Antenna aiming / Needham, MA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Needham, MA

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

Transmitter directions from Needham, MA N E S W WENH — 2° N, 62 mi WGBH — 9° N, 2 mi WBZ — 9° N, 2 mi WCVB — 9° N, 2 mi WGBX — 9° N, 2 mi WSBK — 9° N, 2 mi WBTS — 9° N, 2 mi WFXZ — 25° NNE, 2 mi WYDN — 25° NNE, 2 mi WMFP — 25° NNE, 2 mi WBPX — 25° NNE, 2 mi WHDH — 30° NNE, 3 mi WFXT — 36° NE, 2 mi WLVI — 36° NE, 2 mi WLEK — 37° NE, 22 mi WHDT — 59° ENE, 10 mi WCEA — 60° ENE, 10 mi WDPX — 131° SE, 61 mi WWDP — 151° SSE, 21 mi WLWC — 155° SSE, 38 mi WYCN — 167° SSE, 20 mi WPRI — 184° S, 28 mi WNAC — 184° S, 28 mi WJAR — 184° S, 28 mi WPVD — 184° S, 28 mi WLNE — 184° S, 28 mi WPXQ — 207° SSW, 61 mi WHPX — 220° SW, 77 mi WEDN — 223° SW, 71 mi WUTF — 280° W, 24 mi WUNI — 300° WNW, 15 mi WWJE — 300° WNW, 15 mi WMUR — 340° NNW, 52 mi WNEU — 340° NNW, 52 mi WPXG — 357° N, 63 mi Needham

Point North 7° on a compass — 77 miles of range covers this whole market

18/35stations in the beam
72/137free channels
53%of what's available
The other 17 stations sit south of you (188°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
11 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 Needham, MA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WENH PBS 11 2° N 62 mi 5
WGBH PBS 2 9° N 2 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 9° N 2 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 9° N 2 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 9° N 2 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 9° N 2 mi 7
WBTS NBC 15 9° N 2 mi 2
WFXZ Biz TV 24 25° NNE 2 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 25° NNE 2 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 25° NNE 2 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 25° NNE 2 mi 7
WHDH Independent 7 30° NNE 3 mi 2
WFXT FOX 25 36° NE 2 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 36° NE 2 mi 2
WLEK Sports First TV 22 37° NE 22 mi 7
WHDT Infomercials 3 59° ENE 10 mi 1
WCEA Independent 26 60° ENE 10 mi 4
WDPX Grit 58 131° SE 61 mi 1
WWDP Roar 46 151° SSE 21 mi 5
WLWC Bounce TV 28 155° SSE 38 mi 1
WYCN Telemundo 8 167° SSE 20 mi 4
WPRI CBS 12 184° S 28 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 184° S 28 mi 4
WJAR NBC 10 184° S 28 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 184° S 28 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 184° S 28 mi 4
WPXQ Ion 69 207° SSW 61 mi 8
WHPX Ion 26 220° SW 77 mi 8
WEDN PBS 53 223° SW 71 mi 2
WUTF UniMas 27 280° W 24 mi 5
WUNI Univision 66 300° WNW 15 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 300° WNW 15 mi 1
WMUR ABC 9 340° NNW 52 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 340° NNW 52 mi 5
WPXG Ion 21 357° N 63 mi 7

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Needham, MA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 2.3 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 3 miles.

For Needham 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 Needham are spread across 289° 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 Needham. 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 Needham, MA, 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.