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

How to aim your TV antenna in Arlington, MA

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

Transmitter directions from Arlington, MA N E S W WMEA — 14° NNE, 71 mi WLEK — 48° NE, 12 mi WCEA — 140° SE, 6 mi WDPX — 140° SE, 65 mi WHDT — 143° SE, 6 mi WLWC — 165° SSE, 46 mi WWDP — 169° SSE, 29 mi WYCN — 180° S, 29 mi WPRI — 190° S, 38 mi WNAC — 190° S, 38 mi WJAR — 190° S, 39 mi WPVD — 190° S, 39 mi WLNE — 190° S, 39 mi WFXT — 201° SSW, 9 mi WLVI — 201° SSW, 9 mi WHDH — 202° SSW, 8 mi WFXZ — 204° SSW, 9 mi WYDN — 204° SSW, 9 mi WMFP — 204° SSW, 9 mi WBPX — 204° SSW, 9 mi WPXQ — 207° SSW, 72 mi WBTS — 208° SSW, 9 mi WGBH — 208° SSW, 9 mi WBZ — 208° SSW, 9 mi WCVB — 208° SSW, 9 mi WGBX — 208° SSW, 9 mi WSBK — 208° SSW, 9 mi WUTF — 259° WSW, 29 mi WUNI — 262° W, 17 mi WWJE — 262° W, 17 mi WMUR — 331° NNW, 45 mi WNEU — 331° NNW, 45 mi WPXG — 351° N, 53 mi WENH — 357° N, 52 mi Arlington

Point South 179° on a compass — 72 miles of range covers this whole market

22/34stations in the beam
83/133free channels
62%of what's available
The other 12 stations sit north-northwest of you (334°). 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 Arlington, MA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WMEA PBS 26 14° NNE 71 mi 6
WLEK Sports First TV 22 48° NE 12 mi 7
WCEA Independent 26 140° SE 6 mi 4
WDPX Grit 58 140° SE 65 mi 1
WHDT Infomercials 3 143° SE 6 mi 1
WLWC Bounce TV 28 165° SSE 46 mi 1
WWDP Roar 46 169° SSE 29 mi 5
WYCN Telemundo 8 180° S 29 mi 4
WPRI CBS 12 190° S 38 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 190° S 38 mi 4
WJAR NBC 10 190° S 39 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 190° S 39 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 190° S 39 mi 4
WFXT FOX 25 201° SSW 9 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 201° SSW 9 mi 2
WHDH Independent 7 202° SSW 8 mi 2
WFXZ Biz TV 24 204° SSW 9 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 204° SSW 9 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 204° SSW 9 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 204° SSW 9 mi 7
WPXQ Ion 69 207° SSW 72 mi 8
WBTS NBC 15 208° SSW 9 mi 2
WGBH PBS 2 208° SSW 9 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 208° SSW 9 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 208° SSW 9 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 208° SSW 9 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 208° SSW 9 mi 7
WUTF UniMas 27 259° WSW 29 mi 5
WUNI Univision 66 262° W 17 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 262° W 17 mi 1
WMUR ABC 9 331° NNW 45 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 331° NNW 45 mi 5
WPXG Ion 21 351° N 53 mi 7
WENH PBS 11 357° N 52 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Arlington, MA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 6.3 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 9 miles.

For Arlington 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 Arlington are spread across 269° 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 Arlington. 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 Arlington, 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.