FVP 4000T- No channels found

Theconformist

New Member
I am hoping that someone will be able to help me with a problem with my recently purchased FVP 4000T.
As an owner of previous Humax PVRS, upon installing, I started with a manual channel search.
No channels were found. Not a single one.
An automatic channel search brought up a grand total of 5 channels.
I plugged my old Humax 9300T back in and did an automatic search.
122 TV channels and 32 radio channels came up.
Can any explain why my old Humax 9300T can find channels, but my new FVP 4000T cannot?
Am wondering if there is some heightened sensitivity in the newer model?

Many thanks.
 
FVP-4000T (three places).

It strikes me that the obvious answer is that it's faulty, and should be returned to the supplier.
 
As an owner of previous Humax PVRS, upon installing, I started with a manual channel search.
Are you familiar with the difference in manual tuning between a 9300T and a FVP-4000T ? It is necessary to set the Transmission type to DVB-T or DVB-T2 depending on the multiplex you are tuning to. It still doesn't sound right to me. I take it you are using the same aerial lead for both boxes and you have checked for loose connections etc?
Might be worth talking to Humax support on the phone but if you make no progress then I agree with Black Hole that it should be returned.
 
It might be helpful to know which transmitter you receive signals from or, failing that, what area of the country you are in.
Which 5 channels can you receive?
 
Thank for your replies.
I am in central London so should not have trouble getting a signal.
The five channels that popped up were pretty obscure ( including London Live, I think).
I have tried switching the transmission type to DVB-T and DVB-T2 depending on the multiplex. The model is in fact a brand new replacement PVR shipped to me by Humax after the first one exhibited the same problem. Having spoken to Humax support on the phone about my first PVR (which, strangely, initially was able to load some channels and then got progressively worse on every manual retune) i wanted to post before sending another machine back to Humax with the same fault.
The fact that the old Humax 9300T is able to upload 122 channels whilst the FVP-4000T cannot find a single one on manual search (and whilst my new TV is able to upload 150 + channels with the TV antenna plugged directly in) suggests the problem lies in the FVP-4000T machine, but I was reluctant to return a second PVR without first checking with the experts on this forum.
Thanks anyway!
 
Just a silly thought. If you are manually tuning, you are trying to tune the correct MPxs?
But as an auto tune does no better, that seems likely!
London Live (Ch8) does seem to be a pretty obscure channel and is on the weakest MPx from Crystal palace. If you can get that, I would have thought that the rest of the MPxz would be booming in.
 
Another silly thing ... Do you have a box powered aerial and the power is on for the 9300 and off on the 4000?

Another more subtle possibility is that it's a transmission line problem. Eg. The impedance of the 9300 tuner is OK but the tuner in the 4000 is causing a reflection or suchlike. Maybe try putting the aerial into the 9300 and daisy-chain the 4000 from it (the 9300 will need to be powered).
 
I am in central London so should not have trouble getting a signal.
The five channels that popped up were pretty obscure ( including London Live, I think).
That would suggest you are getting just the lowest powered multiplex. (Oops, just noticed Trev said the same :) ) Very odd.
If you are in central London, you should get strong signals from Crystal Palace (based on the coverage checker using BBC Broadcasting House as the postcode). Are you sure you are trying to tune to multiplexes on UHF channels 22,23,25,26,28- using DVB-T (it appears you can get the local multiplex on UHF 29- DVB-T)? HiDef (DVB-T2) on UHF 30-,33,35.
Try MikeSh suggestions. Are you using an HDMI cable to connect the Humax to the TV? Some people report that these can cause interference that can block some multiplexes. Try rerouting your cables, keeping the HDMI cable well away from the aerial.
 
Personally, I quite like Mike's suggestion of an unpowered MHA. That would cause the problem, but doesn't explain why he can get the lowest power MPx as surely, that would be the first to go.:eek:
 
It's one (or more) of:
a) faulty
b) the signal's too strong (caused by incorrect/ignorant use of 'boosters' etc.)
c) local interference

The OP doesn't seem that bothered about providing specific detail when asked though - "The five channels that popped up were pretty obscure ( including London Live, I think).". Smacks of I can't be bothered. It's not that difficult to be precise is it?
I wonder what the aerial feed is and where it comes from.

