Antenna aiming / East Lansing, MI
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in East Lansing, MI

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

Transmitter directions from East Lansing, MI N E S W WSMH — 31° NNE, 37 mi WFFC — 31° NNE, 51 mi WJRT — 32° NNE, 38 mi WBSF — 32° NNE, 58 mi WNEM — 32° NNE, 58 mi WAQP — 32° NNE, 38 mi WDCQ — 36° NE, 67 mi W35DQ-D — 49° NE, 45 mi WEYI — 49° NE, 49 mi WXON — 54° NE, 48 mi WLNS — 142° SE, 6 mi WPXD — 144° SE, 33 mi WKAR — 154° SSE, 5 mi WLAJ — 189° S, 24 mi WILX — 195° SSW, 23 mi WCUH — 206° SSW, 60 mi WSYM — 206° SSW, 23 mi W25GE-D — 226° SW, 63 mi WOBC — 228° SW, 49 mi WZPX — 260° W, 32 mi WCMU — 331° NNW, 78 mi East Lansing

Point North-Northeast 24° on a compass — 78 miles of range covers this whole market

10/21stations in the beam
62/128free channels
48%of what's available
The other 11 stations sit south-southwest of you (200°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
2 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 East Lansing, MI

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WSMH FOX 66 31° NNE 37 mi 4
WFFC Black Vision TV 17 31° NNE 51 mi 7
WJRT ABC 12 32° NNE 38 mi 7
WBSF CW 46 32° NNE 58 mi 3
WNEM CBS 5 32° NNE 58 mi 6
WAQP TCT 49 32° NNE 38 mi 11
WDCQ PBS 19 36° NE 67 mi 5
W35DQ-D MovieSphere Gold 24 49° NE 45 mi 7
WEYI Roar 25 49° NE 49 mi 5
WXON Retro TV 9 54° NE 48 mi 7
WLNS CBS 6 142° SE 6 mi 1
WPXD Ion 31 144° SE 33 mi 9
WKAR PBS 23 154° SSE 5 mi 5
WLAJ ABC 53 189° S 24 mi 2
WILX NBC 10 195° SSW 23 mi 7
WCUH Outlaw 16 206° SSW 60 mi 7
WSYM FOX 47 206° SSW 23 mi 7
W25GE-D TCT 25 226° SW 63 mi 11
WOBC MyNetworkTV 16 228° SW 49 mi 3
WZPX Ion 43 260° W 32 mi 9
WCMU PBS 14 331° NNW 78 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in East Lansing, MI?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 4.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 39 miles.

For East Lansing 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 East Lansing are spread across 272° 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 East Lansing. 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 East Lansing, MI, 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.