Antenna aiming / North Charleston, SC
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in North Charleston, SC

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

Transmitter directions from North Charleston, SC N E S W WMBF — 40° NE, 80 mi WGSC — 46° NE, 74 mi WGSI — 46° NE, 74 mi WCBD — 70° ENE, 18 mi WTAT — 70° ENE, 18 mi WGWG — 73° ENE, 17 mi WCSC — 73° ENE, 17 mi WITV — 73° ENE, 17 mi WCIV — 73° ENE, 17 mi WHDC — 106° ESE, 9 mi WBSE — 106° ESE, 9 mi WHHI — 230° SW, 67 mi WSCG-LD — 235° SW, 54 mi WJWJ — 257° WSW, 42 mi WLCN — 325° NW, 14 mi North Charleston

Point East-Northeast 76° on a compass — 80 miles of range covers this whole market

10/15stations in the beam
58/84free channels
69%of what's available
The other 5 stations sit west of you (273°). 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 North Charleston, SC

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WMBF NBC 32 40° NE 80 mi 7
WGSC Grand Strand 8 46° NE 74 mi 2
WGSI Grand Strand 11 46° NE 74 mi 2
WCBD NBC 2 70° ENE 18 mi 5
WTAT FOX 24 70° ENE 18 mi 6
WGWG MeTV 4 73° ENE 17 mi 5
WCSC CBS 5 73° ENE 17 mi 8
WITV PBS 7 73° ENE 17 mi 4
WCIV MyNetworkTV 36 73° ENE 17 mi 5
WHDC Shop HQ 12 106° ESE 9 mi 11
WBSE MovieSphere Gold 20 106° ESE 9 mi 10
WHHI Independent 30 230° SW 67 mi 1
WSCG-LD Shop HQ 14 235° SW 54 mi 9
WJWJ PBS 16 257° WSW 42 mi 4
WLCN CTN 18 325° NW 14 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in North Charleston, SC?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 8.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 42 miles.

For North Charleston 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 North Charleston are spread across 236° 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 North Charleston. 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 North Charleston, SC, 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.