# TiVo Bolt OTA Tuners Fried?



## Me3 (Jan 21, 2018)

Good morning! I have a TiVo Bolt OTA unit connected to an external, roof-mounted antenna. The other morning when I went to watch live TV I found that none of my channels appeared to have any signal. I've tested the antenna by connecting it directly to my TV and I am getting a solid picture so I'm assuming that the antenna is working properly. 

When I run diagnostics they report a 32% signal strength on all channels with a SNR of 13 dB. The RS Uncorrected field continues to count up while the RS Corrected field remains at 0 (zero).

I've reconnected all of the electrical connections on the back of the unit. None of them appeared to have any issues. I've warm-booted (Restart Box) the unit three times during my troubleshooting. I've also cold-booted the unit by removing DC power from the unit for approximately one minute before reconnecting it. Neither of these has solved my problem.

The unit continues to function normally in seemingly all other respects. I'm able to access all of the menus. I'm able to play recorded content. I'm able to access and use Apps.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to further troubleshoot the problem? Or have I somehow fried my tuners? If the tuners have failed does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix that? Or is my unit ready for the recycle bin?

Thanks for reading!


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## LarryAtHome (Feb 18, 2008)

Did your channels change their frequency,,,, affected by the re-pack?
The virtual channel numbers stay the same but the actual channel frequencies change.
If not, do you have any cell phone towers close by? These can affect channels close to actual channel 10.


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## kpeters59 (Jun 19, 2007)

I've seen Bolt Tuners need to have the Power unplugged before they would tune properly again...

-KP


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

Me3 said:


> I've tested the antenna by connecting it directly to my TV and I am getting a solid picture so I'm assuming that the antenna is working properly.
> 
> When I run diagnostics they report a 32% signal strength on all channels with a SNR of 13 dB.


Did you use the exact same cable when testing on the TV directly? In other words, did you simply disconnect the cable from the Bolt and move it to the TV, without changing any other connections? That is the only true test of the antenna and cable plant. And even then, just moving a cable around can cause signal strength to change if any of the connections are loose or otherwise damaged.

Let's assume you did that test correctly, and have already checked for loose connections on all cable ends (including any splitters). Then the problem would certainly appear to be in the Bolt. 32% is way too low for any channel reception (40% is about the minimum for reliable picture), so the only real possibility besides a bad Bolt is the actual cable connection at the back of the Bolt. First, remove the cable and make sure that center copper wire is not broken off. If that looks good, and the cable end it solidly fixed to the cable, then reconnect it to the Bolt and gently and slowly wiggle it around while watching the diagnostics screen for signal strength. This will check if the connection between the coax connector and the internal circuit board is damaged - that is really the only thing you could expect to fix if the Bolt itself is bad.


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## Me3 (Jan 21, 2018)

Thank you, all! I appreciate your help with this. I had TiVo re-scan my channels but no channels were found. I have no cell towers nearby. I did unplug and then re-plug power to the unit but observed no change in behavior. Finally, I removed the antenna connection from my TV (working) and ran it directly to my TiVo. Even after wiggling the cable around at the connector I am still unable to receive ANY channel. 

If you have any other suggestions or ideas I would love to read them.


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## Hanginon (Jun 20, 2011)

We'll, you're not alone. Our Bolt OTA was working fine yesterday. Today, it has the exact same problem as yours. I'll call Tivo tomorrow (Monday) - ours is still under warrenty.

This is certainly disappointing - our Tivo HD ran solid for years!


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## kpeters59 (Jun 19, 2007)

Make a Backup of your OnePasses and Channels List with KMTTG and Call TiVo tomorrow and plead your case. You're likely to receive a replacement for $49...

-KP


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## Me3 (Jan 21, 2018)

I contacted TiVo Support via their antiquated, online, web form. The representative asked me when the problem happened (it was overnight about four or five days ago). He asked me to do a REPEAT GUIDED SETUP which I did. My BOLT captured all of my available channels BUT none of them show any picture or signs of any signal. 

I sent the results of my test back to TiVo Support via their antiquated, online, web form (can you tell that I don't love their support app?). I'll post after I hear back from them.


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## Me3 (Jan 21, 2018)

TiVo Service replied something to the effect of my unit hadn't called home recently enough when they ran remote diagnostics. 

TiVo Service made me go through a lengthy, multi-step process to prove that my BOLT was connected to the internet. It included instructions to relocate the unit to another area of the house and run the tests again!

My BOLT was and is connected to the internet. I've run all of the tests. Since I can stream Netflix content through the box utilizing an Ethernet connection I'm pretty confident that my BOLT is connected to the internet. I guess I must be missing something.

I've submitted another ticket with the results of these tests. 

That's strike two.


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## tommiet (Oct 28, 2005)

What a PITA! Looks like you have done all you can do. Might be that TiVo is trying to slow down the returns as they seem to be low on refurbished Bolts. Another thread has comments about TiVo sending the customer an Edge as they had no Bolts to exchange. Covid-19 may be playing in this too... Low hardware stock.

With BB and Amazon seeming to be dumping Bolts... I think the end is near for it and they are not making anymore.

I would call support to get this resolved. Online ticket just slowing the process down.

Good luck.


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