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

How to aim your TV antenna in Geneva, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Geneva, IL N E S W WPVN — 53° NE, 19 mi WGBO — 88° E, 37 mi WOCK — 88° E, 37 mi WRME — 88° E, 37 mi WESV — 88° E, 37 mi W31EZ-D — 89° E, 37 mi WDCI — 89° E, 37 mi WLS — 90° E, 36 mi WTTW — 90° E, 36 mi WXFT — 90° E, 36 mi WBBM — 90° E, 36 mi WCPX — 90° E, 36 mi WPWR — 90° E, 36 mi WJYS — 90° E, 36 mi WWME — 90° E, 36 mi WEDE — 90° E, 36 mi WFLD — 90° E, 36 mi WMAQ — 90° E, 36 mi WGN — 90° E, 36 mi WCIU — 90° E, 36 mi WSNS — 90° E, 36 mi WMEU — 90° E, 36 mi WRJK — 90° E, 36 mi WLPD — 102° ESE, 14 mi WYIN — 127° SE, 61 mi WWTO — 217° SW, 51 mi WREX — 302° WNW, 54 mi WQRF — 304° NW, 51 mi WTVO — 304° NW, 51 mi WFBN — 304° NW, 51 mi WIFR — 304° NW, 51 mi WSLN — 304° NW, 51 mi Geneva

Point East-Northeast 72° on a compass — 61 miles of range covers this whole market

24/32stations in the beam
122/155free channels
79%of what's available
The other 8 stations sit west-northwest of you (292°). 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 Geneva, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WPVN MBC 24 53° NE 19 mi 10
WGBO Univision 66 88° E 37 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 88° E 37 mi 6
WRME Jewelry TV 6 88° E 37 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 88° E 37 mi 7
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 89° E 37 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 89° E 37 mi 1
WLS ABC 7 90° E 36 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 90° E 36 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 90° E 36 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 90° E 36 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 90° E 36 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 90° E 36 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 90° E 36 mi 11
WWME MeTV 23 90° E 36 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 90° E 36 mi 2
WFLD FOX 32 90° E 36 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 90° E 36 mi 5
WGN CW 9 90° E 36 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 90° E 36 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 90° E 36 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 90° E 36 mi 4
WRJK Diya TV 22 90° E 36 mi 10
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 102° ESE 14 mi 2
WYIN PBS 56 127° SE 61 mi 2
WWTO TBN 35 217° SW 51 mi 4
WREX NBC 13 302° WNW 54 mi 6
WQRF FOX 39 304° NW 51 mi 4
WTVO ABC 17 304° NW 51 mi 4
WFBN Heroes & Icons 35 304° NW 51 mi 4
WIFR CBS 23 304° NW 51 mi 6
WSLN CW 19 304° NW 51 mi 3

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Geneva, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 13.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 37 miles.

For Geneva we would start with an amplified indoor or attic antenna. The towers are far enough out that an amplified indoor antenna, or one mounted in the attic, will pull in far more of the lineup than a basic flat antenna.

The towers around Geneva are spread across 251° 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 Geneva. 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 Geneva, 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.