I have a Tablo for about a week. I read many of the community topics but did not come across my exact problem. I read the manual a few times and it seems that adding channels is straight forward. I performed an initial channel scan, checked the channels and added these channels to the guide. Then used the Tablo for a week. Today I had the time so I rotated the antenna and went to Edit Channel Guide then performed another scan, checked channels and added those to the guide. The result was that the latest scan overwrote the channels that I had before! I then tried to perform consecutive channel scans prior to add to the guide thinking that I might have to have all of the channels collected prior to adding them. That overwrote the previous channel scan as well. I live in a location where the transmission towers are at various azimuths. Can someone respond to how to add channels correctly in my scenario?
Thanks!
How long after adding the channels did you wait to check to see if they were in fact there? After you add channels the tablo needs to download the new guide data and then the paired devices need to sync again to download the new info. The guides will still show the old channels until it finishes syncing.
You can only add the channels that are picked up by the latest scan. If you rotate the antenna so it cannot receive the original channels and then do a scan it will do exactly as you describe. The idea being that if the Tablo cannot pick up a station then it cannot record anything from it either so what is the point of having the guide data?
Have you tried aiming the antenna halfway between the towers to see if you can pick them all up at the same time?
I am in the same situation and had to make some compromises in the channels I pick up. The only other solution would be to add a second antenna and tie it in so you get all the towers at the same time.
KyleR - The channels do indeed show up but not as additions to but replacement for the previous scan.
This is normal behaviour.
AceConrad,
The problem is that the towers are i.e at 95Ëš, 172Ëš, 217Ëš, 326Ëš, etc. So I guess I just choose a group and go with it. Too bad! I have the same issue with my LG television when doing an auto channel scan. But I have the ability to add channels manually when I am pointed at them. Then they stay in the channel lineup. I guess I am going to split the signal to Tablo and TV. I would then suggest, as other users have, that adding channels manually be added to the Tablo functionality.
Thanks all for your replies.
An omnidirectional antenna may help, especially if the broadcast antennae are not far away. Combining multiple directional antennae may work as well. Unfortunately, an antenna with a rotor isn’t a good solution for automatic unattended recording.
One feature that would be a nifty addition to the Tablo software would be the inclusion of a numeric “keypad” that would allow for manual tuning of TV channels, which would, of course, bypass tuning via the program grid. It would also be nice if they could include an optional received signal power level indicator, as an aid in antenna aiming.
That’s the way the Tablo works. It overwrites when you say add to guide. There is no way to simply add a channel. The way I look at it is if the antenna is moved, different channels will be available, and some will be gone. So the Tablo shows what it will see when you watch / record.
Antennas with rotars to move them work when watching TV but for a DVR, you will need an antenna for each direction and connect them all together.
Unfortunately, I was already using the antenna prior to discovering the Tablo. I am researching omni directional antennas. There are about three local stations within five miles. The major network stations are 43 to 75 miles away and scattered (see previous post). Any suggestions?
So, I did a scan. Selected all of the strong signals that I wanted, clicked on ADD TO GUIDE and, wait for it… NADA!
What am I doing wrong? This is like Microsoft Windows – so much work to get it right!
Now I’m seeing a different channle guide on Roku that what is selected from the app setup.
Open a Support Ticket and have someone help you through the setup.
It was pretty straight forward, do one scan, add channels and that’s it. All the same channels on all devices.
If you’re worried that by scanning multiple times you’ve corrupted the database, you can factory reset the Tablo by holding the blue button on the back for 30 seconds. This will likely resolve a lot of issues, starting from scratch.
@jpw94 - Sometimes if you do several channel scans/adds back-to-back things can get wonky. We’re happy to give you a hand if you need it: http://support.tablotv.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
I am another person who lives in the boonies and uses a rotor. Don’t care about recording a different program while watching TV. I would like to have the ability to have all surronding Stations in gude all while knowing I have to move the attenna in direction of desired station so as to watch live TV. If and when I record something, I will be sure to move the antenna to correct direction for desired station.
That sounds like a cool setup.
Tablo doesn’t have a manual channel add feature, like some TVs do.
Only way to do accomplish this now is to have your Tablo detect the channels exist during the channel scan.
People have done this using multiple antennas pointed in different directions, that looks something like this:
http://otadtv.com/installation/multiple_antennas.html
Even if the other antennas are now as powerful as your primary, as long as they pick up a signal from the TV broadcast station, the Tablo will detect it, and store it during the channel scan.
I would also try just spinning the antenna around during the channel scan.
Rotating the antenna between the known channel directions during the scan was the answer to getting desired stations into guide list. I now only have to remember to change the direction of the antenna for those stations when wanting to watch Live TV or or Record desired broadcast. Thanks much
An omnidirectional antenna may be a better approach for use with a DVR, if it will work for you. The reason I suggest this is that you might find it impossible to watch or record more than one channel at a time, unless the stations are in the same direction. Another approach, if all your stations are in just a couple of different directions would be to use two antennas, joined with a combiner. Using a rotor controlled antenna with a DVR will prove to be more of a challenge beyond trying to add channels.
It worked? 
Sweet!
Would you be willing to link to a TV Fool plot of your channel availability? Note: Address and coordinates are not revealed in public link.
Off the top of my head, outdoor antennas commonly have a 60° aperture. The numbers posted earlier cover 231°. Not likely to cover that with one antenna. The distances for the major networks could pose trouble for an omnidirectional. The TV Fool signal strength noise margin column would provide very useful information.
I probably wouldn’t worry about the channels at 3 miles. Almost any aspect of an antenna should be able to pick those up. Without seeing a plot, maybe point a directional antenna at the farthest desirable signal in the middle of a 60° window that covers the greatest number of channels you want.