Antenna aiming / Ionia, MI
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Ionia, MI

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

Transmitter directions from Ionia, MI N E S W WJRT — 71° ENE, 53 mi WSMH — 71° ENE, 52 mi WLNS — 121° ESE, 40 mi WKAR — 121° ESE, 38 mi WPXD — 130° SE, 66 mi WLAJ — 145° SE, 48 mi WILX — 147° SSE, 45 mi WSYM — 150° SSE, 41 mi WZPX — 181° S, 21 mi WOBC — 186° S, 49 mi W25GE-D — 194° SSW, 61 mi WOKZ — 212° SSW, 56 mi WGVK — 213° SSW, 56 mi WLLA — 215° SW, 36 mi WOTV — 216° SW, 35 mi WWMT — 225° SW, 35 mi WOLP — 228° SW, 31 mi WOOD — 228° SW, 31 mi WXMI — 230° SW, 32 mi WOGC — 256° WSW, 47 mi WOHO — 256° WSW, 47 mi WUHQ — 266° W, 32 mi WTLJ — 268° W, 43 mi WGVU — 268° W, 42 mi WXSP — 274° W, 35 mi WZZM — 298° WNW, 49 mi WCMU — 352° N, 54 mi Ionia

Point South-Southwest 200° on a compass — 66 miles of range covers this whole market

11/27stations in the beam
58/139free channels
42%of what's available
The other 16 stations sit south-southwest of you (200°). 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 Ionia, MI

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WJRT ABC 12 71° ENE 53 mi 7
WSMH FOX 66 71° ENE 52 mi 4
WLNS CBS 6 121° ESE 40 mi 1
WKAR PBS 23 121° ESE 38 mi 5
WPXD Ion 31 130° SE 66 mi 9
WLAJ ABC 53 145° SE 48 mi 2
WILX NBC 10 147° SSE 45 mi 7
WSYM FOX 47 150° SSE 41 mi 7
WZPX Ion 43 181° S 21 mi 9
WOBC MyNetworkTV 16 186° S 49 mi 3
W25GE-D TCT 25 194° SSW 61 mi 11
WOKZ MyNetworkTV 50 212° SSW 56 mi 1
WGVK PBS 52 213° SSW 56 mi 6
WLLA Independent 64 215° SW 36 mi 6
WOTV ABC 41 216° SW 35 mi 4
WWMT CBS 3 225° SW 35 mi 5
WOLP MyNetworkTV 27 228° SW 31 mi 1
WOOD NBC 8 228° SW 31 mi 4
WXMI FOX 17 230° SW 32 mi 8
WOGC NBC 25 256° WSW 47 mi 3
WOHO MyNetworkTV 33 256° WSW 47 mi 1
WUHQ Daystar 29 266° W 32 mi 1
WTLJ TCT 54 268° W 43 mi 11
WGVU PBS 35 268° W 42 mi 6
WXSP MyNetworkTV 15 274° W 35 mi 3
WZZM ABC 13 298° WNW 49 mi 9
WCMU PBS 14 352° N 54 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Ionia, MI?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 21.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 39 miles.

For Ionia 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 Ionia are spread across 281° 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 Ionia. 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 Ionia, MI, 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.