Antenna aiming / Batavia, IL
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Batavia, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Batavia, IL N E S W WPVN — 45° NE, 20 mi WGBO — 84° E, 36 mi WOCK — 84° E, 36 mi WRME — 84° E, 36 mi WESV — 84° E, 36 mi W31EZ-D — 85° E, 36 mi WDCI — 85° E, 36 mi WFLD — 86° E, 35 mi WMAQ — 86° E, 35 mi WGN — 86° E, 35 mi WCIU — 86° E, 35 mi WSNS — 86° E, 35 mi WMEU — 86° E, 35 mi WWME — 86° E, 35 mi WEDE — 86° E, 35 mi WLS — 86° E, 35 mi WTTW — 86° E, 35 mi WXFT — 86° E, 35 mi WBBM — 86° E, 35 mi WCPX — 86° E, 35 mi WPWR — 86° E, 35 mi WJYS — 86° E, 35 mi WRJK — 86° E, 35 mi WLPD — 91° E, 12 mi WYIN — 126° SE, 58 mi WWTO — 220° SW, 51 mi WREX — 304° WNW, 57 mi WQRF — 305° NW, 54 mi WTVO — 305° NW, 54 mi WFBN — 306° NW, 54 mi WIFR — 306° NW, 54 mi WSLN — 306° NW, 54 mi Batavia

Point East-Northeast 62° on a compass — 58 miles of range covers this whole market

24/32stations in the beam
122/155free channels
79%of what's available
The other 8 stations sit west-northwest of you (294°). 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 Batavia, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WPVN MBC 24 45° NE 20 mi 10
WGBO Univision 66 84° E 36 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 84° E 36 mi 6
WRME Jewelry TV 6 84° E 36 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 84° E 36 mi 7
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 85° E 36 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 85° E 36 mi 1
WFLD FOX 32 86° E 35 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 86° E 35 mi 5
WGN CW 9 86° E 35 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 86° E 35 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 86° E 35 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 86° E 35 mi 4
WWME MeTV 23 86° E 35 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 86° E 35 mi 2
WLS ABC 7 86° E 35 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 86° E 35 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 86° E 35 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 86° E 35 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 86° E 35 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 86° E 35 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 86° E 35 mi 11
WRJK Diya TV 22 86° E 35 mi 10
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 91° E 12 mi 2
WYIN PBS 56 126° SE 58 mi 2
WWTO TBN 35 220° SW 51 mi 4
WREX NBC 13 304° WNW 57 mi 6
WQRF FOX 39 305° NW 54 mi 4
WTVO ABC 17 305° NW 54 mi 4
WFBN Heroes & Icons 35 306° NW 54 mi 4
WIFR CBS 23 306° NW 54 mi 6
WSLN CW 19 306° NW 54 mi 3

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Batavia, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 11.9 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 35 miles.

For Batavia 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 Batavia are spread across 261° 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 Batavia. 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 Batavia, IL, 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.