UCLA Gateway

This information is provided as a resource for on-campus housing students experiencing problems with their cable television service. If you cannot find the answer to your question here, please contact the Student Technology Center (STC) at (310) 825-3400.

How much does cable cost?
Cable Television service is free to all on campus housing students and to residents at Weyburn Terrace and Faculty Levering. If you wish to purchase HBO premium service, please contact the Student Technology Center.

Do I need any special equipment to access free cable?
All you need is a high quality coaxial cable if your TV is cable ready for channels up to 120. If your TV doesn't support cable or is an older model, you will need a cable box.

• Purchase a coaxial cable from the Student Technology Center if you don't already have one. If you are using your own cable, make sure it's high quality. A poor cable will give you fuzzy reception. Also, make sure the ends of the cable aren't frayed, loose or exposed. The metal tips at the ends should be unbent.
• Plug your cable into the correct wall port. It's located at the same wall plate as your phone and data ports. Some rooms in Sunset Village have an additional stand alone cable television port. Only use the port from the same wall plate as your phone.
• Make sure you've properly connected the cable to your TV, VCR and cable box and that the connections are tight. Consult the TV and VCR manuals if you're unsure about the setup.
• If your television supports cable, be sure to turn it on. This may either be in the form of a knob on the front or back of your television or it may be listed as an onscreen menu option. If more than one type of cable is listed (i.e. HSC, STD and IRC) only use STD.

I've gone over the checklist, but I'm still not receiving any cable channels.
There are several possibilities why you're not getting any cable channels. The following are some possibilities and solutions:

• The television may have to be programmed to receive cable channels. You can either to do this manually or you can activate an autoscan feature which automatically adds cable channels.
• If you're only getting the lower channels (2-13) then you need to set your TV to "Cable" mode and then auto program (aka: auto scan, channel search) your TV to find all the available channels. This is usually done through the on-screen menu options, but you must have the original remote control that came with the TV. Most universal remotes will not be able to properly program your TV.
• Your television may be an older model. Even if the television claims to be cable ready, it may not be able to receive our cable signal correctly. If your TV only receives channels up to Ch. 34 or Ch.64, then your TV is probably not receiving the signal correctly. You will need to either rent or purchase a cable box from the Student Technology Center.
• If you are using a cable box, make sure you've plugged it in and that the cables are correctly connected to your TV and wall. You may need to switch your television to Ch. 3 or Ch.4 to use the cable box.
• If you are using your VCR to tune the channels, make sure your VCR is cable ready and can tune up to channel 120. Even if your VCR claims to be cable ready, it may be an older model which does not support our cable signal.

If you are still unable to solve the problem, please contact the Student Technology Center to schedule an appointment.

HDTV Limitations
Although the campus does provide HDTV signal, the signal is not available to all users with HD ready TV's. Due to the nature of the transmission of the signal, only certain TVs can pick up the signal. If you do a complete scan for channels and do not pick up the signal on channels 101-107, then your TV is unfortunately not compatible.