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

How to aim your TV antenna in Charlotte, NC

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

Transmitter directions from Charlotte, NC N E S W WHWD — 31° NNE, 61 mi WFMY — 55° NE, 65 mi WXLV — 56° NE, 66 mi WMYV — 56° NE, 66 mi WCWG — 56° NE, 66 mi WLXI — 56° NE, 66 mi WGHP — 58° ENE, 63 mi WUNG — 82° E, 11 mi WTVI — 120° ESE, 7 mi WDMC — 132° SE, 9 mi WCEE — 132° SE, 9 mi WHEH — 132° SE, 9 mi WSOC — 141° SE, 7 mi WAXN — 141° SE, 7 mi WCCB — 142° SE, 6 mi WNSC — 200° SSW, 36 mi W15EB-D — 204° SSW, 10 mi WCNC — 272° W, 21 mi WBTV — 275° W, 22 mi WJZY — 275° W, 20 mi WMYT — 275° W, 20 mi WGTB — 275° W, 20 mi WWJS — 313° NW, 40 mi Charlotte

Point East-Southeast 112° on a compass — 66 miles of range covers this whole market

8/23stations in the beam
34/98free channels
35%of what's available
The other 15 stations sit north-northwest of you (344°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
1 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 Charlotte, NC

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WHWD Daystar 21 31° NNE 61 mi 1
WFMY CBS 2 55° NE 65 mi 8
WXLV ABC 45 56° NE 66 mi 5
WMYV MyNetworkTV 48 56° NE 66 mi 3
WCWG CW 20 56° NE 66 mi 2
WLXI TCT 43 56° NE 66 mi 1
WGHP FOX 8 58° ENE 63 mi 6
WUNG PBS 58 82° E 11 mi 4
WTVI PBS 42 120° ESE 7 mi 1
WDMC Daystar 25 132° SE 9 mi 1
WCEE Estrella TV 16 132° SE 9 mi 3
WHEH Cozi TV 41 132° SE 9 mi 7
WSOC ABC 9 141° SE 7 mi 5
WAXN Independent 64 141° SE 7 mi 3
WCCB Independent 18 142° SE 6 mi 10
WNSC PBS 30 200° SSW 36 mi 4
W15EB-D Defy TV 21 204° SSW 10 mi 6
WCNC NBC 36 272° W 21 mi 6
WBTV CBS 3 275° W 22 mi 6
WJZY FOX 46 275° W 20 mi 7
WMYT CW 55 275° W 20 mi 1
WGTB Independent 28 275° W 20 mi 1
WWJS SonLife 14 313° NW 40 mi 7

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Charlotte, NC?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 6.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 20 miles.

For Charlotte 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 Charlotte are spread across 282° 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 Charlotte. 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 Charlotte, 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.