Antenna aiming / Herndon, VA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Herndon, VA

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

Transmitter directions from Herndon, VA N E S W WFPT — 11° NNE, 24 mi WLYH — 32° NNE, 81 mi WMPB — 42° NE, 49 mi WMJF — 52° NE, 54 mi WUTB — 54° NE, 49 mi WBFF — 54° NE, 49 mi WNUV — 54° NE, 49 mi WMAR — 55° NE, 49 mi WBAL — 55° NE, 49 mi WJZ — 55° NE, 49 mi WDDN — 74° ENE, 19 mi WQAW — 82° E, 43 mi WMPT — 82° E, 43 mi WDCW — 82° E, 20 mi WTTG — 83° E, 17 mi WDCA — 83° E, 17 mi WETA — 84° E, 17 mi WJLA — 84° E, 17 mi WUSA — 84° E, 17 mi WHUT — 84° E, 17 mi WPXW — 84° E, 17 mi WIAV — 86° E, 17 mi WDCO — 86° E, 17 mi WDME — 86° E, 17 mi WWTD — 86° E, 17 mi WFDC — 86° E, 17 mi WZDC — 86° E, 17 mi WRZB — 86° E, 17 mi WRC — 86° E, 17 mi WDCN — 110° ESE, 10 mi WNVC — 110° ESE, 10 mi WDWA — 159° SSE, 10 mi WNVT — 186° S, 21 mi WDVM — 274° W, 34 mi WWPX — 316° NW, 51 mi WWPB — 329° NNW, 59 mi WJAL — 336° NNW, 73 mi Herndon

Point East-Northeast 57° on a compass — 81 miles of range covers this whole market

28/37stations in the beam
128/155free channels
83%of what's available
The other 9 stations sit north-northwest of you (343°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
8 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 Herndon, VA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WFPT PBS 62 11° NNE 24 mi 4
WLYH Independent 49 32° NNE 81 mi 1
WMPB PBS 67 42° NE 49 mi 5
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 52° NE 54 mi 7
WUTB Roar 24 54° NE 49 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 54° NE 49 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 54° NE 49 mi 4
WMAR ABC 2 55° NE 49 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 55° NE 49 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 55° NE 49 mi 6
WDDN Daystar 23 74° ENE 19 mi 2
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 82° E 43 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 82° E 43 mi 5
WDCW CW 50 82° E 20 mi 3
WTTG FOX 5 83° E 17 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 83° E 17 mi 4
WETA PBS 26 84° E 17 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 84° E 17 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 84° E 17 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 84° E 17 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 84° E 17 mi 8
WIAV Roar 58 86° E 17 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 86° E 17 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 86° E 17 mi 8
WWTD HSN2 49 86° E 17 mi 5
WFDC Univision 14 86° E 17 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 86° E 17 mi 2
WRZB HSN2 31 86° E 17 mi 4
WRC NBC 4 86° E 17 mi 4
WDCN The Country Network 6 110° ESE 10 mi 1
WNVC World 41 110° ESE 10 mi 1
WDWA Daystar 23 159° SSE 10 mi 2
WNVT World 23 186° S 21 mi 1
WDVM Independent 25 274° W 34 mi 4
WWPX Ion 60 316° NW 51 mi 8
WWPB PBS 31 329° NNW 59 mi 4
WJAL Altavision 68 336° NNW 73 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Herndon, VA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 10.0 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 18 miles.

For Herndon 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 Herndon are spread across 272° 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 Herndon. 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 Herndon, VA, 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.