Antenna aiming / Bessemer, AL
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Bessemer, AL

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

Transmitter directions from Bessemer, AL N E S W WCQT — 7° N, 53 mi WPXH — 40° NE, 44 mi WTJP — 46° NE, 41 mi W16DS-D — 57° ENE, 10 mi WVTM — 57° ENE, 11 mi WUOA — 57° ENE, 10 mi WBRC — 57° ENE, 11 mi WTBM — 57° ENE, 11 mi WTTO — 57° ENE, 10 mi WIAT — 57° ENE, 10 mi WABM — 57° ENE, 10 mi WBIQ — 57° ENE, 10 mi WBUN — 57° ENE, 10 mi WVUA — 57° ENE, 10 mi WBMA — 58° ENE, 5 mi WGWW — 66° ENE, 34 mi WOIL — 89° E, 43 mi WOTM — 92° E, 17 mi WBXM — 174° S, 60 mi WBIH — 174° S, 60 mi WDVZ — 242° WSW, 37 mi WVUA-CD — 243° WSW, 37 mi WJMY — 247° WSW, 34 mi WSES — 281° W, 28 mi WDBB — 282° WNW, 26 mi WSFG — 299° WNW, 40 mi Bessemer

Point East-Northeast 62° on a compass — 60 miles of range covers this whole market

17/26stations in the beam
73/114free channels
64%of what's available
The other 9 stations sit west-southwest of you (255°). 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 Bessemer, AL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WCQT The Walk TV 27 7° N 53 mi 1
WPXH Ion 44 40° NE 44 mi 9
WTJP TBN 60 46° NE 41 mi 5
W16DS-D Independent 47 57° ENE 10 mi 2
WVTM NBC 13 57° ENE 11 mi 6
WUOA Fubo Sports 46 57° ENE 10 mi 7
WBRC FOX 6 57° ENE 11 mi 7
WTBM Telemundo 24 57° ENE 11 mi 6
WTTO CW 21 57° ENE 10 mi 4
WIAT CW 42 57° ENE 10 mi 4
WABM MyNetworkTV 68 57° ENE 10 mi 5
WBIQ PBS 10 57° ENE 10 mi 4
WBUN Daystar 28 57° ENE 10 mi 1
WVUA Cozi TV 23 57° ENE 10 mi 4
WBMA ABC 58 58° ENE 5 mi 4
WGWW Heroes & Icons 40 66° ENE 34 mi 3
WOIL Independent 47 89° E 43 mi 1
WOTM Independent 19 92° E 17 mi 1
WBXM Telemundo 5 174° S 60 mi 6
WBIH TCT 29 174° S 60 mi 6
WDVZ Cozi TV 3 242° WSW 37 mi 3
WVUA-CD Cozi TV 7 243° WSW 37 mi 3
WJMY Telemundo 25 247° WSW 34 mi 6
WSES Heroes & Icons 33 281° W 28 mi 3
WDBB CW 17 282° WNW 26 mi 6
WSFG Daystar 51 299° WNW 40 mi 7

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Bessemer, AL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 4.8 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 11 miles.

For Bessemer 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 Bessemer are spread across 278° 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 Bessemer. 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 Bessemer, AL, 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.