Antenna aiming / Lowell, MA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Lowell, MA

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

Transmitter directions from Lowell, MA N E S W WENH — 7° N, 38 mi WMEA — 24° NNE, 60 mi WLEK — 114° ESE, 17 mi WDPX — 143° SE, 81 mi WCEA — 150° SSE, 23 mi WHDT — 151° SSE, 22 mi WLWC — 162° SSE, 62 mi WWDP — 163° SSE, 45 mi WHDH — 170° S, 23 mi WFXT — 170° S, 23 mi WLVI — 170° S, 23 mi WYCN — 171° S, 44 mi WFXZ — 171° S, 23 mi WYDN — 171° S, 23 mi WMFP — 171° S, 23 mi WBPX — 171° S, 23 mi WBTS — 172° S, 22 mi WGBH — 172° S, 22 mi WBZ — 172° S, 22 mi WCVB — 172° S, 22 mi WGBX — 172° S, 22 mi WSBK — 172° S, 22 mi WPRI — 179° S, 52 mi WNAC — 179° S, 52 mi WJAR — 180° S, 53 mi WPVD — 180° S, 53 mi WLNE — 180° S, 53 mi WUNI — 210° SSW, 20 mi WWJE — 210° SSW, 20 mi WUTF — 226° SW, 30 mi WMUR — 329° NNW, 28 mi WNEU — 329° NNW, 28 mi WPXG — 358° N, 38 mi Lowell

Point South 181° on a compass — 81 miles of range covers this whole market

24/33stations in the beam
82/125free channels
66%of what's available
The other 9 stations sit north-northeast of you (22°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
10 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 Lowell, MA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WENH PBS 11 7° N 38 mi 5
WMEA PBS 26 24° NNE 60 mi 6
WLEK Sports First TV 22 114° ESE 17 mi 7
WDPX Grit 58 143° SE 81 mi 1
WCEA Independent 26 150° SSE 23 mi 4
WHDT Infomercials 3 151° SSE 22 mi 1
WLWC Bounce TV 28 162° SSE 62 mi 1
WWDP Roar 46 163° SSE 45 mi 5
WHDH Independent 7 170° S 23 mi 2
WFXT FOX 25 170° S 23 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 170° S 23 mi 2
WYCN Telemundo 8 171° S 44 mi 4
WFXZ Biz TV 24 171° S 23 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 171° S 23 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 171° S 23 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 171° S 23 mi 7
WBTS NBC 15 172° S 22 mi 2
WGBH PBS 2 172° S 22 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 172° S 22 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 172° S 22 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 172° S 22 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 172° S 22 mi 7
WPRI CBS 12 179° S 52 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 179° S 52 mi 4
WJAR NBC 10 180° S 53 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 180° S 53 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 180° S 53 mi 4
WUNI Univision 66 210° SSW 20 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 210° SSW 20 mi 1
WUTF UniMas 27 226° SW 30 mi 5
WMUR ABC 9 329° NNW 28 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 329° NNW 28 mi 5
WPXG Ion 21 358° N 38 mi 7

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Lowell, MA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 17.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 23 miles.

For Lowell 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 Lowell are spread across 258° 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 Lowell. 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 Lowell, MA, 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.