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How to Aim Your TV Antenna in Kankakee, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Kankakee, IL N E S W WFLD — 14° NNE, 55 mi WMAQ — 14° NNE, 55 mi WGN — 14° NNE, 55 mi WCIU — 14° NNE, 55 mi WSNS — 14° NNE, 55 mi WMEU — 14° NNE, 55 mi WWME — 14° NNE, 55 mi WEDE — 14° NNE, 55 mi WLS — 14° NNE, 55 mi WTTW — 14° NNE, 55 mi WXFT — 14° NNE, 55 mi WBBM — 14° NNE, 55 mi WCPX — 14° NNE, 55 mi WPWR — 14° NNE, 55 mi WJYS — 14° NNE, 55 mi WRJK — 14° NNE, 55 mi WGBO — 15° NNE, 56 mi WOCK — 15° NNE, 56 mi WRME — 15° NNE, 56 mi WESV — 15° NNE, 56 mi W31EZ-D — 15° NNE, 55 mi WDCI — 15° NNE, 55 mi WYIN — 57° ENE, 31 mi WCCU — 181° S, 55 mi WBXC — 195° SSW, 71 mi WLPD — 350° N, 51 mi WPVN — 354° N, 65 mi Kankakee

Point North 0° on a compass — 71 miles of range covers this whole market

24/27stations in the beam
122/132free channels
92%of what's available
The other 3 stations sit south-southeast of you (158°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
3 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 Kankakee, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WFLD FOX 32 14° NNE 55 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 14° NNE 55 mi 5
WGN CW 9 14° NNE 55 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 14° NNE 55 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 14° NNE 55 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 14° NNE 55 mi 4
WWME MeTV 23 14° NNE 55 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 14° NNE 55 mi 2
WLS ABC 7 14° NNE 55 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 14° NNE 55 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 14° NNE 55 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 14° NNE 55 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 14° NNE 55 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 14° NNE 55 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 14° NNE 55 mi 11
WRJK Diya TV 22 14° NNE 55 mi 10
WGBO Univision 66 15° NNE 56 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 15° NNE 56 mi 6
WRME Jewelry TV 6 15° NNE 56 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 15° NNE 56 mi 7
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 15° NNE 55 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 15° NNE 55 mi 1
WYIN PBS 56 57° ENE 31 mi 2
WCCU FOX 27 181° S 55 mi 3
WBXC Heartland TV 18 195° SSW 71 mi 5
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 350° N 51 mi 2
WPVN MBC 24 354° N 65 mi 10

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What Antenna Do You Need in Kankakee, IL?

How far the transmitters are, which way they sit, and what that means for the antenna you buy.

The nearest transmitter is 30.8 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 55 miles.

For Kankakee 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 Kankakee are spread across 205° 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 Kankakee. 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 Kankakee, IL, including what each station carries.

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