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

How to aim your TV antenna in El Cerrito, CA

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

Transmitter directions from El Cerrito, CA N E S W K20JX-D — 40° NE, 82 mi KRJR — 41° NE, 67 mi KFMS — 41° NE, 67 mi KAHC — 41° NE, 67 mi KBTV-CD — 45° NE, 63 mi KEZT — 45° NE, 63 mi KTXL — 60° ENE, 50 mi KVIE — 60° ENE, 50 mi KCSO — 60° ENE, 50 mi KCRA — 61° ENE, 50 mi KSPX — 61° ENE, 50 mi KMAX — 61° ENE, 50 mi KQCA — 61° ENE, 50 mi KOVR — 63° ENE, 49 mi KTFK — 63° ENE, 49 mi KXTV — 63° ENE, 49 mi KTNC — 97° E, 21 mi KBSV — 119° ESE, 58 mi KDTV — 141° SE, 37 mi KSTS — 141° SE, 37 mi KAXT — 141° SE, 37 mi KSCZ — 141° SE, 37 mi KQEH — 141° SE, 38 mi KICU — 141° SE, 38 mi KBIT — 154° SSE, 66 mi KNTV — 204° SSW, 18 mi KTSF — 204° SSW, 18 mi KMPX-LD — 204° SSW, 18 mi KKPX — 205° SSW, 18 mi KCNZ — 205° SSW, 18 mi KDTS — 216° SW, 14 mi KTVU — 216° SW, 14 mi KPIX — 216° SW, 14 mi KQED — 216° SW, 14 mi KGO — 216° SW, 14 mi KMTP — 216° SW, 14 mi KCNS — 216° SW, 14 mi KPYX — 216° SW, 14 mi KRON — 216° SW, 14 mi KPJK — 216° SW, 14 mi KFSF — 216° SW, 14 mi KOFY — 216° SW, 14 mi KTLN — 315° NW, 22 mi KRCB — 333° NNW, 33 mi KDAS — 334° NNW, 45 mi KEMO — 341° NNW, 55 mi KDTV-CD — 342° NNW, 54 mi El Cerrito

Point South 187° on a compass — 82 miles of range covers this whole market

17/47stations in the beam
89/249free channels
36%of what's available
The other 30 stations sit east-northeast of you (66°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
8 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 El Cerrito, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
K20JX-D Good News TV 19 40° NE 82 mi 5
KRJR Daystar 44 41° NE 67 mi 2
KFMS Infomercials 47 41° NE 67 mi 7
KAHC LATV 43 41° NE 67 mi 7
KBTV-CD Buzzr 8 45° NE 63 mi 7
KEZT Univision 23 45° NE 63 mi 3
KTXL FOX 40 60° ENE 50 mi 4
KVIE PBS 6 60° ENE 50 mi 4
KCSO Telemundo 33 60° ENE 50 mi 4
KCRA NBC 3 61° ENE 50 mi 6
KSPX Ion 29 61° ENE 50 mi 8
KMAX Independent 31 61° ENE 50 mi 7
KQCA CW 58 61° ENE 50 mi 3
KOVR CBS 13 63° ENE 49 mi 5
KTFK UniMas 64 63° ENE 49 mi 7
KXTV ABC 10 63° ENE 49 mi 7
KTNC TCT 42 97° E 21 mi 2
KBSV Independent 23 119° ESE 58 mi 1
KDTV Univision 14 141° SE 37 mi 3
KSTS Telemundo 48 141° SE 37 mi 6
KAXT Catchy Comedy 1 141° SE 37 mi 1
KSCZ Hai Le 16 141° SE 37 mi 10
KQEH PBS 54 141° SE 38 mi 4
KICU MyNetworkTV 36 141° SE 38 mi 5
KBIT Diya TV 24 154° SSE 66 mi 10
KNTV NBC 11 204° SSW 18 mi 6
KTSF Independent 26 204° SSW 18 mi 4
KMPX-LD Jewelry TV 18 204° SSW 18 mi 1
KKPX Ion 65 205° SSW 18 mi 8
KCNZ LATV 28 205° SSW 18 mi 4
KDTS Daystar 52 216° SW 14 mi 12
KTVU FOX 2 216° SW 14 mi 5
KPIX CBS 5 216° SW 14 mi 5
KQED PBS 9 216° SW 14 mi 4
KGO ABC 7 216° SW 14 mi 5
KMTP Independent 32 216° SW 14 mi 1
KCNS Shop LC 38 216° SW 14 mi 5
KPYX Independent 44 216° SW 14 mi 7
KRON CW 4 216° SW 14 mi 5
KPJK Independent 60 216° SW 14 mi 6
KFSF UniMas 66 216° SW 14 mi 6
KOFY Dr. Phil 20 216° SW 14 mi 5
KTLN Heroes & Icons 68 315° NW 22 mi 7
KRCB PBS 22 333° NNW 33 mi 3
KDAS Daystar 52 334° NNW 45 mi 12
KEMO QVC 50 341° NNW 55 mi 5
KDTV-CD Univision 28 342° NNW 54 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in El Cerrito, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 14.1 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 15 miles.

For El Cerrito 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 El Cerrito are spread across 261° 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 El Cerrito. 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 El Cerrito, 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.