No reception on any channels
This problem occurs when the cable signal is not reaching your TV. There could be several reasons for this problem. The cable may be improperly connected in an outlet (equipment or wall), one of your devices may be blocking the signal (if your TV is not tuned to Channel 3, for example). An outdoor wire may be damaged. The problem may be network-related (a power outage that de-energizes an amplifier, thereby causing a sector outage).

Symptoms

• There is static (snow) on all channels. Some TVs will display a blue screen with the message "no signal."
• There is no discernable image.
• The sound is sputtering. Some TVs cut the sound when there is no signal.

Possible solutions

• If you have other TVs hooked up to cable, check whether they experience the same problem.
• If you have a VCR, disconnect the cable from the ANT IN terminal on the rear panel, and connect it directly to the TV. Tune to Channel 3. Is there a picture?
• Unscrew and reconnect the cable wire on the back of the TV, as well as the end of this cable wire connected to the wall outlet (if there is one).
• If none of these solutions works, contact Technical support.

Poor reception (snow, lines)
Reception becomes poor when the signal has been modified from its original form. This may be caused by extraneous noise (electrical or other), interference, or an overly strong or weak signal. Poor reception may be generalized, but most often is limited to a few channels, which may or not be successive.

Symptoms

• There are small dots scattered all over the picture, but the sound is normal.
• There are diagonal lines across the screen.
• The picture is covered by a multitude of fine diagonal lines.
• The picture is covered by a multitude of very fine wavy lines.
• A large dark horizontal bar sweeps vertically across the screen.
  

Possible solutions

• If you have other TV sets hooked up to cable, check whether they experience the same problem.
• Make sure that your equipment is connected properly. Unscrew and reconnect all wires. During these procedures, check whether your picture changes (improves or gets worse)
• If you have cable splitters supplied by Vidéotron and they are easily accessible, check their connections.
• If electrical appliances that contain a motor (such as a vacuum cleaner) are running, turn them off. They may be causing interference through the electrical system in your home.
• If you have a VCR, disconnect the cable from the ANT IN on the rear panel, and connect it directly to the TV. Is the problem still there? If not, retry the initial connection.
• If none of these solutions works, contact Technical support.

Pick-up (two images on the same channel)
Pick-up is a specific case of poor reception. It occurs when the cable installation has not been properly shielded from the outside. The cable, acting as a large antenna, allows hertzian waves to penetrate the network and some of these waves, if emitted at the same frequency as certain cable channels, are interfering with your signal.

Symptoms

• There is a ghost image superimposed on a cable channel picture (the two images melt into each other).
• The problem occurs mainly on Channels 2, 6, 10 and 12.
• The image disappears intermittently (accompanied by noise) on Channel 17.
  

Possible solutions

• If you have other TV sets hooked up to cable, check whether they experience the same problem.
• Check whether ALL your coaxial cables are properly connected (in all the outlets).
• Make sure that none of the cable wires is stripped and that all connectors are properly attached.
• Are you using any cable splitters that do not belong to Vidéotron? These splitters often act as large antennas and allow outside signals to interfere with your reception. If so, remove them.
• If your coaxial cables are equipped with push-on connectors (often supplied with a new VCR), change them for coaxial cables with screw-on connectors.
  ec un magnétoscope neuf), changez-les pour des câbles coaxiaux qui se vissent.
• If none of these solutions works, contact Technical support.

Some channels are missing (filtering problem)
Were you able to receive all your channels and suddenly several of them became unavailable? This is most likely a filtering problem.

Symptoms

• You are subscribed to Télémax and all the channels above 27 (or in some cases, above 24) are unavailable due to snow.
• If the channels from 13 (or 15) and up are affected, this is a CATV problem.

Possible solutions
Please contact Technical support.

Damaged cable wire or connector
Improper handling or an accident may damage the wiring in your home. This in turn can affect picture quality.

Symptoms

• The cable wire is damaged, stripped or cut.
• The connector is no longer screwed in properly or is improperly installed on the cable wire.
• See the symptoms for poor reception if the wiring is damaged.

Possible solutions
Please contact Technical support.

Radiation
Radiation is very similar to pickup. The cable wire may be poorly insulated at some point inside your home. In such cases, not only can hertzian waves penetrate the network and cause problems for you and your neighbours, but also the cable signal may leak into the atmosphere and cause major interference with air traffic and police and ambulance communications.

We are governed by the CRTC, whose very strict rules oblige us to seal off these radiation leaks whenever they occur. We have specially trained crews who patrol the network and use special antennas to check whether there are any radiation leaks. If this crew finds a leak coming from your home, it will seal it off free of charge without inconvenience to you. Statistics show that cases of radiation are caused by factors that are beyond our subscribers' control, even if they originate inside the home.

Symptoms

• Poor cable reception (snow).
• The radiation patrol has left a letter in your mailbox.
  

Possible solutions

• Please contact Technical support to solve the problem free of charge.