What's wrong?
Optional: pick your city and the station you're missing to see the likely cause.
No channels at all
Start with the settings and connections, which are the quickest things to check.
- Set the TV to its antenna input. Antennas Direct says to "make sure the television's input or source is set to 'BROADCAST', 'TV' or 'AIR', not 'CABLE'" (Antennas Direct). On a Samsung TV, Samsung says to "change the source on your TV to TV" (Samsung).
- Check the cable. The coax from the antenna goes to the TV's antenna port, which Samsung labels ANT IN. Antennas Direct says "it is important to check regularly for corrosion, loose cable fittings, or if a cable has been compromised."
- Scan for antenna channels. When the scan asks, choose antenna. Samsung explains that "Air is for antenna only, and Cable is for a cable box only." Antennas Direct says once the antenna is connected and you run a channel scan, "you should be receiving at least some of your local channels." Our setup guide by TV brand shows where the scan is on six brands.
- Check your distance. If the scan still finds nothing, open your city page. If your main stations are rated Weak, you may need an attic or outdoor antenna; our antenna types guide explains which.
Some channels are missing
If you get some stations but not others, look up the missing one on your city page. Its signal rating, distance, direction and band usually explain it.
- Check its signal rating. A station rated Weak where you live may need a bigger antenna or one mounted higher. A Strong station that's missing points to one of the causes below.
- Check whether it's VHF. "While the majority of TV stations transmit on the UHF frequency, there are some that use VHF," Antennas Direct says, and for those "it is necessary to use an antenna optimized to receive both UHF and VHF frequencies." Antennas Direct also notes that "a lot of antennas being used today only receive UHF signals" (Antennas Direct). Our VHF antenna guide lists the VHF stations in each market.
- Check its direction. If the missing station's tower is in a different direction from the others, a directional antenna aimed at the main group can miss it. See how to aim a TV antenna.
- Look for obstacles. Antennas Direct says reception suffers "if hills, trees, buildings, or other geographic features are in between the broadcast towers and the antenna." Moving the antenna higher or to another side of the house can help.
- If you're very close to a tower, try less signal. Antennas Direct says "your signal may be too strong and may require the use of an attenuator," and that "a larger/stronger antenna will not necessarily solve this problem." A Tablo staff member gave similar advice: if you're very close to the towers you may not need the amplifier, and "you can bypass the amp by not connecting the included power injector" (Tablo Community).
- Rescan after every change. Antennas Direct says to "rescan for channels on your TV every time you move your antenna" (Antennas Direct FAQs).
The picture breaks up or freezes
Digital TV is all or nothing. Antennas Direct describes the "all-or-nothing" behavior of digital signals, often called the cliff effect (Antennas Direct). A channel that breaks up is getting too little clean signal.
- Check the station's distance. "The farther signal must travel, the weaker it becomes," says Antennas Direct. If the station is rated Moderate or Weak on your city page, a better antenna position or a larger antenna is the likely fix.
- Move away from reflections and metal. Reflected signals that "bounce off buildings or other surfaces" (multipath) can trigger the cliff effect. Antennas Direct suggests "making sure it is not placed near metal objects or other antennas."
- Shorten the cable and cut splitters. "When cable lengths reach over 100 feet, as much as 1/3 of the signal can be lost," and "if you are using a splitter, this could also weaken signal strength," Antennas Direct says. Our guide to one antenna for several TVs covers splitters and amplifiers.
- Consider cellular interference. A guest post from Tablo says LTE cell signals "can interfere with TV reception causing breakups in picture and sound and sometimes even total signal loss." Filters can help, but they "can also reduce signal power" (Cord Cutters News).
- Only then try an amplifier. An amplifier is not always the answer. Our signal boosting guide explains when one helps.
Channels come and go
When a channel works some of the time, look at what changes: wind, trees, the weather and the time of day.
- Wind. The University of Wisconsin's Weather Guys explain that an outdoor antenna "can be moved by the wind which also causes a problem for reception," and that "strong winds cause the trees to sway" (The Weather Guys). Antennas Direct says reception "can be affected by severe weather conditions such as storms and high winds," and suggests securing the antenna "to try and minimize antenna movement" (Antennas Direct).
- Trees. Antennas Direct blames "moving debris and trees" for drop outs in bad weather, and its FAQ says not to aim the antenna at physical obstacles such as a roof, building or trees. If trees sit between you and the tower, try a higher or different mounting spot.
- Rain, snow and ice. Solid Signal says there is "very little affect from just plain rain," but that "snow and ice that forms on an antenna can make it less effective" (Solid Signal).
- Time of day and temperature inversions. Ducting happens when "variations in the atmosphere, particularly temperature and humidity," cause "radio waves to bend back toward Earth" (The Weather Guys). A TV engineer at WIFR said inversions often form "early in the morning or just after sunset," letting a distant station on the same frequency into the area (WIFR). News 5 Cleveland's engineer put the peak "just before sunrise, between 5 and 7 a.m.," usually clearing before noon (News 5 Cleveland).
- Don't rescan during an inversion. WOWT's chief engineer, Ed Bok, advised: "don't try to rescan your channels but just wait a day or so," because the temperature change "can redirect the signal, causing you to lose local channels or even pick up channels from far away" (WOWT).
A channel that used to work disappeared
If one channel vanished and the others are fine, the station or network probably changed something. Stations change frequencies, and networks sometimes move to a different station.
- Check your city page's recent changes. Each city page lists network moves in that market over the last two years, with the new channel number and a source.
- Rescan. Antennas Direct lists "the station is broadcasting on a different frequency" as a cause of lost channels, and says that when stations move you "will need to rescan the channels on your television or converter box." Mohu says "every time you make any changes or updates to your TV antenna" you need to rescan as well (Mohu). Our guide on when and how to rescan has the steps.
- Look for the network on a new number. When Syracuse's CBS affiliation moved "from WTVH 5.1 to WKOF 15.1," the advice to antenna viewers was: "Try tuning 15.1, and rescan if you can't find it" (CNY Radio).
- Large moves happen too. In the FCC's repack, which hit its July 13, 2020 deadline, "some 987 full-power and Class A TV stations" were reassigned to new channels (Cord Cutters News).
A NextGen TV channel won't play
NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) channels need different equipment, and many are encrypted.
- Check that you have a NextGen tuner. Watch NEXTGEN TV says "you need the NEXTGEN TV electronics built into a new TV set and an antenna to receive NEXTGEN TV" (Watch NEXTGEN TV). A regular digital TV can't play it.
- Check for encryption. The Desk reports that major network affiliates, those carrying ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and the CW, are encrypting or preparing to encrypt their NextGen signals, and that "encrypted channels rely on a broadband Internet connection to obtain certificates needed to unlock the channels" (The Desk). Connect your NextGen TV or box to the internet at least once.
- Know your device's limits. The same report says a NextGen-compatible HDHomeRun "has never allowed users to view encrypted channels." The ATSC 3.0 Security Authority says the ZapperBox needs an initial internet connection to get a license, after which "the license persists and continues to function without an Internet connection" (TV Technology).
- Watch the regular version. Stations broadcasting NextGen must, for now, keep airing their main channel in today's format, so the regular channel should still play on any TV. Our NextGen TV guide explains the rules.