Use the arrow buttons of your remote to select Settings → System Settings or Set-up → Channel set-up → Analogue Setup → Analogue Auto Tuning or Auto Tuning. When asked Do you want to start Auto Tuning?, select Yes and confirm with button. The TV will now start tuning. A confirmation message will appear once completed. Digital tuning.
So you’ve got your antenna setup and plugged into the back of your television set only to find your auto scan not finding channels, or at least the channels you were expecting. If this is happening to you keep reading! In this article we are going to take a look at what the likely causes of this could be.
Why Is Auto Scan Not Finding Channels?
There could be several reasons why your auto scan is not finding channels. To start, let’s make sure that you are selecting the right input mode on your television set.
Typically, this will be found under your Menu –> Channels –> Auto Scan. Of course not all television set manufacture menus are the same, so yours may vary from this slightly. You can see in the image below that my TV refers to it as “Auto Channel Search”. If yours is called something different, simply consult your user manual to see the steps your are supposed to take to get here.
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Once you’re in the “Auto Scan” menu there should be an option to select either “Cable” or “Antenna”. Be sure you are choosing “Antenna” or some variation of this ( I have seen it listed as DTV). This will start the Auto Scan procedure.
If after the scanning process is complete your television auto scan not finding channels persists, it’s time to start troubleshooting. Here are some things we are going to need to check:
- Your TV Tuner is functional – it may be helpful to try a different TV if this is an option to ensure your TV’s digital tuner card is not the issue. This is as simple as plugging your coax cable into a different TV and running the auto scan on that.
- Your antenna cabling is not faulty – we need to make sure that you are getting a signal out of your coax cable. More on this later.
- Your antenna is properly aligned – obviously we will need to make sure your antenna is pointing in the direction of the broadcast towers in your area. Below will be some helpful tips to ensure this is the case.
- Your antenna has sufficient range – this is going to be another important piece of the puzzle to ensure you are able to pull in the appropriate over-the-air (OTA) signals in your area.
- Ensure proper noise mitigation – A noise margin greater than 0 is required at your tuner to display a channel on your TV set.
Let’s look a little closer at each one of these items to try to figure out why your auto scan not finding channels.
Check If You TV Tuner Is Functional
The first thing we should probably try to diagnose is whether your television sets TV Tuner is functioning. I should point out that if your television was made before 2009 it likely has an analog tuner in it. If so this is likely the reason for your television auto scan not finding channels.
If indeed your TV is pre-2009, you are going to need a converter box such as this inexpensive iDOO ATSC Analog-Digital Converter Box on Amazon. With this box you can conveniently convert the over-the-air (OTA) digital broadcast received from your antenna (not included) to your analog TV, digital TV, projector, computer monitor, smart TV, HDTV, LED TV, LCD monitor,etc.
Okay, assuming your television set was made in the last 10 years or so, you should have a digital tuner installed in your TV. That means it’s time to try something else. As mentioned, probably the easiest thing to try is to plug in the coax cable coming from your antenna into a different TV. Admittedly, this can be easier said than done, however, you can split your antenna signal using an Antenna TV Splitter to a room where you have another TV to try.
If plugging your antenna’s coax into another TV is not an option for you then you may want to look at investing in the KING SL1000 SureLock TV Antenna Signal Meter. This meter offers a fool-proof way to locate the strongest available TV signal(s) no matter where you are. If your TV antenna can receive the signal, the SureLock SL1000 can help you point your antenna to maximize it!
Check Your Antenna Cable Is Not Faulty
If the signal meter above is a little out of your price range or you happen to have a digital multi-meter hanging around your house, you can use it to check to see if you have a signal. Let’s do a check to ensure this is not the reason for your television auto scan not finding channels.
Just like any radio transmission your digital antenna receives radio signals that is transmitted via small electrical impulses to your television tuner. This means that you can use an electrical multi-meter to test whether or not a signal is traveling down your coax cable. If there is a problem with your cabling, such as a cut or short in the wire, this will cause the signal to be disrupted.
In addition, if the antenna is not properly grounded, the signal can pick up interference from the electrical potential of the antenna itself. If you are interested in How To Properly Ground A TV Antenna, be sure to check out the article.
Let’s perform a couple of checks using your digital multi-meter to ensure your coax cable is good.
- Set your multi-meter to measure ohms, which is represented by the “Ω” symbol.
- Remove the antenna cable from your television set.
- Touch one lead of the multi-meter to the metal part of the connector and touch the other lead to the metal “core” or “stinger”. The ohm reading should be infinite.
- Now short one end of your antenna cables metal “core” or “stinger” to the coax connector. On the “un-shorted” end touch one lead on the “stinger” and the other lead on the coax connector. The ohm reading should be zero.
Rather see it in a video. Check out the YouTube video below that will walk you through how to test your antenna coax cable.
Make Sure Your Antenna Is Properly Aligned
Direction, direction, direction! Perhaps one of the most important aspects of any antenna installation. This could be the reason your television auto scan not finding channels. What you need to do is figure out which channels are available to you and in which direction the TV broadcast towers are located. You can use an online location tool such as TVFool.com or check out our very own TV Station Locator
page.This YouTube video will walk you through everything you need to know when using our tool. It will show you how to find TV stations available in your area and in which direction the TV towers are located.
