Antenna aiming / Catonsville, MD
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Catonsville, MD

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

Transmitter directions from Catonsville, MD N E S W WGAL — 7° N, 53 mi WLYH — 11° N, 45 mi WMJF — 40° NE, 12 mi WUTB — 50° NE, 7 mi WBFF — 50° NE, 7 mi WNUV — 50° NE, 7 mi WMAR — 50° NE, 7 mi WBAL — 50° NE, 7 mi WJZ — 50° NE, 7 mi WWDD — 58° ENE, 32 mi WQAW — 158° SSE, 20 mi WMPT — 158° SSE, 20 mi WDCW — 215° SW, 26 mi WRC — 218° SW, 29 mi WIAV — 218° SW, 29 mi WDCO — 218° SW, 29 mi WDME — 218° SW, 29 mi WRZB — 218° SW, 29 mi WFDC — 218° SW, 29 mi WZDC — 218° SW, 29 mi WWTD — 218° SW, 29 mi WETA — 219° SW, 29 mi WJLA — 219° SW, 29 mi WUSA — 219° SW, 29 mi WHUT — 219° SW, 29 mi WPXW — 219° SW, 29 mi WTTG — 220° SW, 28 mi WDCA — 220° SW, 28 mi WNVT — 220° SW, 58 mi WDDN — 222° SW, 25 mi WNVC — 223° SW, 38 mi WDCN — 223° SW, 38 mi WDWA — 223° SW, 46 mi WFPT — 269° W, 30 mi WMPB — 352° N, 12 mi Catonsville

Point West-Southwest 239° on a compass — 58 miles of range covers this whole market

22/35stations in the beam
77/144free channels
53%of what's available
The other 13 stations sit northeast of you (48°). 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 Catonsville, MD

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WGAL NBC 8 7° N 53 mi 6
WLYH Independent 49 11° N 45 mi 1
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 40° NE 12 mi 7
WUTB Roar 24 50° NE 7 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 50° NE 7 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 50° NE 7 mi 4
WMAR ABC 2 50° NE 7 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 50° NE 7 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 50° NE 7 mi 6
WWDD Daystar 49 58° ENE 32 mi 1
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 158° SSE 20 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 158° SSE 20 mi 5
WDCW CW 50 215° SW 26 mi 3
WRC NBC 4 218° SW 29 mi 4
WIAV Roar 58 218° SW 29 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 218° SW 29 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 218° SW 29 mi 8
WRZB HSN2 31 218° SW 29 mi 4
WFDC Univision 14 218° SW 29 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 218° SW 29 mi 2
WWTD HSN2 49 218° SW 29 mi 5
WETA PBS 26 219° SW 29 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 219° SW 29 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 219° SW 29 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 219° SW 29 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 219° SW 29 mi 8
WTTG FOX 5 220° SW 28 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 220° SW 28 mi 4
WNVT World 23 220° SW 58 mi 1
WDDN Daystar 23 222° SW 25 mi 2
WNVC World 41 223° SW 38 mi 1
WDCN The Country Network 6 223° SW 38 mi 1
WDWA Daystar 23 223° SW 46 mi 2
WFPT PBS 62 269° W 30 mi 4
WMPB PBS 67 352° N 12 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Catonsville, MD?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 6.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 20 miles.

For Catonsville 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 Catonsville are spread across 260° 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 Catonsville. 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 Catonsville, MD, 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.