Antenna aiming / Fort Washington, MD
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Fort Washington, MD

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

Transmitter directions from Fort Washington, MD N E S W WMPB — 13° NNE, 49 mi WMAR — 24° NNE, 44 mi WBAL — 24° NNE, 44 mi WJZ — 24° NNE, 44 mi WUTB — 24° NNE, 44 mi WBFF — 24° NNE, 44 mi WNUV — 24° NNE, 44 mi WMJF — 24° NNE, 49 mi WWDD — 37° NE, 66 mi WQAW — 49° NE, 27 mi WMPT — 49° NE, 27 mi WNVT — 251° WSW, 26 mi WDWA — 277° W, 19 mi WDCN — 303° WNW, 15 mi WNVC — 303° WNW, 15 mi WWPB — 320° NW, 81 mi WFPT — 333° NNW, 39 mi WWTD — 338° NNW, 14 mi WFDC — 338° NNW, 14 mi WZDC — 338° NNW, 14 mi WRC — 338° NNW, 14 mi WRZB — 338° NNW, 14 mi WIAV — 338° NNW, 14 mi WDCO — 338° NNW, 14 mi WDME — 338° NNW, 14 mi WTTG — 339° NNW, 15 mi WDCA — 339° NNW, 15 mi WETA — 339° NNW, 15 mi WJLA — 339° NNW, 15 mi WUSA — 339° NNW, 15 mi WHUT — 339° NNW, 15 mi WPXW — 339° NNW, 15 mi WDDN — 347° NNW, 17 mi WDCW — 351° N, 15 mi Fort Washington

Point North 0° on a compass — 81 miles of range covers this whole market

26/34stations in the beam
114/141free channels
81%of what's available
The other 8 stations sit north-northwest of you (330°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
5 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 Washington, MD

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WMPB PBS 67 13° NNE 49 mi 5
WMAR ABC 2 24° NNE 44 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 24° NNE 44 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 24° NNE 44 mi 6
WUTB Roar 24 24° NNE 44 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 24° NNE 44 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 24° NNE 44 mi 4
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 24° NNE 49 mi 7
WWDD Daystar 49 37° NE 66 mi 1
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 49° NE 27 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 49° NE 27 mi 5
WNVT World 23 251° WSW 26 mi 1
WDWA Daystar 23 277° W 19 mi 2
WDCN The Country Network 6 303° WNW 15 mi 1
WNVC World 41 303° WNW 15 mi 1
WWPB PBS 31 320° NW 81 mi 4
WFPT PBS 62 333° NNW 39 mi 4
WWTD HSN2 49 338° NNW 14 mi 5
WFDC Univision 14 338° NNW 14 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 338° NNW 14 mi 2
WRC NBC 4 338° NNW 14 mi 4
WRZB HSN2 31 338° NNW 14 mi 4
WIAV Roar 58 338° NNW 14 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 338° NNW 14 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 338° NNW 14 mi 8
WTTG FOX 5 339° NNW 15 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 339° NNW 15 mi 4
WETA PBS 26 339° NNW 15 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 339° NNW 15 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 339° NNW 15 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 339° NNW 15 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 339° NNW 15 mi 8
WDDN Daystar 23 347° NNW 17 mi 2
WDCW CW 50 351° N 15 mi 3

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Fort Washington, MD?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 13.9 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 15 miles.

For Fort Washington 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 Fort Washington are spread across 158° 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 Washington. 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 Washington, MD, 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.