How Do I Auto Tune My Tv Live
You will need a compass or at least a smart-phone compass app. Once you use our TV Station Locator tool and have your bearings, head to your antenna and rotate it so it is aligned in the direction of your broadcast towers. If your antenna is on a roof you may want to have someone at your TV end to help with the fine tuning.
Alternatively, if you’ve been reading other articles on this site you will know that must “cord-cutting” enthusiasts rarely bring their antenna signal directly into their television set. Rather, they stream their antenna signals indirectly to their smart TVs, tablets, phones, Media Streaming boxes by way of a network tuner device.
The tuner devices I own can be purchased directly on Amazon and are called SiliconDust HDHomeRun EXTEND (2-Tuner) tuners. These devices are awesome!
If you get yourself one of these network tuners then your task of aligning for the best signal strength becomes much easier via one of the free smart-phone apps available on the Google Playstore. You can see in the image below I get real-time feedback of my antenna signal strength for a specific channel all while standing on my roof at the antenna…cool!
Check Your Antenna Has The Required Range
It’s important to understand that no one antenna or antenna type will deliver excellent TV reception in every location. The main factors determining reception are the distance and direction from the TV station transmitters to your home.
The transmitter’s power and the height of its tower also matter. This alone could be the reason for your auto scan not finding channels. Be sure to check out my article how high should you mount a TV antenna.
If you live within a few miles of the broadcast tower, and the signal path is relatively unobstructed, you may be able to get solid reception using a small indoor antenna. However, as you move farther away, getting usable signal strength becomes trickier. This is where careful antenna selection and installation become essential.
First, it’s probably a good idea to discuss the two broad categories of TV antennas that are out there so you can understand which category your specific antenna fits into. The two classes are omnidirectional and unidirectional, so let’s take a closer look at both.
OmniDirectional are antennas that will receive a signal from all directions because they offer a 360 degree field. So if you have one of these types of antennas there is really no need to “point it” in any specific direction. In this case if you are not getting the results you think you should be getting your only option is going to be to find a better location on your house or property.
If you’re in the market for a good omnidirectional antenna I highly recommend the Mohu Sky 60 TV Antenna.
UniDirectional antennas have a much narrower beam width, typically between 25 and 35 degrees. These types of antennas are much more resilient to noise and are ideal when your broadcast towers are clustered together in one general direction or area. It is important to note that TV signal transmission is “line of sight.” Getting reliable reception beyond the curvature of the earth (roughly 70 miles) is difficult. Mountains or tall buildings between the broadcast tower(s) and your home can also cause reception problems. So, the first step is to locate the transmitters for your local stations and point your antenna that way.
I personally use two unidirectional antennas in my setup. If you’re interested in checking out my current system check out this article The Best HDTV Antenna Setup Right Now. If you do, you will see that I am using the Channel Master CM-4228HD HDTV Antenna, I highly recommend this antenna for both affordability and quality.
Ensure Proper Noise Mitigation
The last thing I want to discuss is noise, the major causes of it and how to reduce or mitigate it. Any digital signal is going to be received by your antenna and ultimately your tuner with a finite amount of power. One of the easier ways to quantify this power is noise margin. The noise margin, given in decibels (dB), is the amount of signal noise allowable before the signal can no longer be received.
Noise can come from many sources, including any obstacles or interference encountered between your antenna and the broadcast tower. Other sources of noise can be that caused by splitters, the tuner you’re plugging into, and the coaxial cable itself.
This is why it is important to use high quality components and cabling. For splitters I recommend ANTOP Low-loss 3 Way Coaxial Splitter for TV Antenna or equivalent for its low-loss insertion. For coax cable you want to use a high quality RG6 such as Mediabridge Broadband Coaxial Cable.
Also, if the antenna is not properly grounded, the signal can pick up interference from the electrical potential of the antenna itself. If you are interested in How To Properly Ground A TV Antenna, be sure to check out the article.
Well I hope we’ve solved the reason for your television auto scan not finding channels. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out some of my other articles today:
And if you haven’t already done so, be sure to check out my Top 10 Antenna Picks for this year and leave me a comment!
If the thought of paying for cable or satellite TV service hurts your head, consider free over-the-air (OTA) HDTV. Nearly every household in America can tune into at least one HDTV station (99 percent of homes, according to some sources), and it’s absolutely free!
Researching free local HDTV channels
Spend a little bit of time researching broadcast HDTV channels. Now you don’t have to do this research online, but if you have Internet access, that’s the best way to do so. If you don’t have Internet access, talk to the retailers from whom you’re buying your HDTV — they probably have firsthand knowledge (or at least anecdotal information) about local HDTV signal availability. They may also have a kiosk that provides access to online information.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the huge (and hugely influential) trade organization that includes just about every HDTV manufacturer in the world. So it has a vested interest in getting people to buy HDTVs. This interest is sometimes manifested as lobbying efforts with the FCC, or efforts to develop marketing and industry. It also pops its head up in the form direct-to-the-consumer education efforts.
