Antenna aiming / Durham, NC
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Durham, NC

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

Transmitter directions from Durham, NC N E S W WUNP — 67° ENE, 59 mi WRPX — 74° ENE, 36 mi WRAY — 104° ESE, 38 mi WHFL — 133° SE, 60 mi WNGT — 137° SE, 41 mi WARZ — 137° SE, 41 mi WRAL — 142° SE, 25 mi WRAZ — 142° SE, 25 mi WNCN — 142° SE, 25 mi WLFL — 142° SE, 25 mi WRTD — 142° SE, 25 mi WRDC — 143° SE, 25 mi WTVD — 143° SE, 25 mi WWIW — 150° SSE, 14 mi WNCB — 189° S, 64 mi WUVC — 197° SSW, 33 mi WBFT — 209° SSW, 40 mi WUNC — 252° WSW, 21 mi WIRP — 252° WSW, 21 mi WGPX — 293° WNW, 51 mi WTNC — 309° NW, 11 mi WMDV — 329° NNW, 63 mi Durham

Point South-Southeast 159° on a compass — 64 miles of range covers this whole market

12/22stations in the beam
44/99free channels
44%of what's available
The other 10 stations sit west of you (266°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
5 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 Durham, NC

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WUNP PBS 36 67° ENE 59 mi 4
WRPX Ion 47 74° ENE 36 mi 7
WRAY TCT 30 104° ESE 38 mi 1
WHFL Independent 43 133° SE 60 mi 4
WNGT WRAL Plus 34 137° SE 41 mi 4
WARZ 3ABN 21 137° SE 41 mi 1
WRAL NBC 5 142° SE 25 mi 5
WRAZ FOX 50 142° SE 25 mi 4
WNCN CBS 17 142° SE 25 mi 5
WLFL CW 22 142° SE 25 mi 4
WRTD Telemundo 54 142° SE 25 mi 1
WRDC MyNetworkTV 28 143° SE 25 mi 3
WTVD ABC 11 143° SE 25 mi 5
WWIW Daystar 66 150° SSE 14 mi 1
WNCB Infomercials 16 189° S 64 mi 7
WUVC Univision 40 197° SSW 33 mi 8
WBFT TCT 46 209° SSW 40 mi 4
WUNC PBS 4 252° WSW 21 mi 4
WIRP Hasbro Legends 27 252° WSW 21 mi 8
WGPX Ion 16 293° WNW 51 mi 9
WTNC UniMas 11 309° NW 11 mi 8
WMDV Independent 23 329° NNW 63 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Durham, NC?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 10.6 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 26 miles.

For Durham 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 Durham are spread across 262° 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 Durham. 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 Durham, NC, 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.