Antenna aiming / Essex, MD
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Essex, MD

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

Transmitter directions from Essex, MD N E S W WWDD — 35° NE, 19 mi WDPB — 135° SE, 63 mi WMDE — 135° SE, 63 mi WRDE — 142° SE, 69 mi WBOC — 142° SE, 69 mi WCPB — 144° SE, 78 mi WGDV — 145° SE, 67 mi WMDT — 145° SE, 67 mi WQAW — 205° SSW, 22 mi WMPT — 205° SSW, 22 mi WNVT — 230° SW, 71 mi WDWA — 234° SW, 59 mi WDCW — 234° SW, 39 mi WRC — 235° SW, 42 mi WRZB — 235° SW, 42 mi WIAV — 235° SW, 42 mi WDCO — 235° SW, 42 mi WDME — 235° SW, 42 mi WFDC — 235° SW, 42 mi WZDC — 235° SW, 42 mi WWTD — 235° SW, 42 mi WETA — 235° SW, 42 mi WJLA — 235° SW, 42 mi WUSA — 235° SW, 42 mi WHUT — 235° SW, 42 mi WPXW — 235° SW, 42 mi WNVC — 236° SW, 51 mi WDCN — 236° SW, 51 mi WTTG — 236° SW, 42 mi WDCA — 236° SW, 42 mi WDDN — 239° WSW, 39 mi WFPT — 267° W, 47 mi WMAR — 284° WNW, 12 mi WBAL — 284° WNW, 12 mi WJZ — 284° WNW, 12 mi WBFF — 284° WNW, 12 mi WNUV — 284° WNW, 12 mi WUTB — 284° WNW, 12 mi WMPB — 300° WNW, 21 mi WMJF — 311° NW, 11 mi WGAL — 350° N, 52 mi WLYH — 350° N, 43 mi Essex

Point West-Southwest 255° on a compass — 78 miles of range covers this whole market

28/42stations in the beam
107/176free channels
61%of what's available
The other 14 stations sit south-southeast of you (147°). 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 Essex, MD

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WWDD Daystar 49 35° NE 19 mi 1
WDPB PBS 64 135° SE 63 mi 3
WMDE Shop LC 36 135° SE 63 mi 7
WRDE NBC 31 142° SE 69 mi 4
WBOC CBS 16 142° SE 69 mi 3
WCPB PBS 28 144° SE 78 mi 4
WGDV WeatherNation TV 32 145° SE 67 mi 7
WMDT ABC 47 145° SE 67 mi 4
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 205° SSW 22 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 205° SSW 22 mi 5
WNVT World 23 230° SW 71 mi 1
WDWA Daystar 23 234° SW 59 mi 2
WDCW CW 50 234° SW 39 mi 3
WRC NBC 4 235° SW 42 mi 4
WRZB HSN2 31 235° SW 42 mi 4
WIAV Roar 58 235° SW 42 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 235° SW 42 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 235° SW 42 mi 8
WFDC Univision 14 235° SW 42 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 235° SW 42 mi 2
WWTD HSN2 49 235° SW 42 mi 5
WETA PBS 26 235° SW 42 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 235° SW 42 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 235° SW 42 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 235° SW 42 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 235° SW 42 mi 8
WNVC World 41 236° SW 51 mi 1
WDCN The Country Network 6 236° SW 51 mi 1
WTTG FOX 5 236° SW 42 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 236° SW 42 mi 4
WDDN Daystar 23 239° WSW 39 mi 2
WFPT PBS 62 267° W 47 mi 4
WMAR ABC 2 284° WNW 12 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 284° WNW 12 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 284° WNW 12 mi 6
WBFF FOX 45 284° WNW 12 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 284° WNW 12 mi 4
WUTB Roar 24 284° WNW 12 mi 1
WMPB PBS 67 300° WNW 21 mi 5
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 311° NW 11 mi 7
WGAL NBC 8 350° N 52 mi 6
WLYH Independent 49 350° N 43 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Essex, MD?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 11.5 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 22 miles.

For Essex 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 Essex are spread across 260° 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 Essex. 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 Essex, MD, 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.