In the case of HDTV, the CEA had the truly brilliant idea of providing an extremely easy-to-use HDTV “signal finder.” In conjunction with a company called Decisionmark, the CEA has created this online system (called TitanTV) that lets you enter your address information, press a button, and come out the other side with a nice listing of all your HDTV-channel choices.
Just go to TitanTV and follow the on-screen instructions. You can also access TitanTV at many HDTV retailers, and come home with a printout of your available stations.
Not only does TitanTV find OTA stations for you, it also comes up with the cable and satellite stations available to you. You can do a quick comparison and see what best meets your needs.
Tuning into the free HDTV channels
HDTV breaks the old TV paradigm in many ways. One big difference is that not all HDTVs have a built-in TV tuner. Back in the olden days of NTSC and analog TV, this was quite rare — a few high-end TVs were “monitors” and required an external tuner, but they were definitely in the minority.
With HDTV and OTA HDTV broadcasts, the situation has been reversed — at least for the time being (more on that soon). Many sets sold as HDTVs today are HDTV-ready, but don’t have any electronics inside them that can pick up an OTA HDTV broadcast — or any ATSC broadcast, whether high-definition or standard-definition. (ATSC is the acronym for the Advanced Technology Standards Committee, an international, non-profit organization that sets forth voluntary standards for digital television.)
The government is requiring TV manufacturers to include built-in tuners that can pick up OTA HDTV, starting with bigger (36+-inch) TVs in 2005. Soon this lack of tuners won’t be a problem.
Building on a built-in tuner
How Do I Auto Tune My Samsung Smart Tv
If you have an HDTV with a built-in ATSC tuner, you’re just about all set. All you need to do is find the appropriate antenna, make the connections, and go. It’s really that simple — or at least it can be.
Just follow the instructions in your HDTV’s manual for tuning in the HDTV stations. (Each HDTV on-screen setup process is different.)
Some HDTVs with built-in ATSC tuners also have special tuners that can decode QAM-encoded HDTV signals. QAM is the system used by most cable-TV networks. This means you may be able to pick up your local broadcast stations by just plugging in your cable TV connection. Note that this is different from the DCR (digital-cable-ready) systems. And no, this has nothing to do with using an OTA antenna, but it’s a nice morsel of information to know in case you’re ever asked this question at a neighborhood BBQ.
Adding on a tuner
If you own an HDTV, chances are good that you won’t have that built-in ATSC tuner mentioned in the previous section. Your HDTV probably has an NTSC tuner, which can pick up analog broadcasts, but it probably is only HDTV-ready, so you need to pick up an HDTV tuner box that you can connect between your antenna feed and your HDTV.
The biggest problem with HDTV tuners (whether they’re in your TV, or external) has traditionally been an economic one. They are (or at least were) darned expensive. Even a year or two ago, it was common to see HDTV tuners that cost $1,000 or more (this effectively explains why so many HDTVs were sold as HDTV-ready: Not everyone with an HDTV uses the OTA tuner, so why drive the cost of an already-expensive HDTV through the roof?).
The good news is that prices have come way down, which is common with consumer electronics. And the prices are going nowhere but down.
When you’re choosing an HDTV tuner, here are just a few things to consider:
- Digital outputs: If it’s at all possible, you should use a digital cable connection between your tuner and your HDTV — either DVI-D or HDMI is by far the most common (1394/FireWire used to be common, but it’s rare these days). Make sure that the outputs of your tuner match the inputs of your HDTV.
- The newer HDMI system is backward-compatible with DVI-D with the use of a simple adapter. So you can mix and match DVI-D and HDMI freely.
- If your HDTV tuner’s DVI-D or HDMI output uses the HDCP copy-protection scheme, make sure the DVI-D or HDMI input on your HDTV does, too. Otherwise the system may weaken (or “down-res”) the signal, giving you a non-HDTV picture.
- Analog outputs: While you’ll want to use your digital outputs, if possible, it’s handy to have a full set of analog outputs on the HDTV tuner, for making connections to other devices (like a digital video recorder).
- Output resolution: Most HDTV tuners can be adjusted to match the best resolution for your HDTV. Some HDTVs require a specific signal resolution (such as 1080i); if yours does, make sure your tuner can give you output at that resolution.
- Satellite capability: Some OTA HDTV tuners also include satellite-TV receivers. Well, the satellite companies would flip it around and say their receivers include OTA tuners. Either way, this can be handy if you’re using a satellite service for premium HDTV channels (like ESPN-HD and HBO) and using an antenna to pick up local HDTV channels.
The FCC is requiring TV manufacturers to begin including built-in ATSC tuners in their TVs, as part of the overall industry transition to digital TV. By the middle of 2005, all TVs larger than 36 inches will require an on-board ATSC tuner — over time, this requirement will filter down to smaller TVs, and even to devices like VCRs, which have their own NTSC tuners these days. (NTSC refers to the National Television System Committee, the group that sets television and video standards in the United States.)