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

How to aim your TV antenna in Ashburn, VA

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

Transmitter directions from Ashburn, VA N E S W WFPT — 31° NNE, 18 mi WGAL — 33° NNE, 83 mi WLYH — 38° NE, 76 mi WMPB — 53° NE, 47 mi WMJF — 62° ENE, 53 mi WUTB — 65° ENE, 49 mi WBFF — 65° ENE, 49 mi WNUV — 65° ENE, 49 mi WMAR — 65° ENE, 49 mi WBAL — 65° ENE, 49 mi WJZ — 65° ENE, 49 mi WQAW — 92° E, 47 mi WMPT — 92° E, 47 mi WDDN — 97° E, 23 mi WDCW — 103° ESE, 25 mi WTTG — 105° ESE, 22 mi WDCA — 105° ESE, 22 mi WETA — 106° ESE, 22 mi WJLA — 106° ESE, 22 mi WUSA — 106° ESE, 22 mi WHUT — 106° ESE, 22 mi WPXW — 106° ESE, 22 mi WIAV — 108° ESE, 23 mi WDCO — 108° ESE, 23 mi WDME — 108° ESE, 23 mi WRZB — 108° ESE, 23 mi WFDC — 108° ESE, 23 mi WZDC — 108° ESE, 23 mi WWTD — 108° ESE, 22 mi WRC — 108° ESE, 23 mi WNVC — 130° SE, 18 mi WDCN — 130° SE, 18 mi WDWA — 155° SSE, 19 mi WNVT — 176° S, 29 mi WDVM — 259° WSW, 30 mi WWPX — 313° NW, 42 mi WWPB — 328° NNW, 50 mi WJAL — 336° NNW, 64 mi Ashburn

Point East 79° on a compass — 83 miles of range covers this whole market

27/38stations in the beam
127/161free channels
79%of what's available
The other 11 stations sit northeast of you (35°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
9 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 Ashburn, VA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WFPT PBS 62 31° NNE 18 mi 4
WGAL NBC 8 33° NNE 83 mi 6
WLYH Independent 49 38° NE 76 mi 1
WMPB PBS 67 53° NE 47 mi 5
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 62° ENE 53 mi 7
WUTB Roar 24 65° ENE 49 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 65° ENE 49 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 65° ENE 49 mi 4
WMAR ABC 2 65° ENE 49 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 65° ENE 49 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 65° ENE 49 mi 6
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 92° E 47 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 92° E 47 mi 5
WDDN Daystar 23 97° E 23 mi 2
WDCW CW 50 103° ESE 25 mi 3
WTTG FOX 5 105° ESE 22 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 105° ESE 22 mi 4
WETA PBS 26 106° ESE 22 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 106° ESE 22 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 106° ESE 22 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 106° ESE 22 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 106° ESE 22 mi 8
WIAV Roar 58 108° ESE 23 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 108° ESE 23 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 108° ESE 23 mi 8
WRZB HSN2 31 108° ESE 23 mi 4
WFDC Univision 14 108° ESE 23 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 108° ESE 23 mi 2
WWTD HSN2 49 108° ESE 22 mi 5
WRC NBC 4 108° ESE 23 mi 4
WNVC World 41 130° SE 18 mi 1
WDCN The Country Network 6 130° SE 18 mi 1
WDWA Daystar 23 155° SSE 19 mi 2
WNVT World 23 176° S 29 mi 1
WDVM Independent 25 259° WSW 30 mi 4
WWPX Ion 60 313° NW 42 mi 8
WWPB PBS 31 328° NNW 50 mi 4
WJAL Altavision 68 336° NNW 64 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Ashburn, VA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 17.6 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 23 miles.

For Ashburn 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 Ashburn are spread across 277° 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 Ashburn. 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 Ashburn, 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.