Antenna aiming / Athens, OH
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Athens, OH

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

Transmitter directions from Athens, OH N E S W WHIZ — 7° N, 43 mi WOUC — 38° NE, 68 mi WTAP — 84° E, 28 mi WOVA — 84° E, 28 mi WIYE — 84° E, 28 mi WLPX — 164° SSE, 60 mi WOCW — 164° SSE, 60 mi WCHS — 171° S, 63 mi WVAH — 171° S, 63 mi WVPB — 187° S, 57 mi WOWK — 187° S, 56 mi WQCW — 187° S, 56 mi WSAZ — 188° S, 56 mi WTSF — 196° SSW, 64 mi W26EW-D — 196° SSW, 64 mi WKAS — 206° SSW, 65 mi WOUB — 273° W, 4 mi WQMC — 311° NW, 66 mi WSYX — 311° NW, 66 mi WTTE — 311° NW, 66 mi WCMH — 312° NW, 68 mi WBNS — 312° NW, 68 mi WDEM — 312° NW, 68 mi WCLL — 312° NW, 68 mi WCSN — 315° NW, 70 mi WGCT — 317° NW, 69 mi WCBZ — 319° NW, 73 mi WOSU — 323° NW, 74 mi WSFJ — 329° NNW, 62 mi Athens

Point West-Northwest 299° on a compass — 74 miles of range covers this whole market

13/29stations in the beam
77/155free channels
50%of what's available
The other 16 stations sit south-southeast of you (160°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
5 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 Athens, OH

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WHIZ NBC 18 7° N 43 mi 3
WOUC PBS 44 38° NE 68 mi 7
WTAP NBC 15 84° E 28 mi 6
WOVA FOX 22 84° E 28 mi 2
WIYE CBS 26 84° E 28 mi 3
WLPX Ion 29 164° SSE 60 mi 9
WOCW MovieSphere Gold 21 164° SSE 60 mi 8
WCHS ABC 8 171° S 63 mi 4
WVAH Roar 11 171° S 63 mi 7
WVPB PBS 33 187° S 57 mi 3
WOWK CBS 13 187° S 56 mi 5
WQCW CW 30 187° S 56 mi 6
WSAZ NBC 3 188° S 56 mi 5
WTSF Daystar 61 196° SSW 64 mi 1
W26EW-D HSN 26 196° SSW 64 mi 5
WKAS PBS 25 206° SSW 65 mi 4
WOUB PBS 20 273° W 4 mi 7
WQMC Independent 15 311° NW 66 mi 2
WSYX ABC 6 311° NW 66 mi 4
WTTE Roar 28 311° NW 66 mi 5
WCMH NBC 4 312° NW 68 mi 5
WBNS CBS 10 312° NW 68 mi 8
WDEM Rock Entertainment Sports Network 17 312° NW 68 mi 12
WCLL Daystar 19 312° NW 68 mi 1
WCSN Movies! 32 315° NW 70 mi 8
WGCT TCT 39 317° NW 69 mi 10
WCBZ Cozi TV 22 319° NW 73 mi 8
WOSU PBS 34 323° NW 74 mi 5
WSFJ Bounce TV 51 329° NNW 62 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Athens, OH?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 3.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 61 miles.

For Athens we would start with an outdoor or roof-mounted antenna. The transmitters are a long way from town. An outdoor antenna mounted as high as possible, pointed toward the towers, is what it takes to receive the full lineup reliably.

The towers around Athens are spread across 280° 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 Athens. 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 Athens, OH, 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.