How to Fix Spectrum Not Tunable Error?

Getting the Spectrum not tunable error to no avail? We’ve got you covered!

You’ll be surprised by what number of reasons could cause an impact on your receiver TV box’s tuning ability.

Changes made to your Spectrum TV package or particular changes in channels could indefinitely disable your box’s ability to tune temporarily.

To fix when Spectrum is unable to tune, reboot the receiver TV box and run Spectrum’s Custom TV Troubleshooting Tool.

After that, check the available channels in your lineup, refresh the TV guide, and after that, perform a Factory Reset.

Now that we have a basic understanding of what might be wrong, let’s learn more!

Not Tunable Spectrum – Problem Explained!

A myriad of reasons could prevent your Spectrum cable box from turning for channels.

It’s important to understand what are the causes of the issue, so you could troubleshoot efficiently and not wonder about what you should do.

Let’s learn what could have impacted your Spectrum cable box’s tuning:

The Network Got Moved to a Different Channel Number
The Channel Changed its Name or Retired
Your Spectrum TV Package Was Changed/Adjusted
There’s a Software Problem with your Receiver
You’re in “Channel Tuning Cooldown”

The Channel Tuning Cooldown is a 72-hour period that takes place after making adjustments to your channel lineup.

If you’ve added channels to your Spectrum TV lineup, it’ll take all of the broadcasts up to 72 hours to be added to your TV guide.

Proceed with the troubleshooting to get the tuning error with Spectrum fixed!

How to Fix When Spectrum Cable Box Says Not Tunable?

In order to achieve success, stick with our solutions for the being of the guide. We’ve done our best to explain all solutions in proper detail so everyone could understand them.

In addition, do not skip any of the notes, tips, and alerts. They’re essential in troubleshooting.

Let’s jump in with the guide!

Solution #1 Reboot the Cable Box!

Your first step is to perform a simple Reboot on the cable box. This is considered an entry-level troubleshooting measure and who knows, it may get the box’s tune-ability back.

In most cases where users receive such type of tuning errors, they tend to reboot the cable box and the issue goes away for them.

Here’s how to properly reboot your Spectrum box:

Using the Spectrum TV Remote, shut down the box.
Standby for about 30 seconds, until the device fully turns off.
Unplug the Power Cable of the Spectrum TV box.
Wait for another 5 total minutes, to achieve discharge of the TV box.
Reconnect the device’s power.
Turn the box ON and test…

What we’ve done here could either be called a Hard Reset or a Power Cycle.

We’ve achieved a somewhat software refresh of the services, by cutting all power to the Spectrum TV box for a particular amount of time. The least you should wait is 5 minutes.

Alert: Not waiting for the full 5 minutes, will not discharge the Spectrum TV box!

Solution #2 View Available Channels in the Channels Lineup

When tuning on Spectrum, you’ll only receive channels that have been included in your Spectrum Channel Lineup.

Spectrum Channel Lineup – This is the number of channels included in your Spectrum TV package. With your subscription, you’ll only have access to those channels.

When setting up the tuning process, you’ll be choosing different preference settings, in regard to what channels you want your box to be looking for.

If your Spectrum plan only allows SD channels, but you’re looking for HD or the other way around, the tuning will fail.

Here is How To View Spectrum Channel Lineup:

Sign in to Spectrum.net using your provider’s account.
Navigate to the Channel Lineup Page.
Press “Print Lineup” and include a printer when asked.

On the paper that’ll come out of your printer, you’ll see all channels that are available and more importantly on what quality version. Configure the tuning process accordingly.

Note: To begin tuning again, go to Setup > Guide Setup > Entry Method > “Quality”.

Solution #3 Run the TV Troubleshooting Tool

Don’t forget that there is a Spectrum Custom TV Troubleshooting Tool that’ll allow for the detection of issues with your TV package.

It’s an easy way to get past problems with your channel lineup and receive a general idea of what’s wrong with your subscription.

To run the Spectrum TV Troubleshooting tool, follow the steps:

Head to Spectrum’s official website.
Navigate to “Troubleshooting”.
Follow the instructions to run the tool.

Spectrum will guide you through the entire process of running the troubleshooter.

However, make sure that you’re logged in with the Spectrum account, which has the problematic receiver. Otherwise, the detector won’t be able to spot any problems with your TV package.

Once the troubleshooter is concluded, a list of results will be given to you!

The list of results will include all detected problems with your Spectrum TV package. Based on your findings proceed with the recommendations you see or proceed with the next solution!

Note: If there are no errors detected, exit the troubleshooting tool!

Solution #4 Refresh the Spectrum Satellite TV

If you have access to the Spectrum TV Mobile App, you’ll be able to trigger a Refresh on the Cable/Satellite TV Service.

The cable/satellite service is the actual content delivery to your Spectrum TV receiver and by refreshing it, you’ll fix any tuning issues your receiver has.

Here’s how to perform a Refresh on your Spectrum Satellite Receiver in easy steps:

Launch the Spectrum App on your mobile device.
Navigate to Services.
From there, scroll down and select TV.
Browse the page and find the equipment you own.
From the equipment list, select the Spectrum Receiver you’re having issues with.
Press on “Experiencing Issues?”.
Follow the instructions to perform a refresh.

Once you’ve completed the upcoming instructions, your Spectrum Satellite Receiver will go into refresh mode. Make sure to not interact with the device for the time being, until it has finished refreshing.

Note: A refresh will not delete any of the tuned/stored channels on your Spectrum Receiver.

Solution #5 Disable Parental Controls

In short, Parental Controls could be causing the Spectrum not tunable error!

The main idea of parental controls is to restrict kids from viewing adult content, but it could cause issues with the tuning. Disabling the feature is best, for now, to test things out.

To disable the parental controls, you’ll need the parental control PIN

Since parental control is not a feature that comes enabled by default on your Spectrum box, you’ve enabled it sometime in the past.

In order to enable the feature, you’ve established a 4-digit PIN, used to disable the setting.

You’ll need the same keycode in order to disable the parental control on the Spectrum site.

Note: Once logged in to the Spectrum website, navigate to “Account” > “Parental Controls”.

Solution #6 Factory Reset the Spectrum Cable Box

If nothing worked so far, your last remaining solution is to perform a Factory Reset on the Spectrum cable box.

It’s perhaps the best way to resolve issues with the receiver’s software and channel lineup and the most proven way to settle tuning issues with the device.

Keep in mind that the factory reset will erase all content and channels on the box!

If you’re certain that you want to proceed, follow these steps to reset the Spectrum box:

Make sure that the receiver is plugged in.
Turn on the receiver by pressing the Power Button.
Locate the Reset Button at the back panel of the receiver.
Press and hold the reset button.
Hold the reset button for 5 seconds until your receiver goes into reset mode.
Let go of the reset button.
Wait…

Once you’ve held the reset button for long enough, your Spectrum satellite receiver will start resetting itself. Do not interact with the device until it has successfully finished resetting.

Note: Once the reset has concluded, you’ll be back at the setup screen of the receiver!

Quick Recap:

To fix the Spectrum not tunable error, reboot your cable box and add channels only available in your channel lineup.

After that, run the Spectrum custom TV troubleshooting tool, refresh the cable box through the app and perform a Factory Reset.

Get in touch with Spectrum during their working hours to discuss this problem in depth!

Kevin Wood

Kevin has over five years of experience working in various Tech startups and providing Technical solutions. He has contributed to many Tech publications and websites. Check out more about him here.