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

How to aim your TV antenna in Laurel, MD

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

Transmitter directions from Laurel, MD N E S W WGAL — 12° NNE, 63 mi WMPB — 12° NNE, 22 mi WLYH — 16° NNE, 55 mi WMJF — 37° NE, 23 mi WUTB — 40° NE, 18 mi WBFF — 40° NE, 18 mi WNUV — 40° NE, 18 mi WMAR — 40° NE, 18 mi WBAL — 40° NE, 18 mi WJZ — 40° NE, 18 mi WWDD — 52° NE, 42 mi WQAW — 122° ESE, 16 mi WMPT — 122° ESE, 16 mi WDCW — 216° SW, 15 mi WRC — 220° SW, 18 mi WRZB — 220° SW, 18 mi WIAV — 220° SW, 18 mi WDCO — 220° SW, 18 mi WDME — 220° SW, 18 mi WFDC — 220° SW, 18 mi WZDC — 220° SW, 18 mi WWTD — 220° SW, 18 mi WNVT — 221° SW, 47 mi WETA — 222° SW, 17 mi WJLA — 222° SW, 17 mi WUSA — 222° SW, 17 mi WHUT — 222° SW, 17 mi WPXW — 222° SW, 17 mi WTTG — 223° SW, 17 mi WDCA — 223° SW, 17 mi WDWA — 226° SW, 35 mi WNVC — 227° SW, 26 mi WDCN — 227° SW, 26 mi WDDN — 227° SW, 14 mi WFPT — 290° WNW, 25 mi W30FH-D — 323° NW, 79 mi Laurel

Point South-Southwest 198° on a compass — 79 miles of range covers this whole market

21/36stations in the beam
73/153free channels
48%of what's available
The other 15 stations sit northeast of you (34°). 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 Laurel, MD

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WGAL NBC 8 12° NNE 63 mi 6
WMPB PBS 67 12° NNE 22 mi 5
WLYH Independent 49 16° NNE 55 mi 1
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 37° NE 23 mi 7
WUTB Roar 24 40° NE 18 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 40° NE 18 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 40° NE 18 mi 4
WMAR ABC 2 40° NE 18 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 40° NE 18 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 40° NE 18 mi 6
WWDD Daystar 49 52° NE 42 mi 1
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 122° ESE 16 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 122° ESE 16 mi 5
WDCW CW 50 216° SW 15 mi 3
WRC NBC 4 220° SW 18 mi 4
WRZB HSN2 31 220° SW 18 mi 4
WIAV Roar 58 220° SW 18 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 220° SW 18 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 220° SW 18 mi 8
WFDC Univision 14 220° SW 18 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 220° SW 18 mi 2
WWTD HSN2 49 220° SW 18 mi 5
WNVT World 23 221° SW 47 mi 1
WETA PBS 26 222° SW 17 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 222° SW 17 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 222° SW 17 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 222° SW 17 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 222° SW 17 mi 8
WTTG FOX 5 223° SW 17 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 223° SW 17 mi 4
WDWA Daystar 23 226° SW 35 mi 2
WNVC World 41 227° SW 26 mi 1
WDCN The Country Network 6 227° SW 26 mi 1
WDDN Daystar 23 227° SW 14 mi 2
WFPT PBS 62 290° WNW 25 mi 4
W30FH-D Bounce TV 35 323° NW 79 mi 9

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Laurel, MD?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 13.9 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 18 miles.

For Laurel 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 Laurel are spread across 267° 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 Laurel. 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 Laurel, 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.