Antenna aiming / Melrose Park, IL
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Melrose Park, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Melrose Park, IL N E S W WRME — 91° E, 12 mi WESV — 91° E, 12 mi WGBO — 91° E, 12 mi WOCK — 91° E, 12 mi W31EZ-D — 96° E, 12 mi WDCI — 96° E, 12 mi WLS — 98° E, 12 mi WTTW — 98° E, 12 mi WXFT — 98° E, 12 mi WBBM — 98° E, 12 mi WCPX — 98° E, 12 mi WPWR — 98° E, 12 mi WJYS — 98° E, 12 mi WWME — 98° E, 12 mi WEDE — 98° E, 12 mi WFLD — 98° E, 12 mi WMAQ — 98° E, 12 mi WGN — 98° E, 12 mi WCIU — 98° E, 12 mi WSNS — 98° E, 12 mi WMEU — 98° E, 12 mi WRJK — 98° E, 12 mi WYIN — 148° SSE, 45 mi WLPD — 248° WSW, 12 mi WPVN — 316° NW, 13 mi Melrose Park

Point East-Southeast 118° on a compass — 45 miles of range covers this whole market

23/25stations in the beam
112/124free channels
90%of what's available
The other 2 stations sit west-northwest of you (282°). 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 Melrose Park, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WRME Jewelry TV 6 91° E 12 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 91° E 12 mi 7
WGBO Univision 66 91° E 12 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 91° E 12 mi 6
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 96° E 12 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 96° E 12 mi 1
WLS ABC 7 98° E 12 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 98° E 12 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 98° E 12 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 98° E 12 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 98° E 12 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 98° E 12 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 98° E 12 mi 11
WWME MeTV 23 98° E 12 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 98° E 12 mi 2
WFLD FOX 32 98° E 12 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 98° E 12 mi 5
WGN CW 9 98° E 12 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 98° E 12 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 98° E 12 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 98° E 12 mi 4
WRJK Diya TV 22 98° E 12 mi 10
WYIN PBS 56 148° SSE 45 mi 2
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 248° WSW 12 mi 2
WPVN MBC 24 316° NW 13 mi 10

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Melrose Park, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 11.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 12 miles.

For Melrose Park 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 Melrose Park are spread across 225° 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 Melrose Park. 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 Melrose Park, IL, 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.