Antenna aiming / Austin, TX
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Austin, TX

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

Transmitter directions from Austin, TX N E S W KTBC — 2° N, 7 mi KPLE — 3° N, 60 mi KNCT — 10° N, 55 mi K32OJ-D — 33° NNE, 6 mi KZCZ — 38° NE, 78 mi KSAT — 203° SSW, 70 mi WOAI — 204° SSW, 71 mi KENS — 204° SSW, 71 mi KHCE — 204° SSW, 69 mi K25OB-D — 204° SSW, 70 mi KVDA — 204° SSW, 69 mi KGMM — 204° SSW, 69 mi KWEX — 204° SSW, 69 mi KABB — 204° SSW, 69 mi KLRN — 209° SSW, 69 mi KQVE — 209° SSW, 69 mi KISA — 219° SW, 68 mi K17MJ-D — 219° SW, 68 mi KVDF — 219° SW, 68 mi KOBS — 221° SW, 40 mi KNIC — 231° SW, 55 mi KCWX — 264° W, 49 mi KBVO — 306° NW, 56 mi KAKW — 342° NNW, 38 mi KLRU — 358° N, 8 mi KVUE — 358° N, 8 mi KEYE — 358° N, 8 mi KGBS — 358° N, 8 mi KADF — 359° N, 8 mi KADT — 359° N, 8 mi KVAT — 359° N, 8 mi KXAN — 359° N, 8 mi KNVA — 359° N, 8 mi KBVO-CD — 359° N, 8 mi KTFO — 359° N, 8 mi Austin

Point North 9° on a compass — 78 miles of range covers this whole market

17/35stations in the beam
107/209free channels
51%of what's available
The other 18 stations sit southwest of you (216°). 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 Austin, TX

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KTBC FOX 7 2° N 7 mi 7
KPLE TCT 30 3° N 60 mi 4
KNCT CW 46 10° N 55 mi 7
K32OJ-D Independent 32 33° NNE 6 mi 3
KZCZ Daystar 34 38° NE 78 mi 6
KSAT ABC 12 203° SSW 70 mi 5
WOAI NBC 4 204° SSW 71 mi 4
KENS CBS 5 204° SSW 71 mi 8
KHCE TBN 23 204° SSW 69 mi 2
K25OB-D NTD America 27 204° SSW 70 mi 7
KVDA Telemundo 60 204° SSW 69 mi 7
KGMM Estrella TV 10 204° SSW 69 mi 8
KWEX Univision 41 204° SSW 69 mi 6
KABB FOX 29 204° SSW 69 mi 4
KLRN PBS 9 209° SSW 69 mi 6
KQVE Daystar 46 209° SSW 69 mi 1
KISA Infomercials 40 219° SW 68 mi 7
K17MJ-D Sports First TV 51 219° SW 68 mi 7
KVDF Fubo Sports 31 219° SW 68 mi 7
KOBS Infomercials 19 221° SW 40 mi 7
KNIC UniMas 17 231° SW 55 mi 6
KCWX MyNetworkTV 2 264° W 49 mi 6
KBVO MyNetworkTV 14 306° NW 56 mi 4
KAKW Univision 62 342° NNW 38 mi 8
KLRU PBS 18 358° N 8 mi 4
KVUE ABC 24 358° N 8 mi 8
KEYE CBS 42 358° N 8 mi 6
KGBS Infomercials 19 358° N 8 mi 7
KADF Shop HQ 20 359° N 8 mi 12
KADT Daystar 16 359° N 8 mi 1
KVAT Fubo Sports 17 359° N 8 mi 12
KXAN NBC 36 359° N 8 mi 5
KNVA CW 54 359° N 8 mi 5
KBVO-CD MyNetworkTV 14 359° N 8 mi 4
KTFO UniMas 31 359° N 8 mi 8

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Austin, TX?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 6.5 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 9 miles.

For Austin 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 Austin 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.

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 Austin. 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 Austin, TX, 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.