Spectrum Central Fl "No Guide Information Available" on ext digitial channels

[Jimmersd]

Spectrum has historically supplied 2 sets of channels. Around 200 are accessible by default with a CC and 491 extended channels are accessible after initializing the TAs.

Over the past several days my tuners began to struggle to tune to extended digital channels, most would fail with no video . This happens periodically and I am usually able to cure this by rebooting my tuners and TAs. Sometimes I have to run channel detection to resolve the issue.

This evening all of the extended digital channels I tried to view would return "No Video Data" So I performed a reboot as normal. (reboot tuner/TA with USB disconnected and reconnect once TA lite stops flashing)

Afterwards all of the extended digital channels showed up in the guide but "No Guide Information Available" and wouldn't tune to that channel. I attempted several reboots. Then I went to the Spectrum site and reset the TAs remotely. No Joy

I tried this 3 times.

My log for the api sync shows :

Code: Select all

20250910-06:01:08 Recorded: recorded sync to record-api.hdhomerun.com
20250910-06:01:08 Recording: event download from record-api.hdhomerun.com
20250910-06:01:08 Recording: 13129237 lineup request success (found 190 channels)
20250910-06:01:08 Recording: 131F6468 lineup request success (found 174 channels)

So I ran channel Detection and I have now lost 282 channels from my digital lineup. Currently there are a total of 209 channels available and the log now says:

Code: Select all

20250910-10:33:32 Recording: event download from record-api.hdhomerun.com
20250910-10:33:32 Recording: 13129237 lineup request success (found 91 channels)
20250910-10:33:32 Recording: 131F6468 lineup request success (found 86 channels)

I called Spectrum support and they said they have not removed any channels or changed my plan. They sent hits to my CCs and TAs and I am now rerunning detection. But it doesn't seem to be doing any better. It takes a long time.

Spectrum says their only other option is to send out a tech, which I think is BS. But it is what it is.

[Jimmersd]

Update: Subsequent to Spectrum sending hits to my equipment, I have rebooted my tuners and TAs again.

I am currently rerunning Channel Detection and see that the tuners are now seeing more channels. It'll take an hour or so to complete, but it appears to have been resolved.

This whole process of regularly troubleshooting missing channels and such, is a real PIA.

[gtb]

Spectrum says their only other option is to send out a tech, which I think is BS. But it is what it is.

Depends on the root cause, and there is little to no ability to check on the causes remotely (so they sometimes need boots in the home). TA's use a reverse band that is *extremely* noisy/lossy, and even relative minor residential cabling and/or plant issues can easily cause problems, and since their more modern devices use other tuning mechanisms, the issues could even be just you. Charter (like all operators) have such a small number of OCUR/UDCP (i.e. one-way CableCARD device) customers that whatever institutional memory that has existed is going away ("what's a CableCARD"? is no longer an unexpected response), and things can take longer and longer to get resolved.

At some point Charter will upgrade you to a plant that uses HSC's, which are more robust. Their schedule continues to shift forward, but maybe, this time, it will eventually happen before EOY 2027 (your location could be at the beginning or end of that period, but Charter does not share schedules, so it is not possible to know).

[gtb]

This whole process of regularly troubleshooting missing channels and such, is a real PIA.

Actually, all the operators agree with you, and they are all in various stages of eliminating Linear QAM (and that includes CableCARD support) and replacing their TV service with IPTV distribution. Depending on operator and location it has already happened, or it may not happen until, maybe, the end of the decade.

[Jimmersd]

Depends on the root cause, and there is little to no ability to check on the causes remotely (so they sometimes need boots in the home). TA's use a reverse band that is *extremely* noisy/lossy, and even relative minor residential cabling and/or plant issues can easily cause problems...

Yeah, all of the techs who have previously "troubleshot" my service have complained about the reverse. No surprise there.

At some point Charter will upgrade you to a plant that uses HSC's, which are more robust. Their schedule continues to shift forward, but maybe, this time, it will eventually happen before EOY 2027 (your location could be at the beginning or end of that period, but Charter does not share schedules, so it is not possible to know).

Is this something that will allow me to keep my Primes in service or will that be the endo of the line for me? Or will there be another solution?

[gtb]

At some point Charter will upgrade you to a plant that uses HSC's, which are more robust. Their schedule continues to shift forward, but maybe, this time, it will eventually happen before EOY 2027 (your location could be at the beginning or end of that period, but Charter does not share schedules, so it is not possible to know).

Is this something that will allow me to keep my Primes in service or will that be the endo of the line for me? Or will there be another solution?

It *should* allow you to keep using your HDHR3-CC's as long as Charter continues to support linear QAM in your location. However, Charter has deferred their start on phase 2 and 3 areas (for both good, and bad, reasons), and only phase 1 areas are being finished, and Charter has not shared details of the future schedules, or how they will actually proceed in service availability (there have been a very few very specific locations where they have replaced HFC with FTTH, and that is an IP only service).

[Jimmersd]

It *should* allow you to keep using your HDHR3-CC's as long as Charter continues to support linear QAM in your location. However, Charter has deferred their start on phase 2 and 3 areas (for both good, and bad, reasons), and only phase 1 areas are being finished, and Charter has not shared details of the future schedules, or how they will actually proceed in service availability (there have been a very few very specific locations where they have replaced HFC with FTTH, and that is an IP only service).

TBH the only reason I keep the live TV aspect of cable is to have access to current news and weather programming rather than having to rely on the curated stuff available on the free streaming services. I also like being able to time delay and save current seasons and new programs.

But Spectrum has gotten so outrageously expensive that if they raise my rate another nickel I'm going to say the hell with it, and go to broadband only with OTA for local. I was trying to wait to see how the ATSC3/DRM wars shake out though.