Antenna aiming / Cathedral City, CA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Cathedral City, CA

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

Transmitter directions from Cathedral City, CA N E S W KESQ — 26° NNE, 4 mi KRET — 26° NNE, 4 mi K21DO-D — 26° NNE, 4 mi KDFX — 27° NNE, 4 mi KCWQ — 27° NNE, 4 mi KYAV — 27° NNE, 4 mi KMIR — 27° NNE, 4 mi KPSE — 27° NNE, 4 mi KVPS — 28° NNE, 4 mi KPSP — 28° NNE, 4 mi KEVC — 28° NNE, 4 mi KVER — 28° NNE, 4 mi KUNA — 93° E, 14 mi KZTC — 208° SSW, 63 mi KSKT — 208° SSW, 63 mi KFMB — 214° SW, 81 mi KBNT — 214° SW, 81 mi KGTV — 214° SW, 81 mi KZSW — 282° WNW, 48 mi KVCR — 283° WNW, 48 mi KVMD — 308° NW, 25 mi K36JH-D — 320° NW, 73 mi Cathedral City

Point North 0° on a compass — 81 miles of range covers this whole market

12/22stations in the beam
58/115free channels
50%of what's available
The other 10 stations sit west-southwest of you (243°). 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 Cathedral City, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KESQ ABC 42 26° NNE 4 mi 5
KRET Binge TV 45 26° NNE 4 mi 12
K21DO-D 365BLK 21 26° NNE 4 mi 8
KDFX FOX 33 27° NNE 4 mi 3
KCWQ CW 2 27° NNE 4 mi 2
KYAV Independent 12 27° NNE 4 mi 3
KMIR NBC 36 27° NNE 4 mi 2
KPSE MyNetworkTV 50 27° NNE 4 mi 4
KVPS Independent 8 28° NNE 4 mi 7
KPSP CBS 38 28° NNE 4 mi 3
KEVC UniMas 5 28° NNE 4 mi 3
KVER Univision 41 28° NNE 4 mi 6
KUNA Telemundo 15 93° E 14 mi 1
KZTC Biz TV 7 208° SSW 63 mi 4
KSKT MovieSphere Gold 43 208° SSW 63 mi 12
KFMB CBS 8 214° SW 81 mi 6
KBNT Univision 17 214° SW 81 mi 3
KGTV ABC 10 214° SW 81 mi 8
KZSW 3ABN 10 282° WNW 48 mi 11
KVCR PBS 24 283° WNW 48 mi 4
KVMD OnTV4U 31 308° NW 25 mi 6
K36JH-D Classic Shows 36 320° NW 73 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Cathedral City, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 4.0 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 5 miles.

For Cathedral City we would start with a basic indoor antenna. Most of the lineup is transmitting from close by, so a flat indoor antenna in a window facing the towers should be enough.

The towers around Cathedral City are spread across 245° 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 Cathedral City. 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 Cathedral City, CA, 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.