Antenna aiming / Fort Collins, CO
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Fort Collins, CO

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

Transmitter directions from Fort Collins, CO N E S W KGWN — 3° N, 40 mi KKTQ — 6° N, 43 mi KLWY — 12° NNE, 37 mi KFCT — 56° NE, 14 mi KDEN — 166° SSE, 31 mi KPJR — 166° SSE, 31 mi KPXC — 166° SSE, 31 mi KQDK — 171° S, 60 mi KRMT — 188° S, 65 mi KCEC — 189° S, 60 mi KRMA — 189° S, 60 mi KETD — 189° S, 60 mi KUSA — 190° S, 56 mi KCNC — 190° S, 56 mi KMGH — 190° S, 56 mi KTVD — 190° S, 56 mi KHDT — 191° S, 56 mi KVAI — 191° S, 56 mi KZCO — 191° S, 56 mi KLPD — 191° S, 56 mi KWGN — 191° S, 56 mi KTFD — 191° S, 56 mi KDVR — 191° S, 56 mi KBDI — 202° SSW, 63 mi KQCK — 279° W, 8 mi KPXH — 280° W, 8 mi KWYP — 338° NNW, 58 mi Fort Collins

Point South 173° on a compass — 65 miles of range covers this whole market

20/27stations in the beam
87/112free channels
78%of what's available
The other 7 stations sit north-northwest of you (347°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
7 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 Fort Collins, CO

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KGWN CBS 5 3° N 40 mi 3
KKTQ ABC 16 6° N 43 mi 2
KLWY FOX 27 12° NNE 37 mi 7
KFCT FOX 22 56° NE 14 mi 4
KDEN Telemundo 25 166° SSE 31 mi 6
KPJR TBN 38 166° SSE 31 mi 5
KPXC Ion 59 166° SSE 31 mi 8
KQDK CTN 33 171° S 60 mi 4
KRMT Daystar 41 188° S 65 mi 1
KCEC Univision 14 189° S 60 mi 5
KRMA PBS 6 189° S 60 mi 4
KETD Estrella TV 53 189° S 60 mi 5
KUSA NBC 9 190° S 56 mi 6
KCNC CBS 4 190° S 56 mi 6
KMGH ABC 7 190° S 56 mi 8
KTVD MyNetworkTV 20 190° S 56 mi 5
KHDT MTN TV 24 191° S 56 mi 1
KVAI Independent 36 191° S 56 mi 1
KZCO QVC2 3 191° S 56 mi 4
KLPD MTN TV 28 191° S 56 mi 3
KWGN CW 2 191° S 56 mi 4
KTFD UniMas 50 191° S 56 mi 3
KDVR FOX 31 191° S 56 mi 4
KBDI PBS 12 202° SSW 63 mi 4
KQCK CTN 33 279° W 8 mi 4
KPXH Daystar 52 280° W 8 mi 1
KWYP PBS 8 338° NNW 58 mi 4

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Fort Collins, CO?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 8.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 56 miles.

For Fort Collins we would start with an outdoor or roof-mounted antenna. The transmitters are a long way from town. An outdoor antenna mounted as high as possible, pointed toward the towers, is what it takes to receive the full lineup reliably.

The towers around Fort Collins are spread across 250° 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 Fort Collins. 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 Fort Collins, CO, 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.