Antenna aiming / Fort Payne, AL
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Fort Payne, AL

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

Transmitter directions from Fort Payne, AL N E S W WTVC — 22° NNE, 57 mi WRCB — 22° NNE, 57 mi WDEF — 22° NNE, 55 mi WTCI — 23° NNE, 61 mi WTNB — 23° NNE, 61 mi WOOT — 23° NNE, 61 mi WYHB — 23° NNE, 61 mi WTVL — 23° NNE, 61 mi WFLI — 23° NNE, 61 mi WDSI — 23° NNE, 61 mi WELF — 25° NNE, 42 mi WDGA — 59° ENE, 45 mi WNGH — 66° ENE, 61 mi WCIQ — 186° S, 63 mi WEAC — 191° S, 55 mi WOIL — 203° SSW, 74 mi WGWW — 217° SW, 69 mi WTJP — 227° SW, 59 mi WPXH — 232° SW, 56 mi WAFF — 295° WNW, 52 mi WTHV — 295° WNW, 52 mi W34EY-D — 295° WNW, 60 mi WAAY — 296° WNW, 53 mi WZDX — 296° WNW, 53 mi WHVD — 296° WNW, 53 mi WHIQ — 297° WNW, 53 mi WHNT — 297° WNW, 53 mi Fort Payne

Point Northeast 37° on a compass — 74 miles of range covers this whole market

13/27stations in the beam
68/138free channels
49%of what's available
The other 14 stations sit west of you (261°). 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 Payne, AL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WTVC ABC 9 22° NNE 57 mi 3
WRCB NBC 3 22° NNE 57 mi 5
WDEF CBS 12 22° NNE 55 mi 6
WTCI PBS 45 23° NNE 61 mi 4
WTNB CTN 27 23° NNE 61 mi 5
WOOT Heartland TV 6 23° NNE 61 mi 7
WYHB 365BLK 39 23° NNE 61 mi 12
WTVL Telemundo 49 23° NNE 61 mi 7
WFLI CW 53 23° NNE 61 mi 4
WDSI True Crime Network 61 23° NNE 61 mi 2
WELF TBN 23 25° NNE 42 mi 5
WDGA Heartland TV 43 59° ENE 45 mi 4
WNGH PBS 18 66° ENE 61 mi 4
WCIQ PBS 7 186° S 63 mi 4
WEAC Independent 24 191° S 55 mi 1
WOIL Independent 47 203° SSW 74 mi 1
WGWW Heroes & Icons 40 217° SW 69 mi 3
WTJP TBN 60 227° SW 59 mi 5
WPXH Ion 44 232° SW 56 mi 9
WAFF NBC 48 295° WNW 52 mi 7
WTHV Telemundo 29 295° WNW 52 mi 4
W34EY-D Busted 38 295° WNW 60 mi 10
WAAY ABC 31 296° WNW 53 mi 8
WZDX FOX 54 296° WNW 53 mi 9
WHVD Daystar 35 296° WNW 53 mi 1
WHIQ PBS 25 297° WNW 53 mi 5
WHNT CBS 19 297° WNW 53 mi 3

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Fort Payne, AL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 42.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 55 miles.

For Fort Payne 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 Payne are spread across 240° 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 Payne. 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 Payne, AL, 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.