Point South-Southeast 157° on a compass — 69 miles of range covers this whole market
Every transmitter near Ames, IA
Sorted by compass bearing, so neighbouring rows are neighbouring towers.
| Station | Network | Channel | Bearing | Direction | Distance | Subchannels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KFPX | Ion | 39 | 127° | SE | 24 mi | 9 |
| KAJR | Defy TV | 36 | 127° | SE | 24 mi | 7 |
| KCYM | MovieSphere Gold | 44 | 127° | SE | 24 mi | 7 |
| KRPG | Infomercials | 43 | 127° | SE | 24 mi | 7 |
| WBXF | Heartland TV | 28 | 184° | S | 31 mi | 6 |
| WOI | ABC | 5 | 185° | S | 16 mi | 5 |
| WHO | NBC | 13 | 185° | S | 16 mi | 5 |
| KDIN | PBS | 11 | 185° | S | 16 mi | 7 |
| KDIT | Catchy Comedy | 45 | 186° | S | 14 mi | 7 |
| KDSM | FOX | 17 | 186° | S | 14 mi | 4 |
| KCWI | CW | 23 | 186° | S | 14 mi | 6 |
| KDMI | TCT | 19 | 186° | S | 14 mi | 8 |
| KCCI | CBS | 8 | 186° | S | 16 mi | 6 |
| K32NM-D | HSN | 32 | 199° | SSW | 27 mi | 5 |
| KTIN | PBS | 21 | 322° | NW | 69 mi | 5 |
Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.
How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit
The nearest transmitter is 14.1 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 25 miles.
For Ames we would start with an amplified indoor or attic antenna. The towers are far enough out that an amplified indoor antenna, or one mounted in the attic, will pull in far more of the lineup than a basic flat antenna.
The towers around Ames are spread across 195° 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.
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 Ames. 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 Ames, IA, including what each station carries.