Antenna aiming / Carbondale, IL
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Carbondale, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Carbondale, IL N E S W W29CI-D — 11° NNE, 58 mi W15BU-D — 64° ENE, 17 mi WSIL — 115° ESE, 20 mi WTCT — 141° SE, 16 mi WKPD — 146° SSE, 53 mi WDKA — 148° SSE, 28 mi WPSD — 162° SSE, 40 mi KFVS — 217° SW, 27 mi KBSI — 220° SW, 30 mi WPXS — 344° NNW, 68 mi WSIU — 356° N, 25 mi Carbondale

Point Southeast 132° on a compass — 68 miles of range covers this whole market

5/11stations in the beam
29/61free channels
48%of what's available
The other 6 stations sit north-northwest of you (345°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
3 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 Carbondale, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
W29CI-D 365BLK 29 11° NNE 58 mi 7
W15BU-D 3ABN 15 64° ENE 17 mi 5
WSIL ABC 3 115° ESE 20 mi 5
WTCT TCT 27 141° SE 16 mi 11
WKPD PBS 29 146° SSE 53 mi 4
WDKA MyNetworkTV 49 148° SSE 28 mi 6
WPSD NBC 6 162° SSE 40 mi 3
KFVS CBS 12 217° SW 27 mi 7
KBSI FOX 23 220° SW 30 mi 6
WPXS Daystar 13 344° NNW 68 mi 2
WSIU PBS 8 356° N 25 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Carbondale, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 16.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 58 miles.

For Carbondale we would start with an outdoor or roof-mounted antenna. The transmitters are a long way from town. An outdoor antenna mounted as high as possible, pointed toward the towers, is what it takes to receive the full lineup reliably.

The towers around Carbondale are spread across 236° 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 Carbondale. 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 Carbondale, IL, 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.