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

How to aim your TV antenna in Cary, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Cary, IL N E S W WDMW — 3° N, 52 mi WDJT — 14° NNE, 64 mi WMLW — 14° NNE, 64 mi WBME — 14° NNE, 64 mi WYTU — 14° NNE, 64 mi WISN — 14° NNE, 64 mi WVTV — 15° NNE, 63 mi WPXE — 15° NNE, 63 mi WMVS — 15° NNE, 63 mi WVCY — 15° NNE, 63 mi WMVT — 15° NNE, 63 mi WIWN — 15° NNE, 63 mi WMKE — 15° NNE, 63 mi WTSJ — 15° NNE, 63 mi WTMJ — 16° NNE, 63 mi WITI — 16° NNE, 63 mi WRME — 125° SE, 38 mi WESV — 125° SE, 38 mi WGBO — 125° SE, 38 mi WOCK — 125° SE, 38 mi W31EZ-D — 126° SE, 39 mi WDCI — 126° SE, 39 mi WRJK — 127° SE, 39 mi WLS — 127° SE, 39 mi WTTW — 127° SE, 39 mi WXFT — 127° SE, 39 mi WBBM — 127° SE, 39 mi WCPX — 127° SE, 39 mi WPWR — 127° SE, 39 mi WJYS — 127° SE, 39 mi WWME — 127° SE, 39 mi WEDE — 127° SE, 39 mi WFLD — 127° SE, 39 mi WMAQ — 127° SE, 39 mi WGN — 127° SE, 39 mi WCIU — 127° SE, 39 mi WSNS — 127° SE, 39 mi WMEU — 127° SE, 39 mi WPVN — 141° SE, 16 mi WYIN — 144° SE, 74 mi WLPD — 163° SSE, 28 mi WWTO — 209° SSW, 74 mi WQRF — 276° W, 48 mi WTVO — 276° W, 48 mi WFBN — 277° W, 48 mi WIFR — 277° W, 48 mi WSLN — 277° W, 48 mi Cary

Point Southeast 134° on a compass — 74 miles of range covers this whole market

25/47stations in the beam
124/228free channels
54%of what's available
The other 22 stations sit north of you (354°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
7 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 Cary, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WDMW Daystar 65 3° N 52 mi 1
WDJT CBS 58 14° NNE 64 mi 5
WMLW Independent 49 14° NNE 64 mi 5
WBME MeTV 41 14° NNE 64 mi 1
WYTU Telemundo 63 14° NNE 64 mi 5
WISN ABC 12 14° NNE 64 mi 4
WVTV CW 18 15° NNE 63 mi 4
WPXE Ion 55 15° NNE 63 mi 8
WMVS PBS 10 15° NNE 63 mi 3
WVCY Independent 30 15° NNE 63 mi 1
WMVT PBS 36 15° NNE 63 mi 3
WIWN Cozi TV 68 15° NNE 63 mi 8
WMKE Jewelry TV 21 15° NNE 63 mi 8
WTSJ Fubo Sports 38 15° NNE 63 mi 12
WTMJ NBC 4 16° NNE 63 mi 7
WITI FOX 6 16° NNE 63 mi 4
WRME Jewelry TV 6 125° SE 38 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 125° SE 38 mi 7
WGBO Univision 66 125° SE 38 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 125° SE 38 mi 6
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 126° SE 39 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 126° SE 39 mi 1
WRJK Diya TV 22 127° SE 39 mi 10
WLS ABC 7 127° SE 39 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 127° SE 39 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 127° SE 39 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 127° SE 39 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 127° SE 39 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 127° SE 39 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 127° SE 39 mi 11
WWME MeTV 23 127° SE 39 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 127° SE 39 mi 2
WFLD FOX 32 127° SE 39 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 127° SE 39 mi 5
WGN CW 9 127° SE 39 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 127° SE 39 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 127° SE 39 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 127° SE 39 mi 4
WPVN MBC 24 141° SE 16 mi 10
WYIN PBS 56 144° SE 74 mi 2
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 163° SSE 28 mi 2
WWTO TBN 35 209° SSW 74 mi 4
WQRF FOX 39 276° W 48 mi 4
WTVO ABC 17 276° W 48 mi 4
WFBN Heroes & Icons 35 277° W 48 mi 4
WIFR CBS 23 277° W 48 mi 6
WSLN CW 19 277° W 48 mi 3

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Cary, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 15.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 39 miles.

For Cary 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 Cary are spread across 251° 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 Cary. 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 Cary, 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.