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

How to aim your TV antenna in Oakland, CA

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

Transmitter directions from Oakland, CA N E S W KRJR — 33° NNE, 72 mi KFMS — 33° NNE, 72 mi KAHC — 34° NNE, 72 mi KBTV-CD — 36° NE, 68 mi KEZT — 36° NE, 68 mi KTXL — 48° NE, 52 mi KVIE — 48° NE, 52 mi KCSO — 48° NE, 52 mi KCRA — 49° NE, 52 mi KSPX — 49° NE, 52 mi KMAX — 49° NE, 52 mi KQCA — 49° NE, 52 mi KOVR — 50° NE, 50 mi KTFK — 50° NE, 50 mi KXTV — 50° NE, 50 mi KTNC — 66° ENE, 18 mi KBSV — 112° ESE, 50 mi KDTV — 135° SE, 27 mi KSTS — 135° SE, 27 mi KAXT — 135° SE, 27 mi KSCZ — 135° SE, 27 mi KQEH — 136° SE, 28 mi KICU — 136° SE, 28 mi KBIT — 154° SSE, 55 mi KNTV — 242° WSW, 13 mi KTSF — 242° WSW, 13 mi KMPX-LD — 242° WSW, 13 mi KKPX — 243° WSW, 13 mi KCNZ — 243° WSW, 13 mi KDTS — 263° W, 13 mi KTVU — 263° W, 13 mi KPIX — 263° W, 13 mi KQED — 263° W, 13 mi KGO — 263° W, 13 mi KMTP — 263° W, 13 mi KCNS — 263° W, 13 mi KPYX — 263° W, 13 mi KRON — 263° W, 13 mi KPJK — 263° W, 13 mi KFSF — 263° W, 13 mi KOFY — 263° W, 13 mi KTLN — 322° NW, 33 mi KRCB — 334° NNW, 44 mi KDAS — 335° NNW, 56 mi KEMO — 340° NNW, 66 mi KDTV-CD — 341° NNW, 64 mi Oakland

Point Southwest 234° on a compass — 72 miles of range covers this whole market

17/46stations in the beam
89/244free channels
36%of what's available
The other 29 stations sit northeast of you (56°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
8 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 Oakland, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KRJR Daystar 44 33° NNE 72 mi 2
KFMS Infomercials 47 33° NNE 72 mi 7
KAHC LATV 43 34° NNE 72 mi 7
KBTV-CD Buzzr 8 36° NE 68 mi 7
KEZT Univision 23 36° NE 68 mi 3
KTXL FOX 40 48° NE 52 mi 4
KVIE PBS 6 48° NE 52 mi 4
KCSO Telemundo 33 48° NE 52 mi 4
KCRA NBC 3 49° NE 52 mi 6
KSPX Ion 29 49° NE 52 mi 8
KMAX Independent 31 49° NE 52 mi 7
KQCA CW 58 49° NE 52 mi 3
KOVR CBS 13 50° NE 50 mi 5
KTFK UniMas 64 50° NE 50 mi 7
KXTV ABC 10 50° NE 50 mi 7
KTNC TCT 42 66° ENE 18 mi 2
KBSV Independent 23 112° ESE 50 mi 1
KDTV Univision 14 135° SE 27 mi 3
KSTS Telemundo 48 135° SE 27 mi 6
KAXT Catchy Comedy 1 135° SE 27 mi 1
KSCZ Hai Le 16 135° SE 27 mi 10
KQEH PBS 54 136° SE 28 mi 4
KICU MyNetworkTV 36 136° SE 28 mi 5
KBIT Diya TV 24 154° SSE 55 mi 10
KNTV NBC 11 242° WSW 13 mi 6
KTSF Independent 26 242° WSW 13 mi 4
KMPX-LD Jewelry TV 18 242° WSW 13 mi 1
KKPX Ion 65 243° WSW 13 mi 8
KCNZ LATV 28 243° WSW 13 mi 4
KDTS Daystar 52 263° W 13 mi 12
KTVU FOX 2 263° W 13 mi 5
KPIX CBS 5 263° W 13 mi 5
KQED PBS 9 263° W 13 mi 4
KGO ABC 7 263° W 13 mi 5
KMTP Independent 32 263° W 13 mi 1
KCNS Shop LC 38 263° W 13 mi 5
KPYX Independent 44 263° W 13 mi 7
KRON CW 4 263° W 13 mi 5
KPJK Independent 60 263° W 13 mi 6
KFSF UniMas 66 263° W 13 mi 6
KOFY Dr. Phil 20 263° W 13 mi 5
KTLN Heroes & Icons 68 322° NW 33 mi 7
KRCB PBS 22 334° NNW 44 mi 3
KDAS Daystar 52 335° NNW 56 mi 12
KEMO QVC 50 340° NNW 66 mi 5
KDTV-CD Univision 28 341° NNW 64 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Oakland, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 12.9 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 13 miles.

For Oakland 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 Oakland are spread across 272° 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 Oakland. 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 Oakland, 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.