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

How to aim your TV antenna in Birmingham, AL

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

Transmitter directions from Birmingham, AL N E S W WPXH — 20° NNE, 34 mi WTJP — 25° NNE, 30 mi WGWW — 49° NE, 19 mi WEAC — 73° ENE, 48 mi WCIQ — 85° E, 50 mi WOIL — 92° E, 27 mi WAXC — 128° SE, 53 mi WOTM — 163° SSE, 2 mi WBXM — 189° S, 62 mi WBIH — 189° S, 62 mi WDVZ — 250° WSW, 52 mi WVUA-CD — 250° WSW, 52 mi WJMY — 253° WSW, 49 mi WSES — 275° W, 44 mi WDBB — 276° W, 42 mi WBMA — 276° W, 12 mi WSFG — 290° WNW, 55 mi W16DS-D — 298° WNW, 9 mi WVUA — 298° WNW, 9 mi WTTO — 298° WNW, 9 mi WIAT — 298° WNW, 9 mi WABM — 298° WNW, 9 mi WBIQ — 298° WNW, 9 mi WBUN — 298° WNW, 9 mi WUOA — 298° WNW, 9 mi WBRC — 301° WNW, 9 mi WTBM — 301° WNW, 9 mi WVTM — 303° WNW, 9 mi WCQT — 349° N, 53 mi Birmingham

Point West 273° on a compass — 62 miles of range covers this whole market

18/29stations in the beam
82/120free channels
68%of what's available
The other 11 stations sit east of you (87°). 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 Birmingham, AL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WPXH Ion 44 20° NNE 34 mi 9
WTJP TBN 60 25° NNE 30 mi 5
WGWW Heroes & Icons 40 49° NE 19 mi 3
WEAC Independent 24 73° ENE 48 mi 1
WCIQ PBS 7 85° E 50 mi 4
WOIL Independent 47 92° E 27 mi 1
WAXC Heartland TV 31 128° SE 53 mi 1
WOTM Independent 19 163° SSE 2 mi 1
WBXM Telemundo 5 189° S 62 mi 6
WBIH TCT 29 189° S 62 mi 6
WDVZ Cozi TV 3 250° WSW 52 mi 3
WVUA-CD Cozi TV 7 250° WSW 52 mi 3
WJMY Telemundo 25 253° WSW 49 mi 6
WSES Heroes & Icons 33 275° W 44 mi 3
WDBB CW 17 276° W 42 mi 6
WBMA ABC 58 276° W 12 mi 4
WSFG Daystar 51 290° WNW 55 mi 7
W16DS-D Independent 47 298° WNW 9 mi 2
WVUA Cozi TV 23 298° WNW 9 mi 4
WTTO CW 21 298° WNW 9 mi 4
WIAT CW 42 298° WNW 9 mi 4
WABM MyNetworkTV 68 298° WNW 9 mi 5
WBIQ PBS 10 298° WNW 9 mi 4
WBUN Daystar 28 298° WNW 9 mi 1
WUOA Fubo Sports 46 298° WNW 9 mi 7
WBRC FOX 6 301° WNW 9 mi 7
WTBM Telemundo 24 301° WNW 9 mi 6
WVTM NBC 13 303° WNW 9 mi 6
WCQT The Walk TV 27 349° N 53 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Birmingham, AL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 1.9 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 9 miles.

For Birmingham 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 Birmingham are spread across 300° 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 Birmingham. 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 Birmingham, 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.