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

How to aim your TV antenna in Forest Park, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Forest Park, IL N E S W WGBO — 78° ENE, 10 mi WOCK — 78° ENE, 10 mi WRME — 78° ENE, 10 mi WESV — 78° ENE, 10 mi W31EZ-D — 83° E, 10 mi WDCI — 83° E, 10 mi WFLD — 85° E, 9 mi WMAQ — 85° E, 9 mi WGN — 85° E, 9 mi WCIU — 85° E, 9 mi WSNS — 85° E, 9 mi WMEU — 85° E, 9 mi WWME — 85° E, 9 mi WEDE — 85° E, 9 mi WLS — 85° E, 9 mi WTTW — 85° E, 9 mi WXFT — 85° E, 9 mi WBBM — 85° E, 9 mi WCPX — 85° E, 9 mi WPWR — 85° E, 9 mi WJYS — 85° E, 9 mi WRJK — 85° E, 9 mi WYIN — 149° SSE, 42 mi WLPD — 262° W, 14 mi WPVN — 317° NW, 17 mi Forest Park

Point Northeast 55° on a compass — 42 miles of range covers this whole market

22/25stations in the beam
110/124free channels
89%of what's available
The other 3 stations sit west-southwest of you (257°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
3 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 Forest Park, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WGBO Univision 66 78° ENE 10 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 78° ENE 10 mi 6
WRME Jewelry TV 6 78° ENE 10 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 78° ENE 10 mi 7
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 83° E 10 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 83° E 10 mi 1
WFLD FOX 32 85° E 9 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 85° E 9 mi 5
WGN CW 9 85° E 9 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 85° E 9 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 85° E 9 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 85° E 9 mi 4
WWME MeTV 23 85° E 9 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 85° E 9 mi 2
WLS ABC 7 85° E 9 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 85° E 9 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 85° E 9 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 85° E 9 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 85° E 9 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 85° E 9 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 85° E 9 mi 11
WRJK Diya TV 22 85° E 9 mi 10
WYIN PBS 56 149° SSE 42 mi 2
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 262° W 14 mi 2
WPVN MBC 24 317° NW 17 mi 10

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Forest Park, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 9.4 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 10 miles.

For Forest Park 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 Forest Park are spread across 239° 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 Forest Park. 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 Park, 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.