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How to Aim Your TV Antenna in Detroit, MI

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

Transmitter directions from Detroit, MI N E S W WJBK — 2° N, 7 mi WDIV — 4° N, 9 mi WWJ — 20° NNE, 7 mi WMYD — 20° NNE, 7 mi WHNE — 20° NNE, 7 mi WUDL — 20° NNE, 7 mi WTVS — 20° NNE, 7 mi WUDT — 20° NNE, 7 mi WADL — 51° NE, 22 mi WLPC — 100° E, 9 mi WHPS — 152° SSE, 12 mi WNWO — 189° S, 48 mi WTOL — 190° S, 48 mi WTVG — 192° SSW, 48 mi WGTE — 193° SSW, 49 mi WUPW — 194° SSW, 50 mi WMNT — 198° SSW, 51 mi WDTJ — 199° SSW, 51 mi WLMB — 224° SW, 59 mi WPXD — 272° W, 43 mi WSMH — 324° NW, 74 mi WAQP — 325° NW, 73 mi WJRT — 325° NW, 74 mi WKBD — 332° NNW, 10 mi WDWO — 332° NNW, 10 mi W35DQ-D — 334° NNW, 64 mi WEYI — 337° NNW, 65 mi WXON — 338° NNW, 61 mi WXYZ — 348° NNW, 8 mi Detroit

Point North 350° on a compass — 74 miles of range covers this whole market

17/29stations in the beam
109/173free channels
63%of what's available
The other 12 stations sit south of you (188°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
7 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 Detroit, MI

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WJBK FOX 2 2° N 7 mi 7
WDIV NBC 4 4° N 9 mi 5
WWJ CBS 62 20° NNE 7 mi 5
WMYD Independent 20 20° NNE 7 mi 4
WHNE Binge TV 3 20° NNE 7 mi 12
WUDL Defy TV 19 20° NNE 7 mi 7
WTVS PBS 56 20° NNE 7 mi 5
WUDT Daystar 23 20° NNE 7 mi 1
WADL MyNetworkTV 38 51° NE 22 mi 8
WLPC Independent 28 100° E 9 mi 5
WHPS Maria Vision 15 152° SSE 12 mi 6
WNWO NBC 24 189° S 48 mi 4
WTOL CBS 11 190° S 48 mi 8
WTVG ABC 13 192° SSW 48 mi 7
WGTE PBS 30 193° SSW 49 mi 3
WUPW FOX 36 194° SSW 50 mi 6
WMNT MyNetworkTV 48 198° SSW 51 mi 4
WDTJ Daystar 68 199° SSW 51 mi 1
WLMB Independent 40 224° SW 59 mi 3
WPXD Ion 31 272° W 43 mi 9
WSMH FOX 66 324° NW 74 mi 4
WAQP TCT 49 325° NW 73 mi 11
WJRT ABC 12 325° NW 74 mi 7
WKBD CW 50 332° NNW 10 mi 7
WDWO Defy TV 18 332° NNW 10 mi 8
W35DQ-D MovieSphere Gold 24 334° NNW 64 mi 7
WEYI Roar 25 337° NNW 65 mi 5
WXON Retro TV 9 338° NNW 61 mi 7
WXYZ ABC 7 348° NNW 8 mi 7

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What Antenna Do You Need in Detroit, MI?

How far the transmitters are, which way they sit, and what that means for the antenna you buy.

The nearest transmitter is 6.8 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 9 miles.

For Detroit 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 Detroit are spread across 308° 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 Detroit. 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 Detroit, MI, including what each station carries.

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