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

How to aim your TV antenna in Carol Stream, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Carol Stream, IL N E S W WPVN — 26° NNE, 10 mi WRME — 92° E, 26 mi WESV — 92° E, 26 mi WGBO — 92° E, 26 mi WOCK — 92° E, 26 mi W31EZ-D — 94° E, 26 mi WDCI — 94° E, 26 mi WLS — 96° E, 26 mi WTTW — 96° E, 26 mi WXFT — 96° E, 26 mi WBBM — 96° E, 26 mi WCPX — 96° E, 26 mi WPWR — 96° E, 26 mi WJYS — 96° E, 26 mi WWME — 96° E, 26 mi WEDE — 96° E, 26 mi WFLD — 96° E, 26 mi WMAQ — 96° E, 26 mi WGN — 96° E, 26 mi WCIU — 96° E, 26 mi WSNS — 96° E, 26 mi WMEU — 96° E, 26 mi WRJK — 96° E, 26 mi WYIN — 136° SE, 54 mi WLPD — 155° SSE, 6 mi WWTO — 224° SW, 61 mi Carol Stream

Point East-Southeast 106° on a compass — 61 miles of range covers this whole market

23/26stations in the beam
112/128free channels
88%of what's available
The other 3 stations sit south-southeast of you (166°). 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 Carol Stream, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WPVN MBC 24 26° NNE 10 mi 10
WRME Jewelry TV 6 92° E 26 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 92° E 26 mi 7
WGBO Univision 66 92° E 26 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 92° E 26 mi 6
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 94° E 26 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 94° E 26 mi 1
WLS ABC 7 96° E 26 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 96° E 26 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 96° E 26 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 96° E 26 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 96° E 26 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 96° E 26 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 96° E 26 mi 11
WWME MeTV 23 96° E 26 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 96° E 26 mi 2
WFLD FOX 32 96° E 26 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 96° E 26 mi 5
WGN CW 9 96° E 26 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 96° E 26 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 96° E 26 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 96° E 26 mi 4
WRJK Diya TV 22 96° E 26 mi 10
WYIN PBS 56 136° SE 54 mi 2
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 155° SSE 6 mi 2
WWTO TBN 35 224° SW 61 mi 4

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Carol Stream, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 5.9 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 26 miles.

For Carol Stream 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 Carol Stream are spread across 197° 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 Carol Stream. 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 Carol Stream, 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.