Antenna aiming / Downers Grove, IL
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Downers Grove, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Downers Grove, IL N E S W WGBO — 65° ENE, 22 mi WOCK — 65° ENE, 22 mi WRME — 65° ENE, 22 mi WESV — 65° ENE, 22 mi W31EZ-D — 67° ENE, 22 mi WDCI — 67° ENE, 22 mi WFLD — 68° ENE, 21 mi WMAQ — 68° ENE, 21 mi WGN — 68° ENE, 21 mi WCIU — 68° ENE, 21 mi WSNS — 68° ENE, 21 mi WMEU — 68° ENE, 21 mi WWME — 68° ENE, 21 mi WEDE — 68° ENE, 21 mi WLS — 68° ENE, 21 mi WTTW — 68° ENE, 21 mi WXFT — 68° ENE, 21 mi WBBM — 68° ENE, 21 mi WCPX — 68° ENE, 21 mi WPWR — 68° ENE, 21 mi WJYS — 68° ENE, 21 mi WRJK — 68° ENE, 21 mi WYIN — 132° SE, 43 mi WWTO — 235° SW, 58 mi WLPD — 326° NNW, 6 mi WPVN — 355° N, 19 mi Downers Grove

Point Northeast 38° on a compass — 58 miles of range covers this whole market

22/26stations in the beam
110/128free channels
86%of what's available
The other 4 stations sit northwest of you (310°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
3 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 Downers Grove, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WGBO Univision 66 65° ENE 22 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 65° ENE 22 mi 6
WRME Jewelry TV 6 65° ENE 22 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 65° ENE 22 mi 7
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 67° ENE 22 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 67° ENE 22 mi 1
WFLD FOX 32 68° ENE 21 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 68° ENE 21 mi 5
WGN CW 9 68° ENE 21 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 68° ENE 21 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 68° ENE 21 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 68° ENE 21 mi 4
WWME MeTV 23 68° ENE 21 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 68° ENE 21 mi 2
WLS ABC 7 68° ENE 21 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 68° ENE 21 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 68° ENE 21 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 68° ENE 21 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 68° ENE 21 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 68° ENE 21 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 68° ENE 21 mi 11
WRJK Diya TV 22 68° ENE 21 mi 10
WYIN PBS 56 132° SE 43 mi 2
WWTO TBN 35 235° SW 58 mi 4
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 326° NNW 6 mi 2
WPVN MBC 24 355° N 19 mi 10

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Downers Grove, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 6.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 21 miles.

For Downers Grove 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 Downers Grove are spread across 257° 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 Downers Grove. 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 Downers Grove, IL, 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.