Today, we will explain various FTA decoder channel scanning modes and methods. In this article, I shall be giving brief but concise tutorials on how to search for channels on various standalone FTA decoders such as strong, t-link, Qsat, Gsky, Superesat, Alphabox, tigersat, nusky. And so on. In other words, this guide may not be helpful for those trying to scan for channels on custom/company-branded decoders like DStv, Mytv, StarTimes, etc. However, if you own a PayTV decoder, contact the customer service company for support.
Relevant Articles:
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Predetermine the right dish to use for a particular satellite
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How to Manually Track a Satellite Dish Network & Frequencies
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Introduction To The Most Popular Free-To-Air Satellite TV Channels and Frequencies
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Difference between FTA decoder & satellite company branded decoders
Various Satellite Decoders Channels Scanning Modes and Methods
Before I proceed, let me say that I strongly advise that you scan your decoder periodically. All the various modes have their advantages and disadvantages. Manual scan, for example, will only give you channels from a specific frequency/TP. Similarly, Autoscan gives you all genuinely valid channels of all the TPs/frequencies on a particular satellite. And Blindscan will provide you with everything, including duplicate channels from a given satellite. We can deduce from the above that if you are interested in getting a particular channel and do not know its frequency(in order for you to use the manual scan), you must use the “blindscan.”
Note: all the various scanning modes can be found under every FTA satellite decoder’s “installation” menu.
Various Methods For Scanning/Searching Channels on FTA Standalone Decoders
In this section, I shall provide, in a comprehensive manner, how you can search for or scan satellite tv channels on any standalone free-to-air satellite receiver. This method will work regardless of the brand of the decoder.
1. Method One: PID Scan/Search
It is appropriate to say that this mode is uncommon with most standalone decoders. PID stands for “package identifier” (or PID). This tech tells the receiver what to do with the packet. As one would expect, PID is more complicated than a manual scan, and the rest, here you input the satellite, the frequency, the symbol rate, the polarization, the Video-PID, Audio-PID, and Pcr-PID.
- Video-PID = PID for Video stream
- Audio-PID= PID for Audio Stream
- PCR-PID= PID for PCR Stream(Program clock reference) is used to synchronize the video and audio packets; however, this data is usually embedded into the video stream.
You will need to input all the values appropriately and then scan. Note this will only bring the channel on that TP with the PID data.
2. Second Method: The Manual Scan/Search
The interpretation of this is that you must search manually on your own. In satellite terms, this means you need to input the frequency, symbol rate, and polarization of the channel you want to scan. Unlike a PID scan, you don’t need the PCR, Audio, and video data. A manual scan allows you to search a particular frequency alone without affecting others, and it’s faster.
Noteworthy, if you have ten frequencies with a signal on a particular satellite, you can not search for all simultaneously (using the manual search). On the contrary, you can only search them one after the other.
3. Method 3: The BLINDSCAN scanning mode
Another name for this mode is the “multiple-sat” scan. It is about the most productive scanning technique you can use on any decoder. You can call blindscan the combination of both manual and auto. This is the easiest because you don’t need to input the frequency like that of PID and manual scan. A blind scan does a complete job for you. It searches both the frequencies and channels altogether.
4. Method 4: The Satellite Channels “AUTOSCAN” Mode
Auto-scan means that you can search for different frequencies at a time. Now, here is the difference when compared with the manual scan. Using the manual scan you can only search one TP each but with the auto scan, you combine all frequencies as one and search simultaneously.
When you do an auto-scan, you are relieving yourself of the job of navigating to one frequency at a time to search; you click on auto-scan, and it performs the task of searching and sourcing for channels on all the frequencies on the satellite, provided that the frequency is already saved on the satellite. When you are done using any of the scanning modes above, please don’t forget to save your scan.
Gd sir, i accidentally forwarded my decoder(tigerskypro+) and now it won’t give any channel how should i fix it pls??
@Daniella: forwarded or formatted? you need to set it up from the scatch
Gd sir, please sir I was watching mbc2 on my nigcomsat FTA all of a sudden its starting shoeing no signal I checked mbc max the same thing I checked most of the channels only few where showing so I went to installation I deleted all the channels then I blind scanned but to my greatest surprise is only 27 channels that keep appearing and they are mostly church channels please sir what could be the problem?
@Muhammed: you shouldn’t have rushed to delete the channels. Anyway, from your explanation, it may seem as though the TP accommodating those MBC channels is down from Nigcomsat’s side.
Pls I need help
I need more free to air channels on my strong decoder. Plz what do I do to get those without losing the one already there,
Thank u
@PRINCESS: ADD ANOTHER DISH/lnb
What is ur Facebook username?
My calisonic hd i delete everything and n it
But now is bringing 0000 Channel .how can I set it up
@Ahmed: read this post How to Manually Track a Satellite Dish Network & Frequencies
What about super blind scan what does that do ???
I saw it as option under blind scan too ??
@Victor: it is supposed to scan the channels deeply
Pls sir I have a montage decoder that I tried scanning with many frequencies but it never shows anything but zero zero
Why dose show olny church channels? 8 can’t get any other fun channel
Pls I deleted all my ctl decorder channels and I need help in recovering it
@Thema: I think CTL is currently having problems
Aways satisfying and ready to help @ Lemmy Morgan thanks so much for your support….I fined it hard to get the complete 40-50 something channels on both my ctl decoder I have tried both manual and automation scan but still have just 27 Channing or there about….pls any advice?
@ken udi: you can only get the channels that are available from your satellite service provider. You can’t force the increase same way you can force them to reduce it. Call them for clarification
Gd Sir, pls I have a decide ( Golden Interstar GI-S805 CI XPEED) decoder but I’ve been trying to use it for FTA I couldn’t get anything, pls I nd help on how to use it for FTA
@Isiaka Abdulkadiri: this is what you need for pure FTA satellite viewing: https://www.lemmymorgan.com/basic-fta-satellite-channels/
Hello sir, I tried to run a blind scan on my digicom decoder but to my amazement, unlike strong decoder, it didn’t stop scanning by itself, it continued even above 600%. At exactly what number does it normally stop?
@Peter Okenyi: Please use the AutoScan mode and see what happens
Happy new year to you Lemmy Morgan, pls i have been following your posts for some months now, can i be privileged to have the frequencies and positions for Starmovies + and nolly Africa TV. Thanks
@EBITE: You can become a pro in the game by reading my article here https://www.lemmymorgan.com/predetermine-the-size-of-dish-to-be-used-for-any-satellite-other-terms/
Hello sir I wish to know the biss code for nablink decoder
Lemmy I have read about the types of scanning but it doesn’t give me the frequencies or the configurations to set and scan for them, moreover one of my dishes got broken right under the receiver and i used a wire to hold it together….can the problem also come from there…… Pls help me
@kingsolo: yes of course. Your problem can be from that
Help me with gsky decoder secret codes for opening an scrambled channels.
pls Lemmy am using power 999 and d powervu is not opening ESPN I need d update pls thanks God blessed u
hello mr morgan I have not being getting max tv on joytv, has it been removed
@dj explosive: am not aware of it but you can find out about this on http://www.lyngsat.com