Point South-Southwest 199° on a compass — 34 miles of range covers this whole market
Every transmitter near Forest Lake, MN
Sorted by compass bearing, so neighbouring rows are neighbouring towers.
| Station | Network | Channel | Bearing | Direction | Distance | Subchannels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KTCA | PBS | 2 | 200° | SSW | 15 mi | 5 |
| WFTC | FOX | 9 | 200° | SSW | 15 mi | 3 |
| KTCI | PBS | 2 | 200° | SSW | 15 mi | 5 |
| KMSP | FOX | 9 | 200° | SSW | 15 mi | 5 |
| WCCO | CBS | 4 | 202° | SSW | 15 mi | 5 |
| KSTP | ABC | 5 | 202° | SSW | 15 mi | 4 |
| KARE | NBC | 11 | 202° | SSW | 15 mi | 7 |
| WUCW | CW | 23 | 202° | SSW | 15 mi | 7 |
| KSTC | Independent | 5 | 203° | SSW | 15 mi | 5 |
| WDMI | Daystar | 62 | 209° | SSW | 15 mi | 1 |
| WUMN | Univision | 21 | 211° | SSW | 23 mi | 11 |
| KMBD | MovieSphere Gold | 43 | 212° | SSW | 23 mi | 7 |
| K33LN-D | Infomercials | 33 | 212° | SSW | 23 mi | 7 |
| K14RB-D | Independent | 14 | 212° | SSW | 23 mi | 3 |
| KJNK | Telemundo | 25 | 212° | SSW | 23 mi | 6 |
| KKTW | Heartland TV | 19 | 229° | SW | 28 mi | 7 |
| KPXM | Ion | 41 | 284° | WNW | 34 mi | 8 |
Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.
How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit
The nearest transmitter is 15.1 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 16 miles.
For Forest Lake 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.
Everything is within a 85° arc and 34 miles, which is comfortable territory for a directional indoor antenna in a window facing south-southwest.
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 Forest Lake. 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 Forest Lake, MN, including what each station carries.