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

How to aim your TV antenna in Effingham, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Effingham, IL N E S W WCIA — 5° N, 68 mi WBXC — 14° NNE, 71 mi WEIU — 24° NNE, 34 mi WICD — 28° NNE, 74 mi WUSI — 129° SE, 30 mi W29CI-D — 211° SSW, 45 mi WPXS — 241° WSW, 61 mi WCIX — 313° NW, 69 mi WICS — 315° NW, 67 mi WRSP — 315° NW, 67 mi WCQA — 331° NNW, 67 mi WLCF — 344° NNW, 60 mi WBUI — 346° NNW, 59 mi WAND — 346° NNW, 59 mi WILL — 355° N, 64 mi Effingham

Point North-Northwest 336° on a compass — 74 miles of range covers this whole market

9/15stations in the beam
48/74free channels
65%of what's available
The other 6 stations sit north-northeast of you (31°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
4 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 Effingham, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WCIA CBS 3 5° N 68 mi 5
WBXC Heartland TV 18 14° NNE 71 mi 5
WEIU Independent 51 24° NNE 34 mi 2
WICD ABC 15 28° NNE 74 mi 5
WUSI PBS 16 129° SE 30 mi 5
W29CI-D 365BLK 29 211° SSW 45 mi 7
WPXS Daystar 13 241° WSW 61 mi 2
WCIX MyNetworkTV 49 313° NW 69 mi 5
WICS ABC 20 315° NW 67 mi 5
WRSP FOX 55 315° NW 67 mi 3
WCQA 365BLK 16 331° NNW 67 mi 10
WLCF CTN 45 344° NNW 60 mi 5
WBUI CW 23 346° NNW 59 mi 5
WAND NBC 17 346° NNW 59 mi 7
WILL PBS 12 355° N 64 mi 3

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Effingham, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 30.3 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 68 miles.

For Effingham we would start with an outdoor or roof-mounted antenna. The transmitters are a long way from town. An outdoor antenna mounted as high as possible, pointed toward the towers, is what it takes to receive the full lineup reliably.

The towers around Effingham are spread across 258° 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 Effingham. 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 Effingham, 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.