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

How to aim your TV antenna in Allston, MA

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

Transmitter directions from Allston, MA N E S W WLEK — 31° NNE, 14 mi WCEA — 103° ESE, 3 mi WHDT — 108° ESE, 3 mi WDPX — 139° SE, 61 mi WLWC — 165° SSE, 41 mi WWDP — 170° S, 24 mi WYCN — 183° S, 25 mi WPRI — 193° SSW, 34 mi WNAC — 193° SSW, 34 mi WJAR — 193° SSW, 35 mi WPVD — 193° SSW, 35 mi WLNE — 193° SSW, 35 mi WPXQ — 210° SSW, 69 mi WFXT — 230° SW, 6 mi WLVI — 230° SW, 6 mi WHDH — 234° SW, 6 mi WFXZ — 234° SW, 6 mi WYDN — 234° SW, 6 mi WMFP — 234° SW, 6 mi WBPX — 234° SW, 6 mi WBTS — 239° WSW, 6 mi WGBH — 239° WSW, 6 mi WBZ — 239° WSW, 6 mi WCVB — 239° WSW, 6 mi WGBX — 239° WSW, 6 mi WSBK — 239° WSW, 6 mi WUTF — 267° W, 30 mi WUNI — 276° W, 19 mi WWJE — 276° W, 19 mi WMUR — 332° NNW, 49 mi WNEU — 332° NNW, 49 mi WPXG — 350° N, 58 mi WENH — 356° N, 57 mi Allston

Point South-Southwest 209° on a compass — 69 miles of range covers this whole market

20/33stations in the beam
77/127free channels
61%of what's available
The other 13 stations sit north-northwest of you (337°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
10 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 Allston, MA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WLEK Sports First TV 22 31° NNE 14 mi 7
WCEA Independent 26 103° ESE 3 mi 4
WHDT Infomercials 3 108° ESE 3 mi 1
WDPX Grit 58 139° SE 61 mi 1
WLWC Bounce TV 28 165° SSE 41 mi 1
WWDP Roar 46 170° S 24 mi 5
WYCN Telemundo 8 183° S 25 mi 4
WPRI CBS 12 193° SSW 34 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 193° SSW 34 mi 4
WJAR NBC 10 193° SSW 35 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 193° SSW 35 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 193° SSW 35 mi 4
WPXQ Ion 69 210° SSW 69 mi 8
WFXT FOX 25 230° SW 6 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 230° SW 6 mi 2
WHDH Independent 7 234° SW 6 mi 2
WFXZ Biz TV 24 234° SW 6 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 234° SW 6 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 234° SW 6 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 234° SW 6 mi 7
WBTS NBC 15 239° WSW 6 mi 2
WGBH PBS 2 239° WSW 6 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 239° WSW 6 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 239° WSW 6 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 239° WSW 6 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 239° WSW 6 mi 7
WUTF UniMas 27 267° W 30 mi 5
WUNI Univision 66 276° W 19 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 276° W 19 mi 1
WMUR ABC 9 332° NNW 49 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 332° NNW 49 mi 5
WPXG Ion 21 350° N 58 mi 7
WENH PBS 11 356° N 57 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Allston, MA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 2.5 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 7 miles.

For Allston 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 Allston are spread across 288° 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 Allston. 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 Allston, 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.