In the absence of any more info., my money would be on b)
 
but doesn't explain why he can get the lowest power MPx as surely, that would be the first to go.:eek:
Despite the power difference the comparative reach of the local mux is not as small as would be expected if it was just a question of the power level. When the local mux were announced there was an estimate that with its lower demand on the signal-to-noise ratio the reach of a 20kW QPSK 3/4 mux would be similar to that of a 120-200kW 64QAM 2/3, (at the expense of a vastly reduced bandwidth).
 
It's very frustrating communicating by text. If one of us were there in front of it we might well spot the problem straight away.
 
Despite the power difference the comparative reach of the local mux is not as small as would be expected if it was just a question of the power level. ... the reach of a 20kW QPSK 3/4 mux would be similar to that of a 120-200kW 64QAM 2/3, (at the expense of a vastly reduced bandwidth).
Very true. On my 2000T the signal strength is 40% and the quality is 10% for the local multiplex - and yet the channels are watchable.
If I switch my laptop on, I have a lot of interference in the region the OP has no signal (UHF 22,25 & 28) - it cuts off my reception of channels from the Belmont transmitter (they return if I turn the computer off). The local multiplex (Waltham - UHF 26) does not have this problem. Don't rule out interference as a possibility - we have no idea of what the OP's setup is.
 
Sorry for delay in replying. I thought that I should do some more tests so that you would have more information.
I took the FVP-4000T to a friend's flat round the corner and it worked absolutely fine- 100+ channels immediately uploaded.
I have just bought a new TV lead to see if it would make any difference- it hasn't!

I am currently unable to access the roof in our shared block of flats to check the aerial- was hoping to check this before I posted again.

The only five channels that i can get are-
8
60
62
207
208
from channel 29 which has Strength 90% Quality 10%.

I have tried to keep the HDMI connecting cable away from the TV aerial as per EEphil's suggestion.
Anything else I should be trying?
Currently do not have enough or the right cables to try MikeSh's daisy chain suggestion

Many thanks
 
Now we're getting somewhere.

Your 9300T works OK on the same aerial, and so does your TV, so I wouldn't spend any time on that (just confirm that the TV and the 9300T still do).

What you are looking for is a reason for the FVP-4000T, which works fine when relocated, not to be working in your intended set-up. I think we can eliminate the idea that there is local interference (not including the AV system itself), because that should also affect the TV and 9300T.

The suspicion is heavily towards the HDMI. When the TV is working on its own, there is no HDMI involved. IIRC the 9300T is not a HiDef receiver, so I guess the HDMI is not working at 1080p/1080i (if you are using HDMI to connect it to the TV).

Try using an analogue (SCART) connection from the 4000T to the TV, or if that is not possible set the video output to the same standard as the 9300T (576i?). Assuming that cures it, in all probability the problem is the quality of the lead you have connecting the aerial from the wall to the unit. Is it that horrible thin stuff about 5mm diameter and with plastic plugs on the end?
 
from channel 29 which has Strength 90% Quality 10%.
If you are getting 90% signal strength from the L-LON MUX then I suspect the signal strength on the other multiplexes will be too strong. Perhaps the aerial system you are connecting to has a significant amount of amplification and your friend's doesn't. I would try fitting a variable attenuator in the aerial feed and see if reducing the signal strength allows the box to tune in the other multiplexes.
 
Overload of the tuner on the more powerful channels will stop them. The tuner on the 4000T is likely more sensitive than the other devices (I have heard that about them elsewhere). An aerial signal attenuator would be a good start something like THIS. But be careful about the connectors, most have F type connectors. Although more robust than Belling Lee, you would likely need adaptors if you get the 'wrong' one.
 
Back
Top