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

How to aim your TV antenna in Dorchester, MA

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

Transmitter directions from Dorchester, MA N E S W WLEK — 13° NNE, 15 mi WDPX — 140° SE, 57 mi WLWC — 170° S, 38 mi WWDP — 178° S, 21 mi WYCN — 193° SSW, 23 mi WJAR — 201° SSW, 33 mi WPVD — 201° SSW, 33 mi WLNE — 201° SSW, 33 mi WPRI — 201° SSW, 32 mi WNAC — 201° SSW, 32 mi WPXQ — 214° SSW, 68 mi WFXT — 264° W, 8 mi WLVI — 264° W, 8 mi WFXZ — 266° W, 9 mi WYDN — 266° W, 9 mi WMFP — 266° W, 9 mi WBPX — 266° W, 9 mi WBTS — 268° W, 9 mi WGBH — 268° W, 9 mi WBZ — 268° W, 9 mi WCVB — 268° W, 9 mi WGBX — 268° W, 9 mi WSBK — 268° W, 9 mi WHDH — 268° W, 8 mi WUTF — 273° W, 34 mi WUNI — 282° WNW, 23 mi WWJE — 282° WNW, 23 mi WHDT — 328° NNW, 3 mi WMUR — 330° NNW, 54 mi WNEU — 330° NNW, 54 mi WCEA — 337° NNW, 2 mi WPXG — 348° NNW, 61 mi WENH — 353° N, 60 mi Dorchester

Point West-Southwest 243° on a compass — 68 miles of range covers this whole market

15/33stations in the beam
58/127free channels
46%of what's available
The other 18 stations sit west-southwest of you (253°). 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, MA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WLEK Sports First TV 22 13° NNE 15 mi 7
WDPX Grit 58 140° SE 57 mi 1
WLWC Bounce TV 28 170° S 38 mi 1
WWDP Roar 46 178° S 21 mi 5
WYCN Telemundo 8 193° SSW 23 mi 4
WJAR NBC 10 201° SSW 33 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 201° SSW 33 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 201° SSW 33 mi 4
WPRI CBS 12 201° SSW 32 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 201° SSW 32 mi 4
WPXQ Ion 69 214° SSW 68 mi 8
WFXT FOX 25 264° W 8 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 264° W 8 mi 2
WFXZ Biz TV 24 266° W 9 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 266° W 9 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 266° W 9 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 266° W 9 mi 7
WBTS NBC 15 268° W 9 mi 2
WGBH PBS 2 268° W 9 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 268° W 9 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 268° W 9 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 268° W 9 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 268° W 9 mi 7
WHDH Independent 7 268° W 8 mi 2
WUTF UniMas 27 273° W 34 mi 5
WUNI Univision 66 282° WNW 23 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 282° WNW 23 mi 1
WHDT Infomercials 3 328° NNW 3 mi 1
WMUR ABC 9 330° NNW 54 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 330° NNW 54 mi 5
WCEA Independent 26 337° NNW 2 mi 4
WPXG Ion 21 348° NNW 61 mi 7
WENH PBS 11 353° N 60 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Dorchester, MA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 2.5 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 10 miles.

For Dorchester 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 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 Dorchester. 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, 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.