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

How to aim your TV antenna in Jackson, MI

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

Transmitter directions from Jackson, MI N E S W WLNS — 1° N, 30 mi WSMH — 13° NNE, 69 mi WJRT — 14° NNE, 70 mi WAQP — 14° NNE, 69 mi W35DQ-D — 25° NNE, 72 mi WEYI — 27° NNE, 75 mi WXON — 29° NNE, 73 mi WPXD — 62° ENE, 18 mi WTVG — 128° SE, 63 mi WGTE — 130° SE, 64 mi WUPW — 130° SE, 63 mi WMNT — 133° SE, 60 mi WDTJ — 134° SE, 60 mi WLMB — 152° SSE, 40 mi WINM — 202° SSW, 59 mi WCUH — 238° WSW, 35 mi W25GE-D — 260° W, 50 mi WOBC — 274° W, 40 mi WZPX — 311° NW, 46 mi WSYM — 317° NW, 20 mi WILX — 324° NW, 16 mi WLAJ — 328° NNW, 14 mi WKAR — 357° N, 31 mi Jackson

Point North-Northeast 33° on a compass — 75 miles of range covers this whole market

7/23stations in the beam
50/145free channels
34%of what's available
The other 16 stations sit west-southwest of you (246°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
4 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 Jackson, MI

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WLNS CBS 6 1° N 30 mi 1
WSMH FOX 66 13° NNE 69 mi 4
WJRT ABC 12 14° NNE 70 mi 7
WAQP TCT 49 14° NNE 69 mi 11
W35DQ-D MovieSphere Gold 24 25° NNE 72 mi 7
WEYI Roar 25 27° NNE 75 mi 5
WXON Retro TV 9 29° NNE 73 mi 7
WPXD Ion 31 62° ENE 18 mi 9
WTVG ABC 13 128° SE 63 mi 7
WGTE PBS 30 130° SE 64 mi 4
WUPW FOX 36 130° SE 63 mi 6
WMNT MyNetworkTV 48 133° SE 60 mi 8
WDTJ Daystar 68 134° SE 60 mi 1
WLMB Independent 40 152° SSE 40 mi 6
WINM TCT 12 202° SSW 59 mi 11
WCUH Outlaw 16 238° WSW 35 mi 7
W25GE-D TCT 25 260° W 50 mi 11
WOBC MyNetworkTV 16 274° W 40 mi 3
WZPX Ion 43 311° NW 46 mi 9
WSYM FOX 47 317° NW 20 mi 7
WILX NBC 10 324° NW 16 mi 7
WLAJ ABC 53 328° NNW 14 mi 2
WKAR PBS 23 357° N 31 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Jackson, MI?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 13.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 46 miles.

For Jackson we would start with an outdoor or roof-mounted antenna. The transmitters are a long way from town. An outdoor antenna mounted as high as possible, pointed toward the towers, is what it takes to receive the full lineup reliably.

The towers around Jackson are spread across 294° 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 Jackson. 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 Jackson, 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.