Antenna aiming / Acton, MA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Acton, MA

Every transmitter near Acton, with the compass direction and distance from town, and the one direction that picks up the most channels.

Transmitter directions from Acton, MA N E S W WPXG — 7° N, 49 mi WENH — 14° NNE, 49 mi WMEA — 26° NNE, 72 mi WLEK — 82° E, 23 mi WCEA — 117° ESE, 21 mi WHDT — 117° ESE, 20 mi WHDH — 136° SE, 16 mi WFXZ — 138° SE, 16 mi WYDN — 138° SE, 16 mi WMFP — 138° SE, 16 mi WBPX — 138° SE, 16 mi WFXT — 138° SE, 17 mi WLVI — 138° SE, 17 mi WGBH — 139° SE, 16 mi WBZ — 139° SE, 16 mi WCVB — 139° SE, 16 mi WGBX — 139° SE, 16 mi WSBK — 139° SE, 16 mi WBTS — 139° SE, 16 mi WWDP — 148° SSE, 38 mi WLWC — 152° SSE, 55 mi WYCN — 157° SSE, 37 mi WPRI — 169° S, 43 mi WNAC — 169° S, 43 mi WJAR — 170° S, 43 mi WPVD — 170° S, 43 mi WLNE — 170° S, 43 mi WPXQ — 195° SSW, 71 mi WUNI — 202° SSW, 7 mi WWJE — 202° SSW, 7 mi WEDN — 210° SSW, 76 mi WUTF — 234° SW, 17 mi WSHM — 243° WSW, 56 mi WEKW — 309° NW, 61 mi WVMA — 309° NW, 61 mi WMUR — 347° NNW, 35 mi WNEU — 348° NNW, 35 mi Acton

Point South-Southeast 165° on a compass — 76 miles of range covers this whole market

22/37stations in the beam
83/147free channels
56%of what's available
The other 15 stations sit northwest of you (319°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
11 of these stations broadcast on VHF frequencies. Many antennas sold as "HDTV" or "4K" are UHF-only and will miss them entirely, whichever way you point.

Every transmitter near Acton, MA

Sorted by compass bearing, so neighbouring rows are neighbouring towers.

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WPXG Ion 21 7° N 49 mi 7
WENH PBS 11 14° NNE 49 mi 5
WMEA PBS 26 26° NNE 72 mi 6
WLEK Sports First TV 22 82° E 23 mi 7
WCEA Independent 26 117° ESE 21 mi 4
WHDT Infomercials 3 117° ESE 20 mi 1
WHDH Independent 7 136° SE 16 mi 2
WFXZ Biz TV 24 138° SE 16 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 138° SE 16 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 138° SE 16 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 138° SE 16 mi 7
WFXT FOX 25 138° SE 17 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 138° SE 17 mi 2
WGBH PBS 2 139° SE 16 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 139° SE 16 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 139° SE 16 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 139° SE 16 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 139° SE 16 mi 7
WBTS NBC 15 139° SE 16 mi 2
WWDP Roar 46 148° SSE 38 mi 5
WLWC Bounce TV 28 152° SSE 55 mi 1
WYCN Telemundo 8 157° SSE 37 mi 4
WPRI CBS 12 169° S 43 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 169° S 43 mi 4
WJAR NBC 10 170° S 43 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 170° S 43 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 170° S 43 mi 4
WPXQ Ion 69 195° SSW 71 mi 8
WUNI Univision 66 202° SSW 7 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 202° SSW 7 mi 1
WEDN PBS 53 210° SSW 76 mi 2
WUTF UniMas 27 234° SW 17 mi 5
WSHM CBS 33 243° WSW 56 mi 7
WEKW PBS 11 309° NW 61 mi 5
WVMA Antenna TV 17 309° NW 61 mi 1
WMUR ABC 9 347° NNW 35 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 348° NNW 35 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Acton, MA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 7.4 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 17 miles.

For Acton we would start with a basic indoor antenna. Most of the lineup is transmitting from close by, so a flat indoor antenna in a window facing the towers should be enough.

The towers around Acton are spread across 294° of the compass, so no single directional antenna will reach all of them. An omnidirectional antenna picks up every direction at once but with less reach, and a rotator lets a directional antenna turn toward whichever station you want.

Learn more about choosing an antenna

Before you climb the ladder

The limits of these numbers, and how to work around them

These are true bearings, not magnetic. A compass app on your phone usually reads magnetic north, which differs from true north by a few degrees depending on where you are in the country. For antenna aiming that difference is small, but if you are lining up a long-range directional antenna it is worth checking your local declination.

Bearings are measured from the centre of Acton. Over the distances involved, a few miles in any direction barely moves the angle, but your own address is what ultimately matters.

Hills and buildings are not in these numbers. A transmitter 20 miles away behind a ridge can be harder to receive than one 40 miles away across flat ground. Point at the recommended bearing first, then adjust a few degrees either way while watching your TV's signal meter.

See every channel available in Acton, MA, including what each station carries.

Calendar

What’s on, and when

Big games, races and live events coming up on free over-the-air TV, and the channel to find each one on. Full-season schedules show which games an antenna gets you for free.

Guides

Free TV explained

Guides, reviews and explainers on getting the most out of free over-the-air TV.