Antenna aiming / Chester, PA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Chester, PA

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

Transmitter directions from Chester, PA N E S W KYW — 27° NNE, 15 mi WPVI — 27° NNE, 15 mi WDPN — 28° NNE, 15 mi WPHL — 28° NNE, 15 mi WHYY — 28° NNE, 15 mi WTXF — 28° NNE, 15 mi WTVE — 28° NNE, 15 mi WFPA — 28° NNE, 15 mi WCAU — 28° NNE, 15 mi WPSG — 28° NNE, 15 mi WUVP — 28° NNE, 15 mi WGTW — 28° NNE, 15 mi WPPX — 28° NNE, 15 mi WPHA — 28° NNE, 15 mi WZPA — 28° NNE, 15 mi WELL — 29° NNE, 15 mi WPHY — 32° NNE, 19 mi WNJB — 40° NE, 71 mi WNJT — 50° NE, 47 mi W29FF-D — 69° ENE, 51 mi WACP — 105° ESE, 29 mi WNJS — 106° ESE, 29 mi WMCN — 106° ESE, 29 mi WSJT — 106° ESE, 29 mi WPSJ — 106° ESE, 29 mi WMGM — 147° SSE, 59 mi WWDD — 244° WSW, 51 mi WPPT — 356° N, 50 mi WLVT — 356° N, 50 mi WFMZ — 356° N, 50 mi WBPH — 356° N, 50 mi Chester

Point North-Northeast 21° on a compass — 71 miles of range covers this whole market

23/31stations in the beam
95/128free channels
74%of what's available
The other 8 stations sit east-southeast of you (113°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
11 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 Chester, PA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KYW CBS 3 27° NNE 15 mi 5
WPVI ABC 6 27° NNE 15 mi 6
WDPN MeTV 2 28° NNE 15 mi 11
WPHL MyNetworkTV 17 28° NNE 15 mi 4
WHYY PBS 12 28° NNE 15 mi 3
WTXF FOX 29 28° NNE 15 mi 7
WTVE Shop LC 51 28° NNE 15 mi 4
WFPA UniMas 28 28° NNE 15 mi 5
WCAU NBC 10 28° NNE 15 mi 4
WPSG Independent 57 28° NNE 15 mi 5
WUVP Univision 65 28° NNE 15 mi 3
WGTW TBN 48 28° NNE 15 mi 4
WPPX Ion 61 28° NNE 15 mi 8
WPHA Infomercials 24 28° NNE 15 mi 4
WZPA NTD America 33 28° NNE 15 mi 7
WELL Daystar 45 29° NNE 15 mi 1
WPHY Infomercials 25 32° NNE 19 mi 4
WNJB PBS 58 40° NE 71 mi 1
WNJT PBS 52 50° NE 47 mi 1
W29FF-D Daystar 45 69° ENE 51 mi 1
WACP TCT 4 105° ESE 29 mi 9
WNJS PBS 23 106° ESE 29 mi 1
WMCN Infomercials 44 106° ESE 29 mi 3
WSJT Classic Shows 15 106° ESE 29 mi 8
WPSJ Infomercials 8 106° ESE 29 mi 7
WMGM True Crime Network 40 147° SSE 59 mi 3
WWDD Daystar 49 244° WSW 51 mi 1
WPPT PBS 35 356° N 50 mi 1
WLVT PBS 39 356° N 50 mi 2
WFMZ Independent 69 356° N 50 mi 3
WBPH Independent 60 356° N 50 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Chester, PA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 15.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 16 miles.

For Chester 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 Chester are spread across 248° 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 Chester. 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 Chester, PA, 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.