So yes, the decades late migration of television and radio to digital is finally tangible to the average person in Zimbabwe. And yes, the decoders aka set top boxes are available and you can buy them through the Techzim WhatsApp bot. Old news but in selling these we have discovered that setting up and getting going is not something to take for granted. Hope this assume-no-one-knows-anything level “manual” helps!
Step 1: Buy the kit and get it delivered
(We did say assume nothing…) Send the keyword decoder1 to WhatsApp number 0717 684 274 or use this click to chat link. You can pay in USD or ZiG at the official rate using Ecocash, Innbucks or Onemoney. If you have cash, don’t worry, you can also do cash on delivery.
Step 2: Take it out of the box…
Well nothing should be considered obvious. Reminder of what you get out of the box:
- The decoder,
- An indoor antenna and its cable,
- Outdoor antenna and its cable,
- An instruction manual on how to set up the antenna,
- A remote control unit and a pack of batteries for the remote,
- An HDMI cable to connect the decoder to your TV
- A set of AV cables just in case your TV does not accept HDMI
Step 3: Set up the antenna or satellite dish
A few reminders first:
- For Harare and Bulawayo you can choose to have Techzim install for you when you buy. This service will be coming to more places in the near future.
- For most places you will need a satellite dish to access signal. The dish is sold separately. In select places you can access the signal via the antenna that comes with the box. We tell you whether or not you need a satellite dish at the point of purchase.
We highly recommend you ignore the indoor antenna and install the outdoor one but you can chance it with the indoor antenna if you want. In our experience it will not pick up signal reliably in a lot of places. Instructions on how to connect the antenna are clear in the manual in the box so we won’t go into those.
We will also not go into any detail about setting up the satellite dish if you are in an area that needs this. Our recommendation is that you get help from folks who already offer satellite dish installation services. If you are a DIY freak then we will only say the dish must face North West. The same general direction that the Kwese dish used to face which is different from the DStv position so yea you cannot use your dish already installed for DStv.
Step 4: Connect the decoder to the TV
Use the HDMI cable supplied in the box to connect to the TV. If your TV does not support HDMI, connect using the AV cables also supplied. If you don’t know what these are, look below (no assumptions):
Step 5: Scan for channels
Before we proceed, make sure you have switched on the decoder. Trust me, someone needs this reminder. On your TV remote press the “Input” button or it might be called “Source” on your remote. Then select HDMI if you connected with HDMI or AV if that’s what you used. Your TV screen should show the below:
Go to where it says “DVB S2/T2” and select. Your screen should now look like the below:
Scroll to “Terrestrial” at the bottom and select. Your screen should show the below:
Go to “Manual Search” and select it. We prefer manual search for the reason explained below. Your screen should show the below:
So, we like manual search because it allows you to see if there is signal to start with. As you can see in the image above, there is no signal at all. This usually means that your antenna is not set up or positioned right. Make adjustments to your antenna while you check if there is any signal. Since this is a digital signal, as long as there is signal then you are OK, don’t worry too much about the strength of the signal (either you have it or you don’t). We recommend that you get a signal strength of at least 15%.
If you have signal, you can navigate to the correct frequency channel for your area. Please note that you will find the TV channels on two different frequency channels. So once you get the first set of channels on a particular channel frequency, navigate again to the next one so you can get the rest of them. For example, in Harare the first Frequency Channel is 618 and the second one is 682. Below are the different frequencies for the areas that have digital terrestrial signal at the moment. Remember if you are not in one of these areas, you will need a satellite dish:
That’s it! We hope we have made it as simple as it can be. If you have challenges, you can reach out to the Techzim Customer Care team whose contacts you would have received at the time of purchasing.
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42 comments
@techzim can you kindly send the Free Pindula news website link
Hi, the Pindula website is no longer zero rated. However, the Pindula app still is and you can get it here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.zw.pindula.news&hl=en&pli=1
@ techzim ! Is cza considered under hre on ths decoder n r we limited 2 the 7 tv channels?
In some parts of Chitungwiza you should be able to connect without a satellite dish but in other places depending on terrain, a satellite dish may be needed
Does it have an option to play video files? MKV or MP4
Yes it does play video files via USB
In Kwekwe can i use this decoder?.. What about the direction of the satellite, can i just plug the decoder on my existing satellite i use to view DSTV channels
Yes you can use it in Kwekwe but you will need to use it with a satellite dish since digital terrestrial signal is not yet available there.
