Antenna aiming / Cranston, RI
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Cranston, RI

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

Transmitter directions from Cranston, RI N E S W WGBH — 17° NNE, 39 mi WBZ — 17° NNE, 39 mi WCVB — 17° NNE, 39 mi WGBX — 17° NNE, 39 mi WSBK — 17° NNE, 39 mi WBTS — 17° NNE, 39 mi WFXZ — 18° NNE, 39 mi WYDN — 18° NNE, 39 mi WMFP — 18° NNE, 39 mi WBPX — 18° NNE, 39 mi WHDH — 19° NNE, 40 mi WFXT — 19° NNE, 39 mi WLVI — 19° NNE, 39 mi WLEK — 25° NNE, 58 mi WHDT — 26° NNE, 45 mi WCEA — 26° NNE, 45 mi WYCN — 45° NE, 23 mi WPRI — 51° NE, 12 mi WNAC — 51° NE, 12 mi WWDP — 52° NE, 27 mi WJAR — 54° NE, 11 mi WPVD — 54° NE, 11 mi WLNE — 54° NE, 11 mi WLWC — 88° E, 28 mi WVVH — 216° SW, 69 mi WPXQ — 221° SW, 25 mi WHPX — 238° WSW, 45 mi WEDN — 245° WSW, 40 mi WSHM — 297° WNW, 54 mi WUTF — 342° NNW, 41 mi WUNI — 358° N, 43 mi WWJE — 358° N, 43 mi Cranston

Point North-Northeast 24° on a compass — 69 miles of range covers this whole market

25/32stations in the beam
92/127free channels
72%of what's available
The other 7 stations sit west-southwest of you (251°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
9 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 Cranston, RI

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WGBH PBS 2 17° NNE 39 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 17° NNE 39 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 17° NNE 39 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 17° NNE 39 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 17° NNE 39 mi 7
WBTS NBC 15 17° NNE 39 mi 2
WFXZ Biz TV 24 18° NNE 39 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 18° NNE 39 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 18° NNE 39 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 18° NNE 39 mi 7
WHDH Independent 7 19° NNE 40 mi 2
WFXT FOX 25 19° NNE 39 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 19° NNE 39 mi 2
WLEK Sports First TV 22 25° NNE 58 mi 7
WHDT Infomercials 3 26° NNE 45 mi 1
WCEA Independent 26 26° NNE 45 mi 4
WYCN Telemundo 8 45° NE 23 mi 4
WPRI CBS 12 51° NE 12 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 51° NE 12 mi 4
WWDP Roar 46 52° NE 27 mi 5
WJAR NBC 10 54° NE 11 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 54° NE 11 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 54° NE 11 mi 4
WLWC Bounce TV 28 88° E 28 mi 1
WVVH YTA TV 18 216° SW 69 mi 4
WPXQ Ion 69 221° SW 25 mi 8
WHPX Ion 26 238° WSW 45 mi 8
WEDN PBS 53 245° WSW 40 mi 2
WSHM CBS 33 297° WNW 54 mi 7
WUTF UniMas 27 342° NNW 41 mi 5
WUNI Univision 66 358° N 43 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 358° N 43 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Cranston, RI?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 11.4 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 40 miles.

For Cranston 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 Cranston are spread across 232° 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 Cranston. 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 Cranston, RI, 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.