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

How to aim your TV antenna in College Park, MD

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

Transmitter directions from College Park, MD N E S W WMPB — 15° NNE, 32 mi WLYH — 16° NNE, 65 mi WMJF — 32° NNE, 33 mi WUTB — 33° NNE, 28 mi WBFF — 33° NNE, 28 mi WNUV — 33° NNE, 28 mi WMAR — 33° NNE, 27 mi WBAL — 33° NNE, 27 mi WJZ — 33° NNE, 27 mi WWDD — 46° NE, 51 mi WQAW — 88° E, 17 mi WMPT — 88° E, 17 mi WNVT — 227° SW, 38 mi WDWA — 236° SW, 26 mi WNVC — 241° WSW, 18 mi WDCN — 241° WSW, 18 mi WDCW — 242° WSW, 6 mi WRC — 242° WSW, 9 mi WRZB — 242° WSW, 9 mi WFDC — 242° WSW, 9 mi WZDC — 242° WSW, 9 mi WIAV — 242° WSW, 9 mi WDCO — 242° WSW, 9 mi WDME — 242° WSW, 9 mi WWTD — 242° WSW, 9 mi WETA — 246° WSW, 9 mi WJLA — 246° WSW, 9 mi WUSA — 246° WSW, 9 mi WHUT — 246° WSW, 9 mi WPXW — 246° WSW, 9 mi WTTG — 249° WSW, 9 mi WDCA — 249° WSW, 9 mi WDDN — 269° W, 7 mi WFPT — 311° NW, 27 mi College Park

Point West-Southwest 239° on a compass — 65 miles of range covers this whole market

21/34stations in the beam
73/138free channels
53%of what's available
The other 13 stations sit northeast of you (34°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
6 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 College Park, MD

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WMPB PBS 67 15° NNE 32 mi 5
WLYH Independent 49 16° NNE 65 mi 1
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 32° NNE 33 mi 7
WUTB Roar 24 33° NNE 28 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 33° NNE 28 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 33° NNE 28 mi 4
WMAR ABC 2 33° NNE 27 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 33° NNE 27 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 33° NNE 27 mi 6
WWDD Daystar 49 46° NE 51 mi 1
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 88° E 17 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 88° E 17 mi 5
WNVT World 23 227° SW 38 mi 1
WDWA Daystar 23 236° SW 26 mi 2
WNVC World 41 241° WSW 18 mi 1
WDCN The Country Network 6 241° WSW 18 mi 1
WDCW CW 50 242° WSW 6 mi 3
WRC NBC 4 242° WSW 9 mi 4
WRZB HSN2 31 242° WSW 9 mi 4
WFDC Univision 14 242° WSW 9 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 242° WSW 9 mi 2
WIAV Roar 58 242° WSW 9 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 242° WSW 9 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 242° WSW 9 mi 8
WWTD HSN2 49 242° WSW 9 mi 5
WETA PBS 26 246° WSW 9 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 246° WSW 9 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 246° WSW 9 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 246° WSW 9 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 246° WSW 9 mi 8
WTTG FOX 5 249° WSW 9 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 249° WSW 9 mi 4
WDDN Daystar 23 269° W 7 mi 2
WFPT PBS 62 311° NW 27 mi 4

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in College Park, MD?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 5.8 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 10 miles.

For College Park 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 College Park are spread across 221° 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 College Park. 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 College Park, 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.