# Can I use my TiVo with ClearQAM (i.e. no CableCARD) ?



## sofakng (Dec 19, 2003)

I'm not getting my cablecard's until Friday, but my TiVo Premiere XL4 will be delivered today.

On my coax line, I do receive a handful of clear qam channels...

Will I be able to fool around with my TiVo before installing the cablecard?


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## SeanC (Dec 30, 2003)

Yes, you will just have to rerun guided setup after installing the cablecards.


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## lillevig (Dec 7, 2010)

Those channels may not show up in any Tivo channel data but you may be able to manually punch in the channel numbers and see them. Just run Guided Setup without the CableCard and see what shows up. As was previously posted, you will want to run Guided Setup again after installing the CableCard. I have analog channels available on mu cable and was able to get them without a CableCard on my Premiere but I think the P4 only has digital tuners.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

lillevig said:


> As was previously posted, you will want to run Guided Setup again after installing the CableCard.


IIRC, there's an option in Guided Setup that says "I will get a CableCARD later" you can select. This way it downloads the proper channel lineup and you don't need to re-run GS after the CableCARD is installed and paired.


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## sofakng (Dec 19, 2003)

Yeah, I've just received my XL4 and you're right... you can select to setup cable card later.

However, it won't let me tune my clear qam stations. The only listing available is the actual cable package, and the clear qam channels don't line-up exactly so I can't figure out a way to tune them.

Oh well... I guess I'll just have to wait until Friday and I get my cable card.


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## lillevig (Dec 7, 2010)

sofakng said:


> Yeah, I've just received my XL4 and you're right... you can select to setup cable card later.
> 
> However, it won't let me tune my clear qam stations. The only listing available is the actual cable package, and the clear qam channels don't line-up exactly so I can't figure out a way to tune them.
> 
> Oh well... I guess I'll just have to wait until Friday and I get my cable card.


As I recall, when I set up my Premeire pre-CableCard and got the non-CableCard channel listings, my ClearQam channels were listed but not tunable on the number I would normally use. There were, as I remember, other versions of them that I could select from the channel list but they did not have Guide Data available. As an example, one of my ClearQAM channels tunes as 103. In the listing there was maybe a 103 and a 103.0. Check your channel listing to see if there are double listings like that. I hate having a new toy and not being able to play with it.


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## lillevig (Dec 7, 2010)

windracer said:


> IIRC, there's an option in Guided Setup that says "I will get a CableCARD later" you can select. This way it downloads the proper channel lineup and you don't need to re-run GS after the CableCARD is installed and paired.


True, but I think the OP wants something he can fiddle with prior to getting the CableCard. In that case, it's best to say that you don't have a CableCard so you can get a channel listing that includes ones that don't require the card.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

You should be able to direct dial them on the remote. The dash is the ->| (advance/skip-to-tick) button, so you could punch in 13-1, for example. Or, under Settings > Channels you can try a channel scan, which should add the clear QAM channels (but might also add a lot of junk channels as well).


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## WVZR1 (Jul 31, 2008)

sofakng said:


> Yeah, I've just received my XL4 and you're right... you can select to setup cable card later.
> 
> However, it won't let me tune my clear qam stations. The only listing available is the actual cable package, and the clear qam channels don't line-up exactly so I can't figure out a way to tune them.
> 
> Oh well... I guess I'll just have to wait until Friday and I get my cable card.


Enter your zip code and pick your provider:

http://www.silicondust.com/support/channels/


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## Grey Griffin (May 24, 2007)

You may need to run a channel scan to see the clear qam channels.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

Grey Griffin said:


> You may need to run a channel scan to see the clear qam channels.


As far as i know you must run the TiVo channel scan to see the clear QAM stuff, if the cable card is installed channel scan will not work.


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