Antenna aiming / Modesto, CA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Modesto, CA

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

Transmitter directions from Modesto, CA N E S W KUVS — 21° NNE, 33 mi KMPH-CD — 101° E, 51 mi KFKK — 140° SE, 8 mi K15CU-D — 206° SSW, 70 mi KDJT — 206° SSW, 70 mi KSMS — 206° SSW, 70 mi KSBW — 206° SSW, 70 mi KQET — 206° SSW, 70 mi KCBA — 206° SSW, 70 mi KBIT — 227° SW, 62 mi KBSV — 244° WSW, 26 mi KQEH — 256° WSW, 52 mi KICU — 256° WSW, 52 mi KSCZ — 257° WSW, 52 mi KDTV — 257° WSW, 52 mi KSTS — 257° WSW, 52 mi KAXT — 257° WSW, 52 mi KTNC — 286° WNW, 55 mi KACA — 286° WNW, 14 mi KOVR — 323° NW, 49 mi KTFK — 323° NW, 49 mi KXTV — 323° NW, 49 mi KCSO — 324° NW, 51 mi KTXL — 324° NW, 51 mi KVIE — 324° NW, 51 mi KCRA — 324° NW, 51 mi KSPX — 324° NW, 51 mi KMAX — 324° NW, 51 mi KQCA — 324° NW, 51 mi KBTV-CD — 335° NNW, 68 mi KEZT — 335° NNW, 68 mi KRJR — 337° NNW, 73 mi KFMS — 337° NNW, 73 mi KAHC — 337° NNW, 73 mi K04QR-D — 353° N, 68 mi KSTV — 353° N, 68 mi KSAO — 353° N, 68 mi Modesto

Point North 352° on a compass — 73 miles of range covers this whole market

19/37stations in the beam
109/180free channels
61%of what's available
The other 18 stations sit southwest of you (231°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
7 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 Modesto, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KUVS Univision 19 21° NNE 33 mi 3
KMPH-CD FOX 17 101° E 51 mi 1
KFKK Infomercials 32 140° SE 8 mi 6
K15CU-D Cozi TV 15 206° SSW 70 mi 4
KDJT UniMas 33 206° SSW 70 mi 1
KSMS Univision 67 206° SSW 70 mi 2
KSBW NBC 8 206° SSW 70 mi 5
KQET PBS 25 206° SSW 70 mi 4
KCBA CW 35 206° SSW 70 mi 5
KBIT Diya TV 24 227° SW 62 mi 10
KBSV Independent 23 244° WSW 26 mi 1
KQEH PBS 54 256° WSW 52 mi 4
KICU MyNetworkTV 36 256° WSW 52 mi 5
KSCZ Hai Le 16 257° WSW 52 mi 10
KDTV Univision 14 257° WSW 52 mi 3
KSTS Telemundo 48 257° WSW 52 mi 6
KAXT Catchy Comedy 1 257° WSW 52 mi 1
KTNC TCT 42 286° WNW 55 mi 2
KACA Daystar 34 286° WNW 14 mi 1
KOVR CBS 13 323° NW 49 mi 5
KTFK UniMas 64 323° NW 49 mi 7
KXTV ABC 10 323° NW 49 mi 7
KCSO Telemundo 33 324° NW 51 mi 4
KTXL FOX 40 324° NW 51 mi 4
KVIE PBS 6 324° NW 51 mi 4
KCRA NBC 3 324° NW 51 mi 6
KSPX Ion 29 324° NW 51 mi 8
KMAX Independent 31 324° NW 51 mi 7
KQCA CW 58 324° NW 51 mi 3
KBTV-CD Buzzr 8 335° NNW 68 mi 7
KEZT Univision 23 335° NNW 68 mi 3
KRJR Daystar 44 337° NNW 73 mi 2
KFMS Infomercials 47 337° NNW 73 mi 7
KAHC LATV 43 337° NNW 73 mi 7
K04QR-D Sports First TV 38 353° N 68 mi 7
KSTV Heartland TV 32 353° N 68 mi 6
KSAO Infomercials 49 353° N 68 mi 12

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Modesto, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 8.4 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 51 miles.

For Modesto 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 Modesto are spread across 281° 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 Modesto. 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 Modesto, CA, 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.