Antenna aiming / Chelmsford, MA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Chelmsford, MA

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

Transmitter directions from Chelmsford, MA N E S W WPXG — 3° N, 41 mi WENH — 10° N, 41 mi WMEA — 26° NNE, 63 mi WLEK — 102° ESE, 19 mi WCEA — 139° SE, 22 mi WHDT — 140° SE, 22 mi WWDP — 158° SSE, 43 mi WLWC — 159° SSE, 60 mi WHDH — 160° SSE, 21 mi WFXT — 161° SSE, 21 mi WLVI — 161° SSE, 21 mi WFXZ — 161° SSE, 21 mi WYDN — 161° SSE, 21 mi WMFP — 161° SSE, 21 mi WBPX — 161° SSE, 21 mi WBTS — 163° SSE, 20 mi WGBH — 163° SSE, 20 mi WBZ — 163° SSE, 20 mi WCVB — 163° SSE, 20 mi WGBX — 163° SSE, 20 mi WSBK — 163° SSE, 20 mi WYCN — 166° SSE, 42 mi WPRI — 176° S, 50 mi WNAC — 176° S, 50 mi WJAR — 176° S, 50 mi WPVD — 176° S, 50 mi WLNE — 176° S, 50 mi WUNI — 206° SSW, 16 mi WWJE — 206° SSW, 16 mi WUTF — 226° SW, 25 mi WMUR — 336° NNW, 30 mi WNEU — 337° NNW, 30 mi Chelmsford

Point South 177° on a compass — 63 miles of range covers this whole market

23/32stations in the beam
81/124free channels
65%of what's available
The other 9 stations sit north-northeast of you (32°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
10 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 Chelmsford, MA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WPXG Ion 21 3° N 41 mi 7
WENH PBS 11 10° N 41 mi 5
WMEA PBS 26 26° NNE 63 mi 6
WLEK Sports First TV 22 102° ESE 19 mi 7
WCEA Independent 26 139° SE 22 mi 4
WHDT Infomercials 3 140° SE 22 mi 1
WWDP Roar 46 158° SSE 43 mi 5
WLWC Bounce TV 28 159° SSE 60 mi 1
WHDH Independent 7 160° SSE 21 mi 2
WFXT FOX 25 161° SSE 21 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 161° SSE 21 mi 2
WFXZ Biz TV 24 161° SSE 21 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 161° SSE 21 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 161° SSE 21 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 161° SSE 21 mi 7
WBTS NBC 15 163° SSE 20 mi 2
WGBH PBS 2 163° SSE 20 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 163° SSE 20 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 163° SSE 20 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 163° SSE 20 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 163° SSE 20 mi 7
WYCN Telemundo 8 166° SSE 42 mi 4
WPRI CBS 12 176° S 50 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 176° S 50 mi 4
WJAR NBC 10 176° S 50 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 176° S 50 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 176° S 50 mi 4
WUNI Univision 66 206° SSW 16 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 206° SSW 16 mi 1
WUTF UniMas 27 226° SW 25 mi 5
WMUR ABC 9 336° NNW 30 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 337° NNW 30 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Chelmsford, MA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 16.0 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 21 miles.

For Chelmsford 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 Chelmsford are spread across 250° 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 Chelmsford. 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 Chelmsford, MA, 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.