w scan
"w_scan" is a small command line utility used to perform frequency scans for DVB and ATSC transmissions. It is capable of directly creating channels.conf files as well as initial tuning data for scan which is contained in the LinuxTV dvb-apps.
Obtaining w_scan
You can get w_scan here.
Documentation
Detailed information can be found in the w_scan man page (i.e. from a console, run man w_scan). Additionally, running w_scan with the -h parameter will produce an output that provides a summary of it's main command line options.
w_scan [options...] >> channels.conf
In General, when using w_scan you should at least specify three parameters: frontend type, country/satellite and output format. The following table summarizes the basic command line essentials for using w_scan.
| Parameter | Argument | Description & Options |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend Type | -fType |
a = ATSC (North America, cable and terrestrial NOTE:
|
| ATSC Type | -AType |
(ignored for DVB-C and DVB-T) |
| Country ID | -cID |
(mandatory for ATSC, DVB-C, DVB-T) |
| Satellite ID | -sID |
(mandatory for DVB-S/S2) |
| Output Format | -Format |
X = czap/tzap/xine channels.conf |
| Help Level | -Level |
h = basic help |
Some working examples, cobbled together from the basics given in the above table, are provided below. Note: Experts or experienced users may use some of the other w_scan options available, but this is not recommended. (For example, w_scan searches /dev/dvb/adapterX/frontendY for DVB/ATSC cards matching to option "-f", therefore specifying the adapter "-a XX" is not recommended.)
Examples
- NOTE: ATSC support needs w_scan >= 20080815
- NOTE: DVB-S/S2 support needs w_scan >= 20090504
Scanning ATSC VSB (United States, Over-the-Air)
$ w_scan -fa -A1 -c US -X
Scanning ATSC QAM annex B (United States, digital cable TV)
$ w_scan -fa -A2 -c US -X
Scanning DVB-T (Germany, Over-the-Air, VDR output)
$ w_scan -ft -c DE
Scanning DVB-C (Germany, digital cable TV, kaffeine channels.dvb)
$ w_scan -fc -c DE -k
Scanning DVB-S/S2 (Astra 19.2east, vdr-1.7.x)
$ w_scan -fs -s S19E2 -o 7
Scanning DVB-S (Thor 0.8west, vdr-1.3.x .. vdr-1.6.x)
$ w_scan -fs -s S0W8
Generating dvbscan tuning data
Exactly as above, just specify output format dvbscan with "-x":
$ w_scan -f <FRONTEND_TYPE> {-c <COUNTRY>,-s <SATELLITE>} -x >cc-Ttttt
If you choose to create an initial scan file (and you know the name of your local transmitter or cable provider), you can send the resulting file to the dvb mailing list after checking that it hasn't already been posted or added to the scan directory in the dvb-apps repository.