Antenna aiming / Fairfax Station, VA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Fairfax Station, VA

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

Transmitter directions from Fairfax Station, VA N E S W WFPT — 0° N, 35 mi WDCN — 30° NNE, 10 mi WNVC — 30° NNE, 10 mi WMPB — 31° NNE, 56 mi WDDN — 39° NE, 22 mi WMJF — 40° NE, 59 mi WUTB — 41° NE, 54 mi WBFF — 41° NE, 54 mi WNUV — 41° NE, 54 mi WTTG — 41° NE, 19 mi WDCA — 41° NE, 19 mi WMAR — 41° NE, 54 mi WBAL — 41° NE, 54 mi WJZ — 41° NE, 54 mi WETA — 42° NE, 19 mi WJLA — 42° NE, 19 mi WUSA — 42° NE, 19 mi WHUT — 42° NE, 19 mi WPXW — 42° NE, 19 mi WWTD — 44° NE, 18 mi WFDC — 44° NE, 18 mi WZDC — 44° NE, 18 mi WIAV — 44° NE, 18 mi WDCO — 44° NE, 18 mi WDME — 44° NE, 18 mi WRZB — 44° NE, 18 mi WRC — 44° NE, 18 mi WDCW — 47° NE, 21 mi WQAW — 64° ENE, 42 mi WMPT — 64° ENE, 42 mi WNVT — 219° SW, 11 mi WDVM — 291° WNW, 41 mi WWPX — 321° NW, 63 mi WWPB — 331° NNW, 71 mi WDWA — 344° NNW, 3 mi Fairfax Station

Point Northeast 35° on a compass — 71 miles of range covers this whole market

29/35stations in the beam
129/152free channels
85%of what's available
The other 6 stations sit northwest of you (317°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
6 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 Fairfax Station, VA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WFPT PBS 62 0° N 35 mi 4
WDCN The Country Network 6 30° NNE 10 mi 1
WNVC World 41 30° NNE 10 mi 1
WMPB PBS 67 31° NNE 56 mi 5
WDDN Daystar 23 39° NE 22 mi 2
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 40° NE 59 mi 7
WUTB Roar 24 41° NE 54 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 41° NE 54 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 41° NE 54 mi 4
WTTG FOX 5 41° NE 19 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 41° NE 19 mi 4
WMAR ABC 2 41° NE 54 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 41° NE 54 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 41° NE 54 mi 6
WETA PBS 26 42° NE 19 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 42° NE 19 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 42° NE 19 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 42° NE 19 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 42° NE 19 mi 8
WWTD HSN2 49 44° NE 18 mi 5
WFDC Univision 14 44° NE 18 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 44° NE 18 mi 2
WIAV Roar 58 44° NE 18 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 44° NE 18 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 44° NE 18 mi 8
WRZB HSN2 31 44° NE 18 mi 4
WRC NBC 4 44° NE 18 mi 4
WDCW CW 50 47° NE 21 mi 3
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 64° ENE 42 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 64° ENE 42 mi 5
WNVT World 23 219° SW 11 mi 1
WDVM Independent 25 291° WNW 41 mi 4
WWPX Ion 60 321° NW 63 mi 8
WWPB PBS 31 331° NNW 71 mi 4
WDWA Daystar 23 344° NNW 3 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Fairfax Station, VA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 2.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 19 miles.

For Fairfax Station 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 Fairfax Station are spread across 206° 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 Fairfax Station. 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 Fairfax Station, VA, 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.