Antenna aiming / Olathe, KS
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Olathe, KS

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

Transmitter directions from Olathe, KS N E S W WDAF — 32° NNE, 19 mi KCTV — 34° NE, 19 mi KMBC — 40° NE, 22 mi KCWE — 40° NE, 22 mi KSMO — 44° NE, 24 mi KCPT — 44° NE, 24 mi KUKC — 44° NE, 23 mi KTAJ — 49° NE, 19 mi KPXE — 49° NE, 19 mi KGKC — 49° NE, 19 mi KCDN — 49° NE, 19 mi K15MB-D — 49° NE, 19 mi KAJF — 50° NE, 19 mi KQML — 50° NE, 19 mi KSHB — 54° NE, 17 mi KMCI — 54° NE, 17 mi KTWU — 287° WNW, 55 mi KTMJ — 287° WNW, 55 mi KSQA — 287° WNW, 50 mi KCKS — 338° NNW, 23 mi KNPG — 357° N, 63 mi KNPN — 357° N, 63 mi KCJO — 357° N, 63 mi KQTV — 359° N, 64 mi Olathe

Point North-Northeast 24° on a compass — 64 miles of range covers this whole market

20/24stations in the beam
109/129free channels
84%of what's available
The other 4 stations sit west-northwest of you (299°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
4 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 Olathe, KS

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WDAF FOX 4 32° NNE 19 mi 6
KCTV CBS 5 34° NE 19 mi 6
KMBC ABC 9 40° NE 22 mi 5
KCWE CW 29 40° NE 22 mi 5
KSMO MyNetworkTV 62 44° NE 24 mi 5
KCPT PBS 19 44° NE 24 mi 4
KUKC Univision 14 44° NE 23 mi 12
KTAJ TBN 16 49° NE 19 mi 5
KPXE Ion 50 49° NE 19 mi 8
KGKC Telemundo 39 49° NE 19 mi 7
KCDN Daystar 43 49° NE 19 mi 1
K15MB-D HSN 45 49° NE 19 mi 5
KAJF MovieSphere Gold 21 50° NE 19 mi 7
KQML MovieSphere Gold 46 50° NE 19 mi 7
KSHB NBC 41 54° NE 17 mi 6
KMCI Independent 38 54° NE 17 mi 4
KTWU PBS 11 287° WNW 55 mi 3
KTMJ FOX 43 287° WNW 55 mi 4
KSQA Great 12 287° WNW 50 mi 1
KCKS Buzzr 25 338° NNW 23 mi 12
KNPG NBC 21 357° N 63 mi 5
KNPN FOX 26 357° N 63 mi 5
KCJO CBS 30 357° N 63 mi 3
KQTV ABC 2 359° N 64 mi 3

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Olathe, KS?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 16.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 20 miles.

For Olathe 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 Olathe are spread across 127° 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 Olathe. 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 Olathe, KS, 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.