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

How to aim your TV antenna in Indian Head, MD

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

Transmitter directions from Indian Head, MD N E S W WTTG — 9° N, 28 mi WDCA — 9° N, 28 mi WETA — 10° N, 28 mi WJLA — 10° N, 28 mi WUSA — 10° N, 28 mi WHUT — 10° N, 28 mi WPXW — 10° N, 28 mi WWTD — 10° N, 27 mi WFDC — 10° N, 27 mi WZDC — 10° N, 27 mi WRZB — 10° N, 27 mi WRC — 10° N, 27 mi WIAV — 10° N, 27 mi WDCO — 10° N, 27 mi WDME — 10° N, 27 mi WDDN — 11° N, 31 mi WDCW — 15° NNE, 29 mi WMPB — 18° NNE, 65 mi WMAR — 27° NNE, 61 mi WBAL — 27° NNE, 61 mi WJZ — 27° NNE, 61 mi WUTB — 27° NNE, 61 mi WBFF — 27° NNE, 61 mi WNUV — 27° NNE, 61 mi WMJF — 27° NNE, 66 mi WWDD — 37° NE, 83 mi WQAW — 43° NE, 44 mi WMPT — 43° NE, 43 mi WUPV — 185° S, 56 mi WNVT — 289° WNW, 16 mi WDVM — 301° WNW, 54 mi WWPX — 323° NW, 79 mi WDWA — 331° NNW, 18 mi WFPT — 351° N, 49 mi WDCN — 352° N, 22 mi WNVC — 352° N, 22 mi Indian Head

Point North-Northeast 14° on a compass — 83 miles of range covers this whole market

31/36stations in the beam
134/154free channels
87%of what's available
The other 5 stations sit west-northwest of you (297°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
7 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 Indian Head, MD

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WTTG FOX 5 9° N 28 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 9° N 28 mi 4
WETA PBS 26 10° N 28 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 10° N 28 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 10° N 28 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 10° N 28 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 10° N 28 mi 8
WWTD HSN2 49 10° N 27 mi 5
WFDC Univision 14 10° N 27 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 10° N 27 mi 2
WRZB HSN2 31 10° N 27 mi 4
WRC NBC 4 10° N 27 mi 4
WIAV Roar 58 10° N 27 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 10° N 27 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 10° N 27 mi 8
WDDN Daystar 23 11° N 31 mi 2
WDCW CW 50 15° NNE 29 mi 3
WMPB PBS 67 18° NNE 65 mi 5
WMAR ABC 2 27° NNE 61 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 27° NNE 61 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 27° NNE 61 mi 6
WUTB Roar 24 27° NNE 61 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 27° NNE 61 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 27° NNE 61 mi 4
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 27° NNE 66 mi 7
WWDD Daystar 49 37° NE 83 mi 1
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 43° NE 44 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 43° NE 43 mi 5
WUPV CW 65 185° S 56 mi 5
WNVT World 23 289° WNW 16 mi 1
WDVM Independent 25 301° WNW 54 mi 4
WWPX Ion 60 323° NW 79 mi 8
WDWA Daystar 23 331° NNW 18 mi 2
WFPT PBS 62 351° N 49 mi 4
WDCN The Country Network 6 352° N 22 mi 1
WNVC World 41 352° N 22 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Indian Head, MD?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 15.6 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 28 miles.

For Indian Head 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 Indian Head are spread across 219° 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 Indian Head. 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 Indian Head, 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.