WMC won't detect VHF channels even after uninstalling EPG123

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nottub

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WMC won't detect VHF channels even after uninstalling EPG123

#1

Post by nottub » Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:53 am

Hi,

Prior to installing EPG123 my Windows Media Center was detecting VHF channels OK any time I searched for channels. Now Microsoft has pulled the plug on its guide updates so I tried EPG123. After installing EPG123 I found WMC wasn't detecting VHF channels and I read that is a known issue. I manually added the channels to WMC. Then I wanted to try a different way to get program guide info so I uninstalled EPG123 and restarted my computer (Win 7 Pro) and found that WMC still won't detect the VHF channel. So.. how do I change WMC back to how it was before installing EPG123 so that it will detect VHF channels again?

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garyan2

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#2

Post by garyan2 » Fri Jan 03, 2020 7:07 am

Turn back time to when MS was providing the guide. For WMC in Windows 7, it never scanned the VHF band. It just made you think it did. MS/Rovi would provide you with all the virtual and physical channel numbers for your lineup so you didn't have to scan anything. Regardless of what your guide source is, it will not scan VHF.

You can still perform a TV Setup and accept the Program Guide Terms of Service and you will (probably) download tuner setup information from MS/Rovi for your circa 2019 channels. It will not have scanned those channels in, but they will be placed there so you don't have to scan them or manually enter them.
- Gary
Keeping WMC alive beyond January 2020. https://garyan2.github.io

captain_video

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#3

Post by captain_video » Fri Jan 03, 2020 1:04 pm

I have to go in and manually add the missing VHF channels after performing the TV signal setup each time. Just check TVFool.com or antennaweb.org to find out what the real vs. virtual channel frequencies are so you can plug them in when adding the channels to the listing. Chances are the real and virtual channels will be the same for the missing VHF channels, but there are a couple in my area that are switching from one VHF frequency to another VHF frequency but maintaining the original channel designation when they perform the repack. The missing guide data will fill in for those channels if you have them in your Schedules Direct lineup in EPG123 the next time you run it.

One thing I am unclear about is adding additional sub-channels (i.e., 9.2, 9.3, etc.). I assume the real frequency is unchanged and just the virtual channel designation changes as well as the call sign (i.e. WUSADT2, WUSADT3, etc.). I just added one of the local sub-channels and the new channel shows up ion the guide with No data available in the guide listing, but I expected that. I reran EPG123 manually, making sure that the new sub-channels were included in the local OTA channel lineup, but I still get the No data available in the guide. I have noticed that running EPG123 manually does not always update the guide listing as I would expect, but if I let it sit overnight and run automatically at the scheduled time it updates just fine. I can usually get it to update manually, but sometimes I have to fiddle with the Client and dance a jig or wave a black cat over my head in a cemetery under a full moon to get it to update.

nottub

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#4

Post by nottub » Sat Jan 04, 2020 1:16 am

Oh... OK. Thank you for the quick explanation.

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