Antenna aiming / Big Bear City, CA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Big Bear City, CA

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

Transmitter directions from Big Bear City, CA N E S W KUNA — 134° SE, 46 mi KMIR — 142° SE, 34 mi KPSE — 142° SE, 34 mi K21DO-D — 142° SE, 34 mi KVPS — 142° SE, 34 mi KPSP — 142° SE, 34 mi KEVC — 142° SE, 34 mi KVER — 142° SE, 34 mi KDFX — 142° SE, 34 mi KCWQ — 142° SE, 34 mi KYAV — 142° SE, 34 mi KESQ — 142° SE, 34 mi KRET — 142° SE, 34 mi KVMD — 183° S, 15 mi KZSW — 233° SW, 34 mi KVCR — 234° SW, 34 mi KILA — 236° WSW, 57 mi K36JH-D — 311° NW, 37 mi Big Bear City

Point South-Southeast 153° on a compass — 57 miles of range covers this whole market

14/18stations in the beam
65/94free channels
69%of what's available
The other 4 stations sit west-southwest of you (251°). 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 Big Bear City, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KUNA Telemundo 15 134° SE 46 mi 1
KMIR NBC 36 142° SE 34 mi 2
KPSE MyNetworkTV 50 142° SE 34 mi 4
K21DO-D 365BLK 21 142° SE 34 mi 8
KVPS Independent 8 142° SE 34 mi 7
KPSP CBS 38 142° SE 34 mi 3
KEVC UniMas 5 142° SE 34 mi 3
KVER Univision 41 142° SE 34 mi 6
KDFX FOX 33 142° SE 34 mi 3
KCWQ CW 2 142° SE 34 mi 2
KYAV Independent 12 142° SE 34 mi 3
KESQ ABC 42 142° SE 34 mi 5
KRET Binge TV 45 142° SE 34 mi 12
KVMD OnTV4U 31 183° S 15 mi 6
KZSW 3ABN 10 233° SW 34 mi 11
KVCR PBS 24 234° SW 34 mi 4
KILA Infomercials 8 236° WSW 57 mi 12
K36JH-D Classic Shows 36 311° NW 37 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Big Bear City, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 15.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 35 miles.

For Big Bear 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 around Big Bear City are spread across 178° 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 Big Bear 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 Big Bear City, CA, 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.