Antenna aiming / Boston, MA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Boston, MA

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

Transmitter directions from Boston, MA N E S W WLEK — 23° NNE, 14 mi WHDT — 53° NE, 1 mi WCEA — 59° ENE, 1 mi WDPX — 139° SE, 59 mi WLWC — 168° SSE, 40 mi WWDP — 174° S, 23 mi WYCN — 187° S, 24 mi WPRI — 197° SSW, 33 mi WNAC — 197° SSW, 33 mi WJAR — 197° SSW, 34 mi WPVD — 197° SSW, 34 mi WLNE — 197° SSW, 34 mi WPXQ — 211° SSW, 68 mi WFXT — 248° WSW, 7 mi WLVI — 248° WSW, 7 mi WFXZ — 251° WSW, 7 mi WYDN — 251° WSW, 7 mi WMFP — 251° WSW, 7 mi WBPX — 251° WSW, 7 mi WHDH — 252° WSW, 7 mi WBTS — 254° WSW, 8 mi WGBH — 254° WSW, 8 mi WBZ — 254° WSW, 8 mi WCVB — 254° WSW, 8 mi WGBX — 254° WSW, 8 mi WSBK — 254° WSW, 8 mi WUTF — 270° W, 32 mi WUNI — 279° W, 21 mi WWJE — 279° W, 21 mi WMUR — 331° NNW, 51 mi WNEU — 331° NNW, 51 mi WPXG — 349° N, 59 mi WENH — 354° N, 58 mi Boston

Point Southwest 225° on a compass — 68 miles of range covers this whole market

19/33stations in the beam
73/127free channels
57%of what's available
The other 14 stations sit north-northwest of you (330°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
10 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 Boston, MA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WLEK Sports First TV 22 23° NNE 14 mi 7
WHDT Infomercials 3 53° NE 1 mi 1
WCEA Independent 26 59° ENE 1 mi 4
WDPX Grit 58 139° SE 59 mi 1
WLWC Bounce TV 28 168° SSE 40 mi 1
WWDP Roar 46 174° S 23 mi 5
WYCN Telemundo 8 187° S 24 mi 4
WPRI CBS 12 197° SSW 33 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 197° SSW 33 mi 4
WJAR NBC 10 197° SSW 34 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 197° SSW 34 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 197° SSW 34 mi 4
WPXQ Ion 69 211° SSW 68 mi 8
WFXT FOX 25 248° WSW 7 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 248° WSW 7 mi 2
WFXZ Biz TV 24 251° WSW 7 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 251° WSW 7 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 251° WSW 7 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 251° WSW 7 mi 7
WHDH Independent 7 252° WSW 7 mi 2
WBTS NBC 15 254° WSW 8 mi 2
WGBH PBS 2 254° WSW 8 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 254° WSW 8 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 254° WSW 8 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 254° WSW 8 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 254° WSW 8 mi 7
WUTF UniMas 27 270° W 32 mi 5
WUNI Univision 66 279° W 21 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 279° W 21 mi 1
WMUR ABC 9 331° NNW 51 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 331° NNW 51 mi 5
WPXG Ion 21 349° N 59 mi 7
WENH PBS 11 354° N 58 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Boston, MA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 0.8 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 8 miles.

For Boston 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 Boston are spread across 280° 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 Boston. 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 Boston, MA, 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.