How to Recover Lost GOtv Channels

You can recover lost GOtv channels yourself in most cases, often in under 15 minutes. Maybe all of them vanished, maybe just a few favourites, or maybe a rescan found fewer channels than before. It is one of the most common GOtv problems.

The fix depends on how the channels went missing. This guide helps you find your situation first, then gives the exact fix for it.

On This Page

• Find your problem
• How to rescan GOtv channels
• Why you only get some channels after a scan
• Channels missing after payment
• A channel is missing but everything else works
• The scan finds nothing or never finishes
• How to stop losing channels
• Common questions

To Recover Lost GOtv Channels, First Find Your Problem

Lost GOtv channels have three main causes. Channels that vanish on their own usually need a rescan. Channels that disappear after you pay usually need a reset sent to the decoder. A single favourite channel that goes missing has often moved package or changed number.

Match what you see to the right fix:

• All or most channels gone, no error code: rescan. See the next section.
• Fewer channels than before after a scan: a weak signal on part of the network. See “Why you only get some channels”.
• Channels gone with an E16 or E30 code, especially after paying: send a reset. See “Channels missing after payment”.
• One or two channels missing, the rest fine: check your package. See “A channel is missing”.
• No channels at all and the scan finds nothing: a signal or antenna problem. See “The scan finds nothing”.

How to Rescan GOtv Channels

A rescan makes the decoder search again for every GOtv channel it can receive. Open the menu, go to the installation or tuning section, choose the automatic scan, and let it finish without touching the remote. It usually takes a few minutes.

On most GOtv decoders the path is:

1. Press Menu on the GOtv remote.
2. Go to Advanced Options, then Installation.
3. Choose Tuning, then Automatic Scan, and press OK.
4. Wait for the scan to finish. Do not change channels or switch off.
5. Press Exit when it is done, and check your channel list.

Menu names vary slightly between GOtv decoder models, but every model has an installation or scan option. If your menu asks for a PIN, use the PIN you set up, or the default PIN printed in your decoder’s guide.

Rescan after a power cut, after moving the antenna, and whenever channels seem to be missing. It is the quickest way to recover lost GOtv channels. It costs nothing and fixes more problems than any other step.

Why You Only Get Some Channels After a Scan

GOtv sends its channels on several different frequencies, and each frequency carries a group of channels. If your antenna picks up one frequency well but another poorly, the scan finds only the first group. You get some channels, and a whole block of others is missing.

This explains the most common complaint about GOtv: “My signal shows 70 percent, but I only got 31 channels.” The signal bar you see often reflects one frequency only. Another frequency, carrying the missing channels, can be too weak to lock on.

To get the missing group back:

• Raise the antenna. Height matters more than anything else for GOtv. Even one or two metres higher can bring in a weak frequency.
• Point it towards the nearest GOtv transmitter. Ask neighbours whose GOtv works which way their antenna faces.
• Move it away from metal roofs, water tanks and walls, which block and scatter the signal.
• Check the cable and connector, because a damaged cable weakens some frequencies more than others.
• Rescan after every change, since the decoder only finds channels during a scan.

Indoor antennas often cause this problem. If you are using one, try an outdoor antenna mounted high. Our guide on how to fix a GOtv antenna walks through placement and direction step by step.

Channels Missing After Payment

If your channels disappear or show E16 after you pay, your payment has gone through but the decoder has not received its activation yet. Leave the decoder switched on, tuned to a GOtv channel, and send a reset. Channels usually return within 15 minutes.

The activation is sent over the GOtv signal. If the decoder was off, or had no signal when you paid, it missed it. A reset sends it again.

How to send a GOtv reset

• GOtv website or app: sign in with your IUC number and use the option to clear an error or reset the decoder.
• Nigeria: dial *288# and choose the option to fix errors or reset.
• Uganda: GOtv’s official help page says to SMS “reset” with your IUC number to 4688.
• Other countries: use your country’s GOtv website, app or customer care line, since codes differ by country.

Your IUC number is the 10 digit number on the sticker under or behind the decoder. You need it for every reset.

If channels still do not return

Check that the payment was for the right IUC number. A payment made to a mistyped number will not reach your decoder. Our guide on resolving a wrong GOtv payment explains what to do. If the decoder shows a red or orange light, see our guide to GOtv decoder lights.

A Channel Is Missing but Everything Else Works

When one favourite channel goes missing while others work, it has usually moved to a different package, changed its channel number, or left GOtv. A rescan will not bring it back if it is no longer in your package.

GOtv changes its channel line ups from time to time. A channel that was in your package last year may now sit in a higher package. Some channels are also available only in certain countries or regions.

First, rescan and scroll through the full channel list, in case the channel has a new number. Then check the current channel list for your package on the GOtv website for your country. If the channel is now in a higher package, upgrading is the only way to get it back. Our GOtv packages and channels guide covers the packages.

The Scan Finds Nothing or Never Finishes

A scan that finds zero channels, or stays at the same percentage, means the decoder is not getting a usable signal. Check the antenna cable at both ends, make sure the antenna is outdoors and high, and confirm the antenna is plugged into the right socket on the decoder.

Work through these:

1. Switch the decoder off at the wall for 60 seconds, then on again, and rescan.
2. Check the antenna cable is pushed firmly into the decoder’s antenna input socket.
3. Look along the cable for cuts or crushed sections, and check the connector at the antenna.
4. Take the antenna outside and up as high as you safely can, then rescan.
5. If you live far from the transmitter, a stronger outdoor antenna may be needed.

Does the decoder ask for a transmitter frequency, or keep scanning without end? Then our guide to fixing GOtv stuck scanning covers it.

If nothing works and your neighbours’ GOtv is also down, the problem may be at the transmitter. Wait a few hours, then rescan.

How to Stop Losing GOtv Channels

• Keep the decoder on when you pay, so it receives the activation straight away.
• Pay before your subscription runs out. A long gap can leave the decoder needing a reset.
• Use a surge protector, because power surges can corrupt the decoder’s settings.
• Fix the antenna firmly, so wind cannot turn it away from the transmitter.
• Rescan every few months, to pick up channel changes.

Common Questions

How do I recover lost GOtv channels?

Run an automatic scan from the menu, under Installation and Tuning. If the channels disappeared after you paid, leave the decoder on and send a reset using your IUC number.

Why do I have fewer GOtv channels than before?

Your antenna is probably receiving one GOtv frequency well and another poorly. Raise the antenna, point it towards the transmitter, check the cable, and rescan.

Why did my GOtv channels disappear after a power cut?

The surge or sudden shutdown can upset the decoder’s channel list. Restart the decoder and run an automatic scan. If channels show E16, send a reset.

Why is only one GOtv channel missing?

It has usually moved to a different package, changed number, or been removed. Rescan, check the full list, then check your package’s current channels on the GOtv website.

How long does a GOtv reset take?

Usually a few minutes, and up to about 15 at busy times. Keep the decoder switched on and tuned to a GOtv channel while you wait.

Does rescanning delete my subscription?

No. A rescan only searches for channels again. Your subscription stays on your account.

The Short Version

To recover lost GOtv channels, rescan first, because it fixes most missing channels. If you get only some channels, raise and redirect the antenna, then rescan. Channels that vanished after payment need a reset: keep the decoder on and send one with your IUC number. If one favourite channel is gone, check whether it has moved package.

For resets, payments and the current channel list for your country, use the official GOtv Africa website.

Valentine

Frenzy valentine is a passionate blogger, developer, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and author of myfreshgists.com.