diff --git a/CONTRIBUTORS b/CONTRIBUTORS
index 88139b51..178a5cb5 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTORS
+++ b/CONTRIBUTORS
@@ -3626,6 +3626,8 @@ Helmut Binder <cco@aon.at>
  lost in version 1.7.13
  for adding a check for an empty command in cDvbTuner::GetSignalStats() to avoid a
  possible error message
+ for initializing the status variable in cDvbTuner::GetFrontendStatus() and
+ cDvbTuner::GetSignalStats() to avoid problems with drivers that don't do this
 
 Ulrich Eckhardt <uli@uli-eckhardt.de>
  for reporting a problem with shutdown after user inactivity in case a plugin is
diff --git a/HISTORY b/HISTORY
index 656e6e78..ea521e42 100644
--- a/HISTORY
+++ b/HISTORY
@@ -9532,3 +9532,6 @@ Video Disk Recorder Revision History
   in version 1.7.13 (thanks to Helmut Binder).
 - Now checking for an empty command in cDvbTuner::GetSignalStats() to avoid a possible
   error message (thanks to Helmut Binder).
+- Now initializing the status variable in cDvbTuner::GetFrontendStatus() and
+  cDvbTuner::GetSignalStats() to avoid problems with drivers that don't do this
+  (thanks to Helmut Binder).
diff --git a/dvbdevice.c b/dvbdevice.c
index 93e01d71..a7797203 100644
--- a/dvbdevice.c
+++ b/dvbdevice.c
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * See the main source file 'vdr.c' for copyright information and
  * how to reach the author.
  *
- * $Id: dvbdevice.c 4.26 2020/10/16 13:50:36 kls Exp $
+ * $Id: dvbdevice.c 4.27 2020/10/16 13:58:45 kls Exp $
  */
 
 #include "dvbdevice.h"
@@ -856,6 +856,7 @@ void cDvbTuner::ClearEventQueue(void) const
 bool cDvbTuner::GetFrontendStatus(fe_status_t &Status) const
 {
   ClearEventQueue();
+  Status = (fe_status_t)0; // initialize here to fix buggy drivers
   while (1) {
         if (ioctl(fd_frontend, FE_READ_STATUS, &Status) != -1)
            return true;
@@ -872,7 +873,7 @@ bool cDvbTuner::GetFrontendStatus(fe_status_t &Status) const
 bool cDvbTuner::GetSignalStats(int &Valid, double *Strength, double *Cnr, double *BerPre, double *BerPost, double *Per, int *Status) const
 {
   ClearEventQueue();
-  fe_status_t FeStatus;
+  fe_status_t FeStatus = (fe_status_t)0; // initialize here to fix buggy drivers
   dtv_property Props[MAXFRONTENDCMDS];
   dtv_properties CmdSeq;
   memset(&Props, 0, sizeof(Props));