Antenna aiming / Bristow, VA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Bristow, VA

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

Transmitter directions from Bristow, VA N E S W WFPT — 20° NNE, 38 mi WMPB — 40° NE, 64 mi WMJF — 48° NE, 69 mi WUTB — 49° NE, 64 mi WBFF — 49° NE, 64 mi WNUV — 49° NE, 64 mi WMAR — 49° NE, 64 mi WBAL — 49° NE, 64 mi WJZ — 49° NE, 64 mi WDDN — 56° NE, 32 mi WTTG — 59° ENE, 30 mi WDCA — 59° ENE, 30 mi WETA — 60° ENE, 30 mi WJLA — 60° ENE, 30 mi WUSA — 60° ENE, 30 mi WHUT — 60° ENE, 30 mi WPXW — 60° ENE, 30 mi WWTD — 61° ENE, 29 mi WIAV — 61° ENE, 29 mi WDCO — 61° ENE, 29 mi WDME — 61° ENE, 29 mi WFDC — 61° ENE, 29 mi WZDC — 61° ENE, 29 mi WRZB — 61° ENE, 29 mi WRC — 61° ENE, 29 mi WDCW — 61° ENE, 32 mi WDCN — 62° ENE, 20 mi WNVC — 62° ENE, 20 mi WQAW — 69° ENE, 54 mi WMPT — 69° ENE, 54 mi WDWA — 74° ENE, 13 mi WNVT — 140° SE, 10 mi WUPV — 167° SSE, 71 mi WVIR — 224° SW, 72 mi WCAV — 224° SW, 72 mi WVAW — 224° SW, 72 mi WHTJ — 224° SW, 72 mi WDVM — 301° WNW, 29 mi WWPX — 331° NNW, 57 mi WWPB — 341° NNW, 67 mi Bristow

Point Northeast 44° on a compass — 72 miles of range covers this whole market

31/40stations in the beam
135/173free channels
78%of what's available
The other 9 stations sit west-southwest of you (238°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
8 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 Bristow, VA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WFPT PBS 62 20° NNE 38 mi 4
WMPB PBS 67 40° NE 64 mi 5
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 48° NE 69 mi 7
WUTB Roar 24 49° NE 64 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 49° NE 64 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 49° NE 64 mi 4
WMAR ABC 2 49° NE 64 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 49° NE 64 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 49° NE 64 mi 6
WDDN Daystar 23 56° NE 32 mi 2
WTTG FOX 5 59° ENE 30 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 59° ENE 30 mi 4
WETA PBS 26 60° ENE 30 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 60° ENE 30 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 60° ENE 30 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 60° ENE 30 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 60° ENE 30 mi 8
WWTD HSN2 49 61° ENE 29 mi 5
WIAV Roar 58 61° ENE 29 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 61° ENE 29 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 61° ENE 29 mi 8
WFDC Univision 14 61° ENE 29 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 61° ENE 29 mi 2
WRZB HSN2 31 61° ENE 29 mi 4
WRC NBC 4 61° ENE 29 mi 4
WDCW CW 50 61° ENE 32 mi 3
WDCN The Country Network 6 62° ENE 20 mi 1
WNVC World 41 62° ENE 20 mi 1
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 69° ENE 54 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 69° ENE 54 mi 5
WDWA Daystar 23 74° ENE 13 mi 2
WNVT World 23 140° SE 10 mi 1
WUPV CW 65 167° SSE 71 mi 5
WVIR NBC 29 224° SW 72 mi 6
WCAV CBS 19 224° SW 72 mi 3
WVAW ABC 16 224° SW 72 mi 3
WHTJ PBS 41 224° SW 72 mi 4
WDVM Independent 25 301° WNW 29 mi 4
WWPX Ion 60 331° NNW 57 mi 8
WWPB PBS 31 341° NNW 67 mi 4

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Bristow, VA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 9.8 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 30 miles.

For Bristow 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 Bristow are spread across 283° 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 Bristow. 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 Bristow, VA, 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.