Antenna aiming / Annandale, VA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Annandale, VA

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

Transmitter directions from Annandale, VA N E S W WMPB — 29° NNE, 49 mi WDDN — 36° NE, 14 mi WTTG — 39° NE, 11 mi WDCA — 39° NE, 11 mi WMJF — 39° NE, 51 mi WUTB — 41° NE, 46 mi WBFF — 41° NE, 46 mi WNUV — 41° NE, 46 mi WMAR — 41° NE, 46 mi WBAL — 41° NE, 46 mi WJZ — 41° NE, 46 mi WETA — 41° NE, 11 mi WJLA — 41° NE, 11 mi WUSA — 41° NE, 11 mi WHUT — 41° NE, 11 mi WPXW — 41° NE, 11 mi WWTD — 43° NE, 10 mi WFDC — 43° NE, 10 mi WZDC — 43° NE, 10 mi WIAV — 43° NE, 10 mi WDCO — 43° NE, 10 mi WDME — 43° NE, 10 mi WRZB — 43° NE, 10 mi WRC — 43° NE, 10 mi WWDD — 48° NE, 70 mi WDCW — 48° NE, 14 mi WQAW — 69° ENE, 35 mi WMPT — 69° ENE, 35 mi WNVT — 221° SW, 18 mi WDWA — 244° WSW, 7 mi WDVM — 281° WNW, 44 mi WWPX — 314° NW, 63 mi WWPB — 325° NW, 70 mi WFPT — 350° N, 30 mi WDCN — 351° N, 3 mi WNVC — 351° N, 3 mi Annandale

Point Northeast 39° on a compass — 70 miles of range covers this whole market

28/36stations in the beam
128/153free channels
84%of what's available
The other 8 stations sit northwest of you (309°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
6 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 Annandale, VA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WMPB PBS 67 29° NNE 49 mi 5
WDDN Daystar 23 36° NE 14 mi 2
WTTG FOX 5 39° NE 11 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 39° NE 11 mi 4
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 39° NE 51 mi 7
WUTB Roar 24 41° NE 46 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 41° NE 46 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 41° NE 46 mi 4
WMAR ABC 2 41° NE 46 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 41° NE 46 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 41° NE 46 mi 6
WETA PBS 26 41° NE 11 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 41° NE 11 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 41° NE 11 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 41° NE 11 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 41° NE 11 mi 8
WWTD HSN2 49 43° NE 10 mi 5
WFDC Univision 14 43° NE 10 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 43° NE 10 mi 2
WIAV Roar 58 43° NE 10 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 43° NE 10 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 43° NE 10 mi 8
WRZB HSN2 31 43° NE 10 mi 4
WRC NBC 4 43° NE 10 mi 4
WWDD Daystar 49 48° NE 70 mi 1
WDCW CW 50 48° NE 14 mi 3
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 69° ENE 35 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 69° ENE 35 mi 5
WNVT World 23 221° SW 18 mi 1
WDWA Daystar 23 244° WSW 7 mi 2
WDVM Independent 25 281° WNW 44 mi 4
WWPX Ion 60 314° NW 63 mi 8
WWPB PBS 31 325° NW 70 mi 4
WFPT PBS 62 350° N 30 mi 4
WDCN The Country Network 6 351° N 3 mi 1
WNVC World 41 351° N 3 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Annandale, VA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 3.1 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 11 miles.

For Annandale 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 Annandale are spread across 208° 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 Annandale. 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 Annandale, VA, 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.