Antenna aiming / Madison, NC
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Madison, NC

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

Transmitter directions from Madison, NC N E S W WYAT — 14° NNE, 22 mi WSET — 16° NNE, 67 mi WWCW — 16° NNE, 68 mi WZBJ-CD — 33° NNE, 81 mi WMDV — 52° NE, 41 mi WGPX — 117° ESE, 20 mi WIRP — 127° SE, 57 mi WUNC — 128° SE, 57 mi WUVC — 137° SE, 82 mi WBFT — 144° SE, 78 mi WXLV — 167° SSE, 36 mi WMYV — 167° SSE, 36 mi WCWG — 167° SSE, 36 mi WLXI — 167° SSE, 36 mi WFMY — 168° SSE, 36 mi WGHP — 169° S, 40 mi WHWD — 218° SW, 25 mi WUNL — 270° W, 22 mi WXII — 270° W, 22 mi WPXR — 350° N, 57 mi WDBJ — 350° N, 57 mi WZBJ — 350° N, 57 mi WBRA — 350° N, 57 mi WFXR — 350° N, 58 mi WSLS — 350° N, 58 mi Madison

Point Southeast 140° on a compass — 82 miles of range covers this whole market

11/25stations in the beam
58/113free channels
51%of what's available
The other 14 stations sit north of you (351°). 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 Madison, NC

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WYAT This TV 40 14° NNE 22 mi 2
WSET ABC 13 16° NNE 67 mi 5
WWCW CW 21 16° NNE 68 mi 6
WZBJ-CD MyNetworkTV 24 33° NNE 81 mi 1
WMDV Independent 23 52° NE 41 mi 2
WGPX Ion 16 117° ESE 20 mi 9
WIRP Hasbro Legends 27 127° SE 57 mi 8
WUNC PBS 4 128° SE 57 mi 4
WUVC Univision 40 137° SE 82 mi 8
WBFT TCT 46 144° SE 78 mi 4
WXLV ABC 45 167° SSE 36 mi 5
WMYV MyNetworkTV 48 167° SSE 36 mi 3
WCWG CW 20 167° SSE 36 mi 2
WLXI TCT 43 167° SSE 36 mi 1
WFMY CBS 2 168° SSE 36 mi 8
WGHP FOX 8 169° S 40 mi 6
WHWD Daystar 21 218° SW 25 mi 1
WUNL PBS 26 270° W 22 mi 4
WXII NBC 12 270° W 22 mi 4
WPXR Ion 38 350° N 57 mi 9
WDBJ CBS 7 350° N 57 mi 4
WZBJ MyNetworkTV 24 350° N 57 mi 2
WBRA PBS 15 350° N 57 mi 6
WFXR FOX 27 350° N 58 mi 4
WSLS NBC 10 350° N 58 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Madison, NC?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 19.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 37 miles.

For Madison 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 Madison are spread across 280° 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 Madison. 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 Madison, NC, 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.