Antenna aiming / Cottondale, AL
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Cottondale, AL

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

Transmitter directions from Cottondale, AL N E S W WPXH — 46° NE, 73 mi WTJP — 50° NE, 70 mi W16DS-D — 56° NE, 40 mi WVTM — 56° NE, 41 mi WUOA — 56° NE, 40 mi WBRC — 56° NE, 41 mi WTBM — 56° NE, 41 mi WTTO — 56° NE, 40 mi WIAT — 56° NE, 40 mi WABM — 56° NE, 40 mi WBIQ — 56° NE, 40 mi WBUN — 56° NE, 40 mi WBMA — 56° ENE, 35 mi WVUA — 56° ENE, 40 mi WGWW — 61° ENE, 64 mi WOTM — 69° ENE, 45 mi WBXM — 143° SE, 53 mi WBIH — 143° SE, 53 mi WIIQ — 207° SSW, 62 mi WDVZ — 268° W, 7 mi WVUA-CD — 269° W, 7 mi WJMY — 301° WNW, 7 mi WSFG — 344° NNW, 38 mi WSES — 353° N, 22 mi WDBB — 358° N, 22 mi Cottondale

Point North-Northeast 27° on a compass — 73 miles of range covers this whole market

15/25stations in the beam
74/116free channels
64%of what's available
The other 10 stations sit northwest of you (318°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
5 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 Cottondale, AL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WPXH Ion 44 46° NE 73 mi 9
WTJP TBN 60 50° NE 70 mi 5
W16DS-D Independent 47 56° NE 40 mi 2
WVTM NBC 13 56° NE 41 mi 6
WUOA Fubo Sports 46 56° NE 40 mi 7
WBRC FOX 6 56° NE 41 mi 7
WTBM Telemundo 24 56° NE 41 mi 6
WTTO CW 21 56° NE 40 mi 4
WIAT CW 42 56° NE 40 mi 4
WABM MyNetworkTV 68 56° NE 40 mi 5
WBIQ PBS 10 56° NE 40 mi 4
WBUN Daystar 28 56° NE 40 mi 1
WBMA ABC 58 56° ENE 35 mi 4
WVUA Cozi TV 23 56° ENE 40 mi 4
WGWW Heroes & Icons 40 61° ENE 64 mi 3
WOTM Independent 19 69° ENE 45 mi 1
WBXM Telemundo 5 143° SE 53 mi 6
WBIH TCT 29 143° SE 53 mi 6
WIIQ PBS 41 207° SSW 62 mi 4
WDVZ Cozi TV 3 268° W 7 mi 3
WVUA-CD Cozi TV 7 269° W 7 mi 3
WJMY Telemundo 25 301° WNW 7 mi 6
WSFG Daystar 51 344° NNW 38 mi 7
WSES Heroes & Icons 33 353° N 22 mi 3
WDBB CW 17 358° N 22 mi 6

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Cottondale, AL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 7.0 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 41 miles.

For Cottondale we would start with an outdoor or roof-mounted antenna. The transmitters are a long way from town. An outdoor antenna mounted as high as possible, pointed toward the towers, is what it takes to receive the full lineup reliably.

The towers around Cottondale are spread across 285° 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 Cottondale. 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 Cottondale, AL, 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.