Antenna aiming / Mount Airy, NC
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Mount Airy, NC

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

Transmitter directions from Mount Airy, NC N E S W WZBJ — 28° NNE, 55 mi WDBJ — 28° NNE, 55 mi WPXR — 28° NNE, 55 mi WBRA — 28° NNE, 56 mi WFXR — 28° NNE, 56 mi WSLS — 28° NNE, 56 mi WWCW — 43° NE, 80 mi WSET — 44° NE, 79 mi WYAT — 71° ENE, 44 mi WGPX — 107° ESE, 57 mi WUNL — 118° ESE, 16 mi WXII — 119° ESE, 16 mi WXLV — 133° SE, 62 mi WMYV — 133° SE, 62 mi WCWG — 133° SE, 62 mi WLXI — 133° SE, 62 mi WFMY — 134° SE, 61 mi WGHP — 136° SE, 64 mi WHWD — 142° SE, 35 mi WWJS — 217° SW, 65 mi WLFB — 326° NW, 61 mi WVVA — 330° NNW, 61 mi Mount Airy

Point East-Southeast 113° on a compass — 80 miles of range covers this whole market

10/22stations in the beam
43/108free channels
40%of what's available
The other 12 stations sit north-northeast of you (24°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
2 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 Mount Airy, NC

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WZBJ MyNetworkTV 24 28° NNE 55 mi 2
WDBJ CBS 7 28° NNE 55 mi 4
WPXR Ion 38 28° NNE 55 mi 9
WBRA PBS 15 28° NNE 56 mi 6
WFXR FOX 27 28° NNE 56 mi 4
WSLS NBC 10 28° NNE 56 mi 5
WWCW CW 21 43° NE 80 mi 6
WSET ABC 13 44° NE 79 mi 5
WYAT This TV 40 71° ENE 44 mi 2
WGPX Ion 16 107° ESE 57 mi 9
WUNL PBS 26 118° ESE 16 mi 4
WXII NBC 12 119° ESE 16 mi 4
WXLV ABC 45 133° SE 62 mi 5
WMYV MyNetworkTV 48 133° SE 62 mi 3
WCWG CW 20 133° SE 62 mi 2
WLXI TCT 43 133° SE 62 mi 1
WFMY CBS 2 134° SE 61 mi 8
WGHP FOX 8 136° SE 64 mi 6
WHWD Daystar 21 142° SE 35 mi 1
WWJS SonLife 14 217° SW 65 mi 7
WLFB Independent 40 326° NW 61 mi 9
WVVA NBC 6 330° NNW 61 mi 6

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Mount Airy, NC?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 16.3 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 56 miles.

For Mount Airy 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 Mount Airy are spread across 251° 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 Mount Airy. 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 Mount Airy, NC, 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.