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

How to aim your TV antenna in Manchester, MD

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

Transmitter directions from Manchester, MD N E S W WGAL — 27° NNE, 27 mi WLYH — 43° NE, 21 mi WWDD — 110° ESE, 34 mi WMJF — 147° SSE, 24 mi WUTB — 157° SSE, 26 mi WBFF — 157° SSE, 26 mi WNUV — 157° SSE, 26 mi WMAR — 157° SSE, 26 mi WBAL — 157° SSE, 26 mi WJZ — 157° SSE, 26 mi WQAW — 165° SSE, 48 mi WMPT — 165° SSE, 48 mi WMPB — 168° SSE, 17 mi WDCW — 191° S, 51 mi WDDN — 193° SSW, 49 mi WIAV — 194° SSW, 53 mi WDCO — 194° SSW, 53 mi WDME — 194° SSW, 53 mi WRC — 194° SSW, 53 mi WRZB — 194° SSW, 53 mi WFDC — 194° SSW, 53 mi WZDC — 194° SSW, 53 mi WWTD — 194° SSW, 53 mi WETA — 194° SSW, 52 mi WJLA — 194° SSW, 52 mi WUSA — 194° SSW, 52 mi WHUT — 194° SSW, 52 mi WPXW — 194° SSW, 52 mi WTTG — 194° SSW, 52 mi WDCA — 194° SSW, 52 mi WNVC — 200° SSW, 60 mi WDCN — 200° SSW, 60 mi WDWA — 203° SSW, 67 mi WFPT — 220° SW, 39 mi W30FH-D — 297° WNW, 54 mi WHTM — 353° N, 44 mi WXBU — 358° N, 45 mi WHP — 358° N, 45 mi WITF — 358° N, 45 mi WPMT — 358° N, 45 mi Manchester

Point South 173° on a compass — 67 miles of range covers this whole market

30/40stations in the beam
131/165free channels
79%of what's available
The other 10 stations sit north of you (3°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
8 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 Manchester, MD

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WGAL NBC 8 27° NNE 27 mi 6
WLYH Independent 49 43° NE 21 mi 1
WWDD Daystar 49 110° ESE 34 mi 1
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 147° SSE 24 mi 7
WUTB Roar 24 157° SSE 26 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 157° SSE 26 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 157° SSE 26 mi 4
WMAR ABC 2 157° SSE 26 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 157° SSE 26 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 157° SSE 26 mi 6
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 165° SSE 48 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 165° SSE 48 mi 5
WMPB PBS 67 168° SSE 17 mi 5
WDCW CW 50 191° S 51 mi 3
WDDN Daystar 23 193° SSW 49 mi 2
WIAV Roar 58 194° SSW 53 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 194° SSW 53 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 194° SSW 53 mi 8
WRC NBC 4 194° SSW 53 mi 4
WRZB HSN2 31 194° SSW 53 mi 4
WFDC Univision 14 194° SSW 53 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 194° SSW 53 mi 2
WWTD HSN2 49 194° SSW 53 mi 5
WETA PBS 26 194° SSW 52 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 194° SSW 52 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 194° SSW 52 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 194° SSW 52 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 194° SSW 52 mi 8
WTTG FOX 5 194° SSW 52 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 194° SSW 52 mi 4
WNVC World 41 200° SSW 60 mi 1
WDCN The Country Network 6 200° SSW 60 mi 1
WDWA Daystar 23 203° SSW 67 mi 2
WFPT PBS 62 220° SW 39 mi 4
W30FH-D Bounce TV 35 297° WNW 54 mi 9
WHTM ABC 27 353° N 44 mi 4
WXBU Univision 15 358° N 45 mi 1
WHP CBS 21 358° N 45 mi 4
WITF PBS 33 358° N 45 mi 2
WPMT FOX 43 358° N 45 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Manchester, MD?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 17.0 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 27 miles.

For Manchester 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 Manchester are spread across 283° 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 Manchester. 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 Manchester, 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.