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

How to aim your TV antenna in Greenbelt, MD

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

Transmitter directions from Greenbelt, MD N E S W WMPB — 10° N, 31 mi WLYH — 14° NNE, 65 mi WMJF — 28° NNE, 32 mi WMAR — 28° NNE, 26 mi WBAL — 28° NNE, 26 mi WJZ — 28° NNE, 26 mi WUTB — 28° NNE, 26 mi WBFF — 29° NNE, 26 mi WNUV — 29° NNE, 26 mi WWDD — 44° NE, 50 mi WQAW — 87° E, 15 mi WMPT — 87° E, 15 mi WNVT — 229° SW, 39 mi WDWA — 239° WSW, 28 mi WNVC — 245° WSW, 20 mi WDCN — 245° WSW, 20 mi WRC — 249° WSW, 11 mi WRZB — 249° WSW, 11 mi WFDC — 249° WSW, 11 mi WZDC — 249° WSW, 11 mi WIAV — 249° WSW, 11 mi WDCO — 249° WSW, 11 mi WDME — 249° WSW, 11 mi WWTD — 249° WSW, 11 mi WDCW — 251° WSW, 8 mi WETA — 252° WSW, 11 mi WJLA — 252° WSW, 11 mi WUSA — 252° WSW, 11 mi WHUT — 252° WSW, 11 mi WPXW — 252° WSW, 11 mi WTTG — 254° WSW, 11 mi WDCA — 254° WSW, 11 mi WDDN — 270° W, 9 mi WFPT — 308° NW, 29 mi Greenbelt

Point West-Southwest 241° on a compass — 65 miles of range covers this whole market

21/34stations in the beam
73/138free channels
53%of what's available
The other 13 stations sit north-northeast of you (31°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
6 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 Greenbelt, MD

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WMPB PBS 67 10° N 31 mi 5
WLYH Independent 49 14° NNE 65 mi 1
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 28° NNE 32 mi 7
WMAR ABC 2 28° NNE 26 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 28° NNE 26 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 28° NNE 26 mi 6
WUTB Roar 24 28° NNE 26 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 29° NNE 26 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 29° NNE 26 mi 4
WWDD Daystar 49 44° NE 50 mi 1
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 87° E 15 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 87° E 15 mi 5
WNVT World 23 229° SW 39 mi 1
WDWA Daystar 23 239° WSW 28 mi 2
WNVC World 41 245° WSW 20 mi 1
WDCN The Country Network 6 245° WSW 20 mi 1
WRC NBC 4 249° WSW 11 mi 4
WRZB HSN2 31 249° WSW 11 mi 4
WFDC Univision 14 249° WSW 11 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 249° WSW 11 mi 2
WIAV Roar 58 249° WSW 11 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 249° WSW 11 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 249° WSW 11 mi 8
WWTD HSN2 49 249° WSW 11 mi 5
WDCW CW 50 251° WSW 8 mi 3
WETA PBS 26 252° WSW 11 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 252° WSW 11 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 252° WSW 11 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 252° WSW 11 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 252° WSW 11 mi 8
WTTG FOX 5 254° WSW 11 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 254° WSW 11 mi 4
WDDN Daystar 23 270° W 9 mi 2
WFPT PBS 62 308° NW 29 mi 4

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Greenbelt, MD?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 8.0 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 12 miles.

For Greenbelt 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 Greenbelt are spread across 218° 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 Greenbelt. 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 Greenbelt, 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.