stops responding to the remote control, change the batteries. If that does not help, press the power button or a channel up or down button on the TV, not the remote. Sometimes TV channel buttons are hard to find on the sides or behind, but they must be on any TV. If the TV starts without a remote - the fault is likely the remote control or batteries. The fault when the TV remote sensor or control module will not respond to the remote control is also possible but rare. The TV remote control may also have an intermittent fault or one of the buttons not working. In that case, getting a new or universal replacement remote is cheaper.

Connection or external device fault

Check signal cable message HDMI no signal on the TVCheck signal cable, indicating the TV is working. Verify connections and that devices are on.

This picture indicates that the TV is working and set to an external source. Possible causes for the issue include: the TV being on the wrong HDMI input, the Foxtel or Fetch box being off or faulty HDMI cable.

TV antenna faults

If all TVs in the house lose free-to-air reception simultaneously, it indicates an antenna fault. If only one TV loses stations while the other TVs in the house do not, the issue is likely with that specific antenna outlet.

If you live in a block of units, you can ask your neighbours if they have the same problem with the TV channels.

'No Signal' messages or unsuccessful channel tuning may be caused by the following antenna issues:

  1. The antenna fly lead could break or get loose when the TV has moved. New fly leads are usually supplied with the TV or sold in the electronics shop for $5. Expensive, gold-plated tips will not make reception any better. All antenna cabling behind the house walls and antenna is aluminium. We make fly leads from quality RG6 cable fitted to your TV installation cheaper.
  2. The antenna wall outlet got loose or rusted. If touching fly lead near the outlet gets the picture to break up or pixelate, that must be a problem.
  3. The antenna input socket on the TV got loose or broke off. We can fix the TV antenna input socket too. The easy way around is using a TV set-top box, Foxtel or Fetch connected by HDMI cable. In that case, you'll have to use the second remote control for TV channels.

If you checked all the above and still got no picture, that is more likely the antenna's fault.

Why is the TV antenna broken?

The antenna can be broken by a storm, hit by lightning, or rusted. TV reception can get worse gradually over time or disappear instantly. The antenna system consists of a few components: antenna, antenna mounting, antenna amplifier or booster, power adapter, antenna splitter, coax cabling and antenna outlets. While an antenna system consists of only a few parts, fixing it for less is challenging. Strata units may also have distribution amplifiers, diplexers and other devices working together to deliver cable TV, free-to-air antenna and NBN.

Who pays for antenna repairs?

Property owners or Body Corporate should reimburse for TV antenna repairs, including on the roof, cabling, and wall outlets if you are renting. That does not include your fly leads and TV, as they are not included in the rent.

2018 - 2024 Tags: Antennahow to fix