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Signal strength and quality measured
Two different readings, two different meanings.
Home/TV repair services/TV signal issues
TV signal issues
No signal, missing channels and a picture that breaks up
A signal fault is not a television fault. Before anyone opens your set, the aerial, the cabling, the splitters and the wall points need to be checked — and that is where the problem usually is.
Whole signal path
Measured, not guessed
TV and DStv
‘No signal’ is a message about the cable, not the television
When your television displays ‘no signal’, it is telling you something quite specific: it is working perfectly, it is looking at the input you selected, and there is nothing arriving. The television is the messenger, not the problem.
The problem is somewhere along the path between the aerial or dish and the back of the set. A corroded connector on the roof. A cable that has perished in the sun. A splitter dividing the signal so many ways that none of the branches has enough left to work with. A wall point that was never properly terminated.
We test the whole path with a signal meter rather than swapping things until it works. Signal strength and signal quality are two different measurements, and a fault that produces one reading is a very different problem from a fault that produces the other.
The detail
What causes a signal fault
Almost always outside the television.
Corroded or water-damaged connectors
The connector at the aerial or dish sits outdoors, permanently. Water gets into it, the copper corrodes, and signal quality collapses. It is the single most common cause we find, and it is a cheap fix.
Perished or damaged coaxial cable
South African sun destroys cheap coax. The outer sheath cracks, water gets in, and the cable’s ability to carry signal degrades. Rodents also enjoy coaxial cable more than anyone would like.
Over-split signal
Every splitter halves the signal. Split it four ways to feed four rooms and each branch gets a quarter. Add a splitter that was already marginal and you are below the threshold the tuner needs.
Aerial misalignment or damage
Wind moves aerials. Birds sit on them. Storms bend them. An aerial pointing a few degrees off the transmitter will produce exactly the pixelating, breaking-up picture people describe.
Poorly terminated wall points
A wall point crimped badly or terminated with the braid touching the core will degrade or kill the signal completely. It is very common in homes where cabling was done cheaply.
The tuner in the television has failed
It does happen, though far less often than people assume. If the signal is proven good at the wall and the television still reports nothing, the tuner section on the mainboard is the suspect — and it is repairable.
What you get
What a signal callout covers
The whole chain, measured properly.
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Connector and cable inspection
Including the ones on the roof that nobody looks at.
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Splitter and distribution audit
Over-splitting is a very common, very fixable cause.
04
Aerial alignment
Re-pointed and secured properly.
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Wall point re-termination
Done correctly, with proper connectors.
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Tuner testing
To rule the television in or out, honestly.
Included
Included in every signal repair
No guessing, no swapping parts hopefully.
Signal meter testing at the wall pointThe actual numbers, not an impression
End-to-end cable continuityFrom aerial or dish through to the set
Connector inspection and replacementWeatherproofed properly this time
Splitter and amplifier assessmentRight equipment, right place in the chain
Channel rescan and retuneSo you actually get every channel you should
Full picture test on every channelConfirmed stable, with you watching
Our process
How we solve a signal fault
01
Describe what you are seeing
No signal at all? Some channels only? Pixelating in bad weather?
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We measure at the wall point
Strength and quality, with a meter, before we climb anything.
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We trace the fault to its source
Connector, cable, splitter, aerial or tuner.
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We repair and retune
Then confirm every channel is stable before we leave.
FAQ
TV signal issues — your questions answered
The things people actually ask us on the phone, answered straight.
Not sure what is wrong?
WhatsApp us the make, the screen size and a short video of what the TV is doing. We can usually narrow the fault down before a technician is even dispatched.
WhatsApp 063 866 0971My TV says ‘no signal’. Is the TV broken?
Almost certainly not. ‘No signal’ means the television is working and is receiving nothing on the input you have selected. The fault is in the aerial, the cabling, the splitter or the wall point — not usually in the set.
Why do my channels pixelate and break up?
That is a signal quality problem rather than a signal strength problem. The usual suspects are a corroded connector, a degraded cable, an aerial knocked out of alignment, or a signal split too many ways.
It only breaks up when it rains.
For satellite, that is rain fade — heavy rain absorbing the signal — and it is worse if the dish is marginally aligned or the LNB is degrading. A properly aligned dish with a healthy LNB rides out most rain. For terrestrial aerials, rain getting into a cracked connector produces exactly the same effect.
Some channels work and others do not.
Usually a marginal signal. Different channels broadcast on different frequencies and at different strengths, so a weak signal loses the weakest channels first while the strongest ones keep working. It is a strong hint that the whole path needs attention.
Can a splitter cause signal problems?
Very much so, and it is one of the most common causes we find. Every split reduces the signal reaching each branch. Feeding several rooms off one aerial without a properly specified amplifier will eventually put every branch below the threshold.
Do you work on DStv satellite signal as well as TV aerials?
Yes, both. Satellite signal problems — E48-32, E16, pixelation, rain fade — are a large part of what we do. See our DStv signal problems page for the detail.
Book a TV technician
Get a stable picture back
Tell us what the screen says and when it happens. We will bring a signal meter and find the actual cause.
TV aerial and satellite signal repairs across Gauteng
Contact
Speak to a TV technician, not a call centre
- Call us
- 0861 995 085Open 24 hours · 7 days a week
- 063 866 0971Send a short video of the fault — it speeds everything up.
- Where we work
- Johannesburg, Pretoria, Sandton, Centurion, Midrand, the East Rand and the West RandSee every area we cover →