Weak or no signal on Samsung TV: what should you do?

 If the Samsung TV has no signal or the signal is weak, this may be due to the following factors:

• Incorrect TV settings;
• malfunction of one of the microcircuits;
• defect of cable or connection points;
• satellite antenna malfunction;
• wrong installation place of satellite dish.

Let us see what can distort a satellite TV signal and make a simple set up of Samsung TV.

Why there is no signal on Samsung?

When you receive a notification about a weak signal or its absence, pay attention to the following factors:

• Is the display mode selected correctly. This is the first thing you should pay attention to. To set the display mode press the "Source" button on the remote control and select TV (if you are not using any other channel).
• Have you done the channel scan. If this is your first time connecting to satellite TV, you must perform an automatic channel scan. In order to do this press the "Menu" button on the remote control. Select the "Channel" section and the "Auto tuning" subsection, and then press the "Start" button. Set the channel search parameters, run the setting and wait for it to complete. The TV will automatically find all the channels that are currently available.
• Does the receiver work fine. Pay attention to the performance of the receiver: check whether it is connected to the mains and there is an indication of its work.
• Is it recieving a signal. Most models of receivers are equipped with a functional LED-display, which shows information about the presence of a video signal. If the device shows that there is no signal, first of all, check if the problem is on the provider side or not. If it is not the case, then most likely it has to do with a faulty antenna or cable. The antenna can be rotated or damaged during strong winds or thunderstorms. Cable breaking usually occurs due to the negligence of workers in certain services who have access to the roof of an apartment building.
• Are the wires connected correctly. Check the connection of the TV to the receiver. If you are using an HDMI cable, unplug it from the connector on the TV and plug it in again. Do the same in the receiver jack. If connection is made with the help of component cables check that all colors are connected correctly.
• Check whether there are no defects in the wires and connection plugs. If the signal is discontinuous (especially happens during gusts of wind), or the wires have obvious defects, they must be replaced with new ones.
• Are there any drops in the power supply network. In some cases, Samsung TVs and certain receiver models may automatically turn off due to power surges. For normal operation of electrical equipment, it is best to purchase a surge protector and a voltage regulator.
• Check whether there are no repair works on the on the provider's side. Sometimes the absence of a signal is associated with preventive or repair work on the side of the satellite provider. Use the hotline phone number to clarify all the details. You can find more information on the provider's official website or in the contract.

Firmware update

If everything (including the receiver and antenna) is working correctly, but there is still no signal, this may be due to incorrect operation of the TV itself. Samsung is constantly releasing updates to address potential issues. So, some firmware does not work correctly with certain channels in particular regions.

In order to restore TV smooth operation you need to update the firmware. This usually happens automatically when the TV is connected to the Internet. If, for some reason, auto-update does not work, follow the instructions below.

Updating firmware on Samsung TV via the internet

To update the firmware via the Internet, do the following:

1. Connect the TV to the Internet.
2. Open the settings menu by pressing the "Menu" button or by pressing the "More" button and then "Menu" (depending on the model) on the remote control.
3. Select the "Support" section, and then "Software Update".
4. Then depending on the model of the Samsung TV, the section "Via network" or "Update now" should be available. Select it.
5. The system will automatically check for new firmware and offer to update, just press Yes to confirm.
6. Wait until auto-update is complete.
7. The TV will reboot once the process is complete. Wait for TV to turn off.
8. Check if there is a signal. Scan the channels if necessary.

Updating firmware on Samsung TV via flash drive

To create a flash drive with firmware for a Samsung TV, you should do the following:

1. Format a flash drive with a size of at least 4 GB through a computer in the FAT32 system.
2. Download the latest firmware from the official website samsung.com/en/support. In the search bar on the site, enter the model number of the TV for which firmware is required. Download USB type firmware in In the "Downloads and Guides" section for your TV model. Please note that the number of the current TV firmware (you can check the firmware number in the device information in the main menu) must be lower than the one that you are going to install. If you have not found anything on the website, you can contact customer support using instant messaging system.
3. After downloading, the firmware file can be found in the download folder. By default, downloaded files appear in the My Computer folder and the Downloads subfolder, or on the Windows desktop.
4. Copy the firmware to a pre-prepared flash drive.
5. Unzip the firmware. In order to do this double click the file. Accept the extraction and confirm. Wait until the extraction is complete.
6. Remove the USB flash drive from the computer and insert it into the USB port on the TV. The USB input is usually located on the back panel.
7. Open the settings menu by pressing the "Menu" button (or the "More" button and then "Menu") on the remote control.
8. Select the "Support" section, and then "Software Update".
9. Next, the section "Update Now" should be available. Select it.
10. The system will automatically check for new firmware on the USB drive and will offer you to update, confirm the action by pressing Yes.
11. Wait until update is complete.
12. The TV will reboot once the process is complete. Wait for it to turn back on.
13. Check if the “No Signal” message has disappeared and the channels are working. If necessary, enable automatic channel scanning.

Please note! Do not restart the TV while updating is happening! It may harm you TV.

Samsung TV malfunctions

If the TV constantly shows the weak or no sign message this may indicate serious malfunctions. To make sure that this is the case, you can connect the receiver to another TV (if possible), and check whether it will work with it. If it happens to be that your TV is broken, then you will have to contact the service center. The following components of your TV may fail:

• Motherboard. Modern TVs operate on the basis of high-precision equipment and microcircuits and, as a result, can be sensitive to voltage surges in the mains. As a result of a voltage surges a microprocessor or other important element of the motherboard can fail.
• The HDMI port is another weak point, a malfunction of which can lead to a lack of video signal. To check whether HDMI has failed, you can connecting the receiver using a different type of connection. Repairing HDMI cable is a complex task, even for specialists at the service center. In some cases it is impossible to find a replacement, so you have to purchase and install a new chip. Therefore, if possible, use a different connection option for receiver.

Problems receiving a satellite signal

If the satellite dish  is installed in the wrong place, or turned in the wrong direction, this can also cause the message "No signal". To mitigate this problem do the following:

• Adjust the angle of the satellite dish. Pay attention what directions your neighbours antennas are directed to and place yours the same way. For more precise settings use the so-called "Angle Calculator" which can be found on the operator’s website. Enter information about your location (data can be obtained using the GPS of your smartphone) and the program will automatically calculate what direction you need to deploy the antenna in.
• Remove obstructions that interfere with signal reception. If the signal disappears in windy or rainy weather check for possible obstructions that would interfere with it. Tree branches may present an obstruction. Eliminate all possible obstructions or move the satellite dish to a more suitable place. Also note that the fact that the signal may be weaker in bad weather, which also affects the image clarity.