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

How to aim your TV antenna in Helena, AL

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

Transmitter directions from Helena, AL N E S W WCQT — 4° N, 63 mi WBMA — 9° N, 13 mi W16DS-D — 22° NNE, 17 mi WUOA — 22° NNE, 17 mi WTTO — 22° NNE, 17 mi WIAT — 22° NNE, 17 mi WABM — 22° NNE, 17 mi WBIQ — 22° NNE, 17 mi WBUN — 22° NNE, 17 mi WVUA — 22° NNE, 17 mi WBRC — 23° NNE, 18 mi WTBM — 23° NNE, 18 mi WVTM — 23° NNE, 18 mi WPXH — 30° NNE, 51 mi WTJP — 35° NE, 47 mi WGWW — 50° NE, 38 mi WOTM — 56° ENE, 18 mi WOIL — 75° ENE, 42 mi WAXC — 110° ESE, 60 mi WFRZ — 144° SE, 72 mi WMCF — 144° SE, 72 mi WAIQ — 149° SSE, 70 mi WALE — 150° SSE, 73 mi WETU — 150° SSE, 73 mi WBXM — 175° S, 50 mi WBIH — 175° S, 50 mi WIIQ — 222° SW, 83 mi WDVZ — 259° W, 35 mi WVUA-CD — 259° W, 35 mi WJMY — 265° W, 33 mi WSES — 298° WNW, 33 mi WDBB — 299° WNW, 32 mi WSFG — 309° NW, 48 mi Helena

Point North-Northeast 27° on a compass — 83 miles of range covers this whole market

17/33stations in the beam
73/135free channels
54%of what's available
The other 16 stations sit south-southwest of you (193°). 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 Helena, AL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WCQT The Walk TV 27 4° N 63 mi 1
WBMA ABC 58 9° N 13 mi 4
W16DS-D Independent 47 22° NNE 17 mi 2
WUOA Fubo Sports 46 22° NNE 17 mi 7
WTTO CW 21 22° NNE 17 mi 4
WIAT CW 42 22° NNE 17 mi 4
WABM MyNetworkTV 68 22° NNE 17 mi 5
WBIQ PBS 10 22° NNE 17 mi 4
WBUN Daystar 28 22° NNE 17 mi 1
WVUA Cozi TV 23 22° NNE 17 mi 4
WBRC FOX 6 23° NNE 18 mi 7
WTBM Telemundo 24 23° NNE 18 mi 6
WVTM NBC 13 23° NNE 18 mi 6
WPXH Ion 44 30° NNE 51 mi 9
WTJP TBN 60 35° NE 47 mi 5
WGWW Heroes & Icons 40 50° NE 38 mi 3
WOTM Independent 19 56° ENE 18 mi 1
WOIL Independent 47 75° ENE 42 mi 1
WAXC Heartland TV 31 110° ESE 60 mi 1
WFRZ Greater Love TV 33 144° SE 72 mi 1
WMCF TBN 45 144° SE 72 mi 5
WAIQ PBS 26 149° SSE 70 mi 4
WALE Montgomery Weather Channel 17 150° SSE 73 mi 5
WETU Daystar 39 150° SSE 73 mi 1
WBXM Telemundo 5 175° S 50 mi 6
WBIH TCT 29 175° S 50 mi 6
WIIQ PBS 41 222° SW 83 mi 4
WDVZ Cozi TV 3 259° W 35 mi 3
WVUA-CD Cozi TV 7 259° W 35 mi 3
WJMY Telemundo 25 265° W 33 mi 6
WSES Heroes & Icons 33 298° WNW 33 mi 3
WDBB CW 17 299° WNW 32 mi 6
WSFG Daystar 51 309° NW 48 mi 7

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Helena, AL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 13.0 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 18 miles.

For Helena 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 Helena are spread across 305° 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 Helena. 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 Helena, 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.