Antenna aiming / Downey, CA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Downey, CA

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

Transmitter directions from Downey, CA N E S W KNLA — 9° N, 20 mi KHIZ — 9° N, 20 mi KFLA — 9° N, 20 mi KCBS — 10° N, 20 mi KCAL — 10° N, 20 mi KOCE — 10° N, 20 mi KABC — 10° N, 20 mi KAZA — 10° N, 20 mi KTLA — 10° N, 20 mi KMEX — 10° N, 20 mi KFTR — 10° N, 20 mi KXLA — 10° N, 20 mi KDOC — 10° N, 20 mi KJLA — 10° N, 20 mi KNBC — 11° N, 20 mi KTTV — 11° N, 20 mi KCOP — 11° N, 20 mi KILM — 11° N, 19 mi KTBN — 11° N, 20 mi KCET — 11° N, 20 mi KLCS — 11° N, 20 mi KZNO — 11° NNE, 19 mi KSCI — 12° NNE, 19 mi KSCN — 12° NNE, 19 mi KVEA — 12° NNE, 19 mi KWHY — 12° NNE, 19 mi KRCA — 12° NNE, 19 mi KHTV — 12° NNE, 19 mi KPXN — 12° NNE, 19 mi KPOM — 12° NNE, 19 mi KSFV — 12° NNE, 19 mi K36JH-D — 46° NE, 67 mi KVCR — 88° E, 48 mi KZSW — 88° E, 49 mi KILA — 108° ESE, 31 mi KSKJ — 321° NW, 31 mi KEDD — 324° NW, 29 mi KIIO — 346° NNW, 16 mi Downey

Point North-Northwest 342° on a compass — 67 miles of range covers this whole market

34/38stations in the beam
168/197free channels
85%of what's available
The other 4 stations sit east of you (83°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
15 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 Downey, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KNLA Daystar 20 9° N 20 mi 6
KHIZ Defy TV 39 9° N 20 mi 7
KFLA Infomercials 8 9° N 20 mi 12
KCBS CBS 2 10° N 20 mi 5
KCAL Independent 9 10° N 20 mi 6
KOCE PBS 50 10° N 20 mi 5
KABC ABC 7 10° N 20 mi 4
KAZA MeTV 54 10° N 20 mi 5
KTLA CW 5 10° N 20 mi 6
KMEX Univision 34 10° N 20 mi 6
KFTR UniMas 46 10° N 20 mi 6
KXLA Independent 44 10° N 20 mi 6
KDOC TCT 56 10° N 20 mi 12
KJLA Vision Latina 57 10° N 20 mi 9
KNBC NBC 4 11° N 20 mi 5
KTTV FOX 11 11° N 20 mi 5
KCOP MyNetworkTV 13 11° N 20 mi 4
KILM Bounce TV 64 11° N 19 mi 1
KTBN TBN 40 11° N 20 mi 5
KCET PBS 28 11° N 20 mi 3
KLCS PBS 58 11° N 20 mi 3
KZNO Jewelry TV 12 11° NNE 19 mi 1
KSCI Shop LC 18 12° NNE 19 mi 4
KSCN Scientology Network 22 12° NNE 19 mi 1
KVEA Telemundo 52 12° NNE 19 mi 3
KWHY Canal de la Fe 63 12° NNE 19 mi 2
KRCA Estrella TV 62 12° NNE 19 mi 3
KHTV MeTV Plus 6 12° NNE 19 mi 1
KPXN Ion 30 12° NNE 19 mi 7
KPOM Catchy Comedy 14 12° NNE 19 mi 2
KSFV MeTV Toons 27 12° NNE 19 mi 3
K36JH-D Classic Shows 36 46° NE 67 mi 2
KVCR PBS 24 88° E 48 mi 4
KZSW 3ABN 10 88° E 49 mi 11
KILA Infomercials 8 108° ESE 31 mi 12
KSKJ Heartland TV 45 321° NW 31 mi 12
KEDD Jewelry TV 45 324° NW 29 mi 1
KIIO US Armenia 10 346° NNW 16 mi 7

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Downey, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 15.9 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 20 miles.

For Downey 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 Downey are spread across 148° 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 Downey. 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 Downey, CA, 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.