Antenna aiming / Bay City, MI
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Bay City, MI

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

Transmitter directions from Bay City, MI N E S W WDCQ — 105° ESE, 15 mi WBSF — 147° SSE, 10 mi WNEM — 148° SSE, 11 mi WXON — 155° SSE, 33 mi WEYI — 156° SSE, 29 mi W35DQ-D — 162° SSE, 30 mi WFFC — 174° S, 14 mi WAQP — 191° S, 27 mi WJRT — 191° SSW, 26 mi WSMH — 193° SSW, 27 mi WLNS — 199° SSW, 66 mi WKAR — 201° SSW, 66 mi Bay City

Point South 171° on a compass — 66 miles of range covers this whole market

11/12stations in the beam
63/68free channels
93%of what's available
The other 1 station sit east-southeast of you (105°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
1 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 Bay City, MI

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WDCQ PBS 19 105° ESE 15 mi 5
WBSF CW 46 147° SSE 10 mi 3
WNEM CBS 5 148° SSE 11 mi 6
WXON Retro TV 9 155° SSE 33 mi 7
WEYI Roar 25 156° SSE 29 mi 5
W35DQ-D MovieSphere Gold 24 162° SSE 30 mi 7
WFFC Black Vision TV 17 174° S 14 mi 7
WAQP TCT 49 191° S 27 mi 11
WJRT ABC 12 191° SSW 26 mi 7
WSMH FOX 66 193° SSW 27 mi 4
WLNS CBS 6 199° SSW 66 mi 1
WKAR PBS 23 201° SSW 66 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Bay City, MI?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 10.3 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 33 miles.

For Bay City 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 sit within a 96° arc, so a directional antenna pointed south suits this market. With the furthest transmitters 66 miles out, mount it outdoors and as high as you can.

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 Bay City. 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 Bay City, MI, 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.