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

How to aim your TV antenna in Niles, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Niles, IL N E S W WRME — 133° SE, 13 mi WESV — 133° SE, 13 mi WGBO — 133° SE, 13 mi WOCK — 133° SE, 13 mi W31EZ-D — 135° SE, 14 mi WDCI — 135° SE, 14 mi WRJK — 139° SE, 14 mi WLS — 139° SE, 14 mi WTTW — 139° SE, 14 mi WXFT — 139° SE, 14 mi WBBM — 139° SE, 14 mi WCPX — 139° SE, 14 mi WPWR — 139° SE, 14 mi WJYS — 139° SE, 14 mi WWME — 139° SE, 14 mi WEDE — 139° SE, 14 mi WFLD — 139° SE, 14 mi WMAQ — 139° SE, 14 mi WGN — 139° SE, 14 mi WCIU — 139° SE, 14 mi WSNS — 139° SE, 14 mi WMEU — 139° SE, 14 mi WYIN — 156° SSE, 52 mi WLPD — 227° SW, 19 mi WPVN — 275° W, 12 mi WDMW — 344° NNW, 68 mi Niles

Point Southeast 126° on a compass — 68 miles of range covers this whole market

23/26stations in the beam
112/125free channels
90%of what's available
The other 3 stations sit west of you (280°). 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 Niles, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WRME Jewelry TV 6 133° SE 13 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 133° SE 13 mi 7
WGBO Univision 66 133° SE 13 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 133° SE 13 mi 6
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 135° SE 14 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 135° SE 14 mi 1
WRJK Diya TV 22 139° SE 14 mi 10
WLS ABC 7 139° SE 14 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 139° SE 14 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 139° SE 14 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 139° SE 14 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 139° SE 14 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 139° SE 14 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 139° SE 14 mi 11
WWME MeTV 23 139° SE 14 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 139° SE 14 mi 2
WFLD FOX 32 139° SE 14 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 139° SE 14 mi 5
WGN CW 9 139° SE 14 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 139° SE 14 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 139° SE 14 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 139° SE 14 mi 4
WYIN PBS 56 156° SSE 52 mi 2
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 227° SW 19 mi 2
WPVN MBC 24 275° W 12 mi 10
WDMW Daystar 65 344° NNW 68 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Niles, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 12.0 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 14 miles.

For Niles 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 Niles are spread across 211° 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 Niles. 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 Niles, 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.