Antenna aiming / Dayton, OH
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Dayton, OH

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

Transmitter directions from Dayton, OH N E S W WQIZ — 44° NE, 74 mi WXCB — 44° NE, 74 mi WOOH — 77° ENE, 50 mi WWHO — 108° ESE, 56 mi WCVN — 201° SSW, 60 mi WKRC — 203° SSW, 55 mi WDYC — 203° SSW, 55 mi WCPO — 203° SSW, 54 mi WBQC — 203° SSW, 54 mi WLWT — 204° SSW, 55 mi WCET — 204° SSW, 55 mi WPTO — 205° SSW, 55 mi WXIX — 205° SSW, 55 mi WSTR — 206° SSW, 50 mi WPTD — 220° SW, 11 mi WDTN — 221° SW, 12 mi WKEF — 222° SW, 11 mi WBDT — 222° SW, 11 mi WRCX — 222° SW, 11 mi WLWD — 222° SW, 11 mi WRGT — 222° SW, 11 mi WHIO — 223° SW, 11 mi WKOI — 231° SW, 36 mi WTLW — 357° N, 63 mi WLMA — 357° N, 63 mi WOHL — 359° N, 62 mi WLIO — 359° N, 62 mi Dayton

Point South-Southwest 201° on a compass — 74 miles of range covers this whole market

19/27stations in the beam
90/130free channels
69%of what's available
The other 8 stations sit north-northeast of you (31°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
4 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 Dayton, OH

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WQIZ TCT 33 44° NE 74 mi 10
WXCB TCT 39 44° NE 74 mi 10
WOOH Heartland TV 29 77° ENE 50 mi 7
WWHO CW 53 108° ESE 56 mi 3
WCVN PBS 54 201° SSW 60 mi 5
WKRC CBS 12 203° SSW 55 mi 5
WDYC Daystar 36 203° SSW 55 mi 1
WCPO ABC 9 203° SSW 54 mi 8
WBQC Telemundo 25 203° SSW 54 mi 9
WLWT NBC 5 204° SSW 55 mi 5
WCET PBS 48 204° SSW 55 mi 5
WPTO PBS 14 205° SSW 55 mi 6
WXIX FOX 19 205° SSW 55 mi 7
WSTR MyNetworkTV 64 206° SSW 50 mi 5
WPTD PBS 16 220° SW 11 mi 6
WDTN NBC 2 221° SW 12 mi 3
WKEF ABC 22 222° SW 11 mi 5
WBDT CW 26 222° SW 11 mi 2
WRCX Independent 40 222° SW 11 mi 6
WLWD Daystar 20 222° SW 11 mi 1
WRGT Roar 45 222° SW 11 mi 5
WHIO CBS 7 223° SW 11 mi 5
WKOI Ion 43 231° SW 36 mi 1
WTLW Independent 44 357° N 63 mi 3
WLMA Independent 44 357° N 63 mi 3
WOHL ABC 35 359° N 62 mi 2
WLIO NBC 8 359° N 62 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Dayton, OH?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 10.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 50 miles.

For Dayton 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 Dayton are spread across 234° 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 Dayton. 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 Dayton, OH, 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.