Antenna aiming / Mankato, MN
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Mankato, MN

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

Transmitter directions from Mankato, MN N E S W KKTW — 23° NNE, 65 mi K14RB-D — 31° NNE, 68 mi KJNK — 31° NNE, 68 mi K33LN-D — 31° NNE, 68 mi KMBD — 31° NNE, 68 mi WUMN — 31° NNE, 68 mi WDMI — 31° NNE, 76 mi KSTC — 32° NNE, 76 mi WCCO — 32° NNE, 76 mi KSTP — 32° NNE, 76 mi KARE — 32° NNE, 76 mi WUCW — 32° NNE, 76 mi KTCA — 33° NNE, 77 mi WFTC — 33° NNE, 77 mi KTCI — 33° NNE, 77 mi KMSP — 33° NNE, 77 mi KMNF — 238° WSW, 25 mi KEYC — 238° WSW, 25 mi K31KV-D — 267° W, 31 mi Mankato

Point North 3° on a compass — 77 miles of range covers this whole market

16/19stations in the beam
88/98free channels
90%of what's available
The other 3 stations sit west-southwest of you (248°). 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 Mankato, MN

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KKTW Heartland TV 19 23° NNE 65 mi 7
K14RB-D Independent 14 31° NNE 68 mi 3
KJNK Telemundo 25 31° NNE 68 mi 6
K33LN-D Infomercials 33 31° NNE 68 mi 7
KMBD MovieSphere Gold 43 31° NNE 68 mi 7
WUMN Univision 21 31° NNE 68 mi 11
WDMI Daystar 62 31° NNE 76 mi 1
KSTC Independent 5 32° NNE 76 mi 5
WCCO CBS 4 32° NNE 76 mi 5
KSTP ABC 5 32° NNE 76 mi 4
KARE NBC 11 32° NNE 76 mi 7
WUCW CW 23 32° NNE 76 mi 7
KTCA PBS 2 33° NNE 77 mi 5
WFTC FOX 9 33° NNE 77 mi 3
KTCI PBS 2 33° NNE 77 mi 5
KMSP FOX 9 33° NNE 77 mi 5
KMNF NBC 7 238° WSW 25 mi 3
KEYC CBS 12 238° WSW 25 mi 6
K31KV-D Independent 16 267° W 31 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Mankato, MN?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 25.4 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 76 miles.

For Mankato we would start with an outdoor or roof-mounted antenna. The transmitters are a long way from town. An outdoor antenna mounted as high as possible, pointed toward the towers, is what it takes to receive the full lineup reliably.

The towers around Mankato are spread across 155° 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 Mankato. 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 Mankato, MN, 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.