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

How to aim your TV antenna in Cary, NC

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, NC N E S W WRPX — 62° ENE, 44 mi WRAY — 88° E, 42 mi WWIW — 96° E, 12 mi WRAL — 114° ESE, 22 mi WRAZ — 114° ESE, 22 mi WNCN — 114° ESE, 22 mi WLFL — 115° ESE, 22 mi WRTD — 115° ESE, 22 mi WRDC — 115° ESE, 22 mi WTVD — 116° ESE, 22 mi WNGT — 120° ESE, 38 mi WARZ — 120° ESE, 38 mi WHFL — 122° ESE, 57 mi WNCB — 186° S, 53 mi WFPX — 189° S, 65 mi WUVC — 194° SSW, 21 mi WBFT — 211° SSW, 28 mi WGHP — 271° W, 53 mi WCWG — 275° W, 53 mi WLXI — 275° W, 53 mi WXLV — 275° W, 53 mi WMYV — 275° W, 53 mi WFMY — 275° W, 54 mi WUNC — 285° WNW, 16 mi WIRP — 286° WNW, 16 mi WGPX — 306° NW, 53 mi WYAT — 318° NW, 82 mi WMDV — 337° NNW, 70 mi WTNC — 348° NNW, 18 mi Cary

Point West-Northwest 289° on a compass — 82 miles of range covers this whole market

10/29stations in the beam
48/123free channels
39%of what's available
The other 19 stations sit east-southeast of you (120°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
5 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, NC

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WRPX Ion 47 62° ENE 44 mi 7
WRAY TCT 30 88° E 42 mi 1
WWIW Daystar 66 96° E 12 mi 1
WRAL NBC 5 114° ESE 22 mi 5
WRAZ FOX 50 114° ESE 22 mi 4
WNCN CBS 17 114° ESE 22 mi 5
WLFL CW 22 115° ESE 22 mi 4
WRTD Telemundo 54 115° ESE 22 mi 1
WRDC MyNetworkTV 28 115° ESE 22 mi 3
WTVD ABC 11 116° ESE 22 mi 5
WNGT WRAL Plus 34 120° ESE 38 mi 4
WARZ 3ABN 21 120° ESE 38 mi 1
WHFL Independent 43 122° ESE 57 mi 4
WNCB Infomercials 16 186° S 53 mi 7
WFPX Bounce TV 62 189° S 65 mi 1
WUVC Univision 40 194° SSW 21 mi 8
WBFT TCT 46 211° SSW 28 mi 4
WGHP FOX 8 271° W 53 mi 6
WCWG CW 20 275° W 53 mi 2
WLXI TCT 43 275° W 53 mi 1
WXLV ABC 45 275° W 53 mi 5
WMYV MyNetworkTV 48 275° W 53 mi 3
WFMY CBS 2 275° W 54 mi 8
WUNC PBS 4 285° WNW 16 mi 4
WIRP Hasbro Legends 27 286° WNW 16 mi 8
WGPX Ion 16 306° NW 53 mi 9
WYAT This TV 40 318° NW 82 mi 2
WMDV Independent 23 337° NNW 70 mi 2
WTNC UniMas 11 348° NNW 18 mi 8

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Cary, NC?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 11.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 23 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 286° 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, NC, 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.