When and why have they stopped transmitting Smooth Radio on Freeview? I used to be able to get it on my Freeview television, but not anymore.
– Pat
Smooth Radio has been available on Freeview for several years. The radio station is still available on Freeview today, with the channel number 718 listed on both the Freeview and Smooth Radio websites.
The radio station is also available on Sky Digital channel 0128, Virgin channel 916 and Freesat channel 732.
You should still be able to receive Smooth Radio on Freeview and can try performing a re-tune on your Freeview television or recorder.
There are a few possible reasons why your television may no longer receive Smooth Radio.
A re-tune is required
Since February 2018 changes have been made across the country to Freeview TV signals. This has meant it’s necessary to retune a Freeview TV or set-top box.
If a retune is going to be necessary a message should have appeared on Freeview channels advising of this, but you can initiate a retune on your TV at any time. This option is often found in an on-screen menu under ‘Settings’ or ‘Installation’.
According to Freeview “some airwaves used by Freeview are being reallocated” for the future development of mobile broadband.
In February and March of 2019 a further six areas of the country may need to retune their TVs to continue receiving Freeview channels. Help and advice is available from the Freeview website and the Freeview Advice Line.
Weather conditions
Occasionally high air pressure can affect TV and radio signals. Other weather conditions which can affect Freeview reception are heavy rain or snow.
Nothing can be done to prevent this and services will return once the weather has changed. It’s best not to try and re-tune a Freeview television during this disruption. You may lose channels from your television or find the station from a different transmitter. Once the weather has changed you will need to re-scan again to restore normal reception.
Technical problems
There could engineering work on a local transmitter which means you are not receiving your normal Freeview signals, or the signal strength is reduced. Once the work is complete the channels will normally return.
It’s also possible that something has happened to your television aerial or Freeview television. If a reception problem has persisted for several days and Freeview aren’t aware of any disruptions it could be worth contacting an aerial engineer.
Look at the Get Me Viewing website from the CAI for more information and a directory of aerial installers.