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

How to aim your TV antenna in Madison, TN

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, TN N E S W WKGB — 3° N, 58 mi WBKO — 14° NNE, 58 mi WKYU — 14° NNE, 58 mi WCZU — 18° NNE, 66 mi WKUT — 23° NNE, 21 mi WDNZ — 28° NNE, 61 mi WNKY-LD — 28° NNE, 61 mi WNKY — 28° NNE, 61 mi WPBM — 40° NE, 53 mi WJFB — 111° ESE, 19 mi WHTN — 129° SE, 19 mi WNPX-LD — 182° S, 23 mi WNPT — 208° SSW, 16 mi WKRN — 208° SSW, 16 mi WLLC — 216° SW, 8 mi WJDE — 216° SW, 8 mi WTNX — 220° SW, 7 mi WSMV — 230° SW, 12 mi WZTV — 277° W, 5 mi WUXP — 277° W, 5 mi WNAB — 277° W, 5 mi WNPX — 280° W, 6 mi WRTN — 280° W, 6 mi WNTU — 280° W, 6 mi WCTZ — 280° W, 6 mi WKUW — 280° W, 6 mi WJNK — 280° W, 6 mi WPGD — 280° W, 6 mi WTVF — 281° W, 5 mi WCKV — 297° WNW, 41 mi WKMA — 325° NW, 79 mi Madison

Point West-Northwest 296° on a compass — 79 miles of range covers this whole market

13/31stations in the beam
62/149free channels
42%of what's available
The other 18 stations sit northeast of you (45°). 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 Madison, TN

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WKGB PBS 53 3° N 58 mi 4
WBKO ABC 13 14° NNE 58 mi 6
WKYU PBS 24 14° NNE 58 mi 3
WCZU 365BLK 39 18° NNE 66 mi 7
WKUT 365BLK 25 23° NNE 21 mi 7
WDNZ The Country Network 11 28° NNE 61 mi 3
WNKY-LD Ion 35 28° NNE 61 mi 4
WNKY NBC 40 28° NNE 61 mi 3
WPBM Independent 31 40° NE 53 mi 1
WJFB MeTV 44 111° ESE 19 mi 10
WHTN CTN 39 129° SE 19 mi 5
WNPX-LD Daystar 24 182° S 23 mi 1
WNPT PBS 8 208° SSW 16 mi 4
WKRN ABC 2 208° SSW 16 mi 5
WLLC Univision 42 216° SW 8 mi 4
WJDE KCMI 31 216° SW 8 mi 10
WTNX Telemundo 29 220° SW 7 mi 4
WSMV NBC 4 230° SW 12 mi 6
WZTV FOX 17 277° W 5 mi 5
WUXP MyNetworkTV 30 277° W 5 mi 3
WNAB Roar 58 277° W 5 mi 3
WNPX Independent 28 280° W 6 mi 9
WRTN Daystar 6 280° W 6 mi 4
WNTU Daystar 26 280° W 6 mi 1
WCTZ Buzzr 35 280° W 6 mi 11
WKUW MovieSphere Gold 40 280° W 6 mi 7
WJNK TBN 59 280° W 6 mi 1
WPGD TBN 50 280° W 6 mi 5
WTVF CBS 5 281° W 5 mi 6
WCKV The Walk TV 22 297° WNW 41 mi 3
WKMA PBS 35 325° NW 79 mi 4

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Madison, TN?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 5.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 6 miles.

For Madison 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 Madison are spread across 289° 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, TN, 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.