Antenna aiming / Dorchester Center, MA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Dorchester Center, MA

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

Transmitter directions from Dorchester Center, MA N E S W WLEK — 14° NNE, 18 mi WDPX — 138° SE, 56 mi WLWC — 168° SSE, 36 mi WWDP — 176° S, 19 mi WYCN — 192° SSW, 20 mi WJAR — 201° SSW, 31 mi WPVD — 201° SSW, 31 mi WLNE — 201° SSW, 31 mi WPRI — 201° SSW, 30 mi WNAC — 201° SSW, 30 mi WPXQ — 214° SW, 66 mi WUTF — 276° W, 33 mi WFXT — 279° W, 8 mi WLVI — 279° W, 8 mi WFXZ — 281° W, 8 mi WYDN — 281° W, 8 mi WMFP — 281° W, 8 mi WBPX — 281° W, 8 mi WBTS — 281° WNW, 9 mi WGBH — 281° WNW, 9 mi WBZ — 281° WNW, 9 mi WCVB — 281° WNW, 9 mi WGBX — 281° WNW, 9 mi WSBK — 281° WNW, 9 mi WHDH — 283° WNW, 8 mi WUNI — 288° WNW, 23 mi WWJE — 288° WNW, 23 mi WMUR — 332° NNW, 55 mi WNEU — 332° NNW, 55 mi WPXG — 349° NNW, 63 mi WHDT — 352° N, 4 mi WENH — 354° N, 62 mi WCEA — 357° N, 4 mi Dorchester Center

Point West-Northwest 302° on a compass — 66 miles of range covers this whole market

18/33stations in the beam
64/127free channels
50%of what's available
The other 15 stations sit south-southwest of you (203°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
10 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 Dorchester Center, MA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WLEK Sports First TV 22 14° NNE 18 mi 7
WDPX Grit 58 138° SE 56 mi 1
WLWC Bounce TV 28 168° SSE 36 mi 1
WWDP Roar 46 176° S 19 mi 5
WYCN Telemundo 8 192° SSW 20 mi 4
WJAR NBC 10 201° SSW 31 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 201° SSW 31 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 201° SSW 31 mi 4
WPRI CBS 12 201° SSW 30 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 201° SSW 30 mi 4
WPXQ Ion 69 214° SW 66 mi 8
WUTF UniMas 27 276° W 33 mi 5
WFXT FOX 25 279° W 8 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 279° W 8 mi 2
WFXZ Biz TV 24 281° W 8 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 281° W 8 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 281° W 8 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 281° W 8 mi 7
WBTS NBC 15 281° WNW 9 mi 2
WGBH PBS 2 281° WNW 9 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 281° WNW 9 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 281° WNW 9 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 281° WNW 9 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 281° WNW 9 mi 7
WHDH Independent 7 283° WNW 8 mi 2
WUNI Univision 66 288° WNW 23 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 288° WNW 23 mi 1
WMUR ABC 9 332° NNW 55 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 332° NNW 55 mi 5
WPXG Ion 21 349° NNW 63 mi 7
WHDT Infomercials 3 352° N 4 mi 1
WENH PBS 11 354° N 62 mi 5
WCEA Independent 26 357° N 4 mi 4

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Dorchester Center, MA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 4.3 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 9 miles.

For Dorchester Center 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 Dorchester Center are spread across 237° 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 Dorchester Center. 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 Dorchester Center, MA, 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.