No, the DStv dish faces the opposite direction to where this one must face so you cannot interchange them on the same dish unfortunately.
Can I use this in Bocha Marange under Mutare Rural .. coordinates -19.3613737, 32.1760610
Can you use your smart tv tuner to pick up channels?
You mean your smart tv built in antenna? No it won’t work
is there a portable version that i can use in my car while driving, or take on an airplane to watch while im flying around the world?
How much is the kit?
The kit is $30 and then there is a delivery fee that depends on where you are
Hahaha watch TV while you drive huh? No there is no portable version…
I’m in Harare, I followed all the steps above, I’m accessing only 4 channels and 2 radio stations.
But I’m failing to access channels on 618
Please WhatsApp our Customer Care team on 0715 068 543
There’s a number of customers who faced this same issue and at some point engineers at BAZ told us they reconfigured things on their end to fix this. When they did this, it seemed to solve the problem for those other customers. Maybe try scanning again then reach out to our support if you fail and they will get you help from BAZ
Took to long to find out that I cannot use my Open View dish. Opportunity lost here.
Yes unfortunately your Openview dish faces the wrong way to where it should for this decoder. Remeber you don’t need a satellite dish if you are in places where the digital terrestrial signal is already present for example Harare, Bulawayo and other places listed above.
Also, if you no longer use Openview you could repurpose the dish and change where it faces. Just saying seeing how you risk arrest for it: https://www.techzim.co.zw/2022/04/if-openview-decoder-holders-liable-to-arrest-why-do-zimbos-do-it/
what are about digital tv will they pick the other channels like 3ktv
I didn’t understand you here. So far the TV channels available are ZBC TV, ZTN Prime, 3Ktv, Keyona TV, Jive, NRtv, ZBC News24
Do we subscribe per month or its free like Openview.
It’s free. There are no subscriptions
Yes digital Tvs with built in decoding have for long been accessing the channels way back me I know of Sony Bravia
Thanks Madzibaba. I didn’t know this
Kkkk kwese tv paper 2
Quite interesting, I followed the steps and I’m enjoying it.Many thanks
Awesome!
Can I use this in Bocha Marange under Mutare Rural .. coordinates -19.3613737, 32.1760610
Yes in combination with a satellite dish you can
Thank you
I can only view 4 channels (Keyona, NRTV, 3KTV & ZTN) and 2 radio stations (Star FM & ZiFM). How come I can’t see the other channels? (ZBC, Jive, and other radio stations)
Hi KK
We have had a few customers face this issue. May you please WhatsApp our Customer Support team on O715 O68 543 and they will link you up with BAZ for assistance
In Mutare in Chikanga I was watching all the 7 channels using the indoor antenna and only yesterday 21 June the other 4 channels won’t view(keyona,nrtv,ztn prime and 3Ktv) and the radio stations have dropped from 5 to 4 channels tried rescaning but getting the same fewer channels
Please get in touch with our Support team on the details above and they will get assistance for you from BAZ
In Banket, can i use the external antenae or should use the satelite dish
I think you will need the satellite dish. On the list of places where there is terrestrial signal, the one closest to Banket I see is Mutorashanga but hey Mutorashanga is at least 40kn away which I think is too far but depends on exact location of the tower
I assume that keyona tv,Ztn prime,3Ktv & Nrtv are on the same transmitter from BAZ that’s why they drop at the same time hameno then Zbc tv,Zbc News,Zbc Jive being on the other transmission I hope BAZ is quick to.rectify areas inenge yadonha signal I think you techzim guys can get the feedback to the engineers kuti kune kukuita kuchidonha signal
Yes those 4 channels seems to go together, they are even on the same frequency. So ironically, those ones were the most stable, most customers were having issues with the ZBC bunch.
Yes we are in constant conversation with BAZ giving them this kind of feedback
The BAZ engineers shld be quick to address issues to do with their transmitters since clients are only limited to their decoders if I can’t receive channels hapana umwe munana wandingaite if the issue has to do with transmitters
Masettings edish acho akamirasei?
Clear