Antenna aiming / Orange, VA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Orange, VA

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

Transmitter directions from Orange, VA N E S W WDVM — 3° N, 51 mi WDCN — 45° NE, 64 mi WNVC — 45° NE, 64 mi WDWA — 45° NE, 56 mi WTTG — 46° NE, 74 mi WDCA — 46° NE, 74 mi WETA — 46° NE, 73 mi WJLA — 46° NE, 73 mi WUSA — 46° NE, 73 mi WHUT — 46° NE, 73 mi WPXW — 46° NE, 73 mi WWTD — 47° NE, 73 mi WFDC — 47° NE, 73 mi WZDC — 47° NE, 73 mi WIAV — 47° NE, 73 mi WDCO — 47° NE, 73 mi WDME — 47° NE, 73 mi WRZB — 47° NE, 73 mi WRC — 47° NE, 73 mi WNVT — 50° NE, 44 mi WUPV — 126° SE, 55 mi WWBT — 148° SSE, 58 mi WRID — 148° SSE, 58 mi WCVE — 152° SSE, 55 mi WRLH — 152° SSE, 55 mi WTVR — 152° SSE, 55 mi WCVW — 152° SSE, 55 mi WWBK — 152° SSE, 55 mi WFWG — 152° SSE, 55 mi WUDW — 152° SSE, 55 mi WZTD — 152° SSE, 55 mi WRIC — 152° SSE, 55 mi WVIR — 234° SW, 28 mi WCAV — 234° SW, 28 mi WVAW — 234° SW, 28 mi WHTJ — 234° SW, 28 mi WSVW — 288° WNW, 40 mi WSVF — 288° WNW, 40 mi WHSV — 311° NW, 40 mi Orange

Point North-Northeast 21° on a compass — 74 miles of range covers this whole market

20/39stations in the beam
72/166free channels
43%of what's available
The other 19 stations sit south of you (179°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
6 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 Orange, VA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WDVM Independent 25 3° N 51 mi 4
WDCN The Country Network 6 45° NE 64 mi 1
WNVC World 41 45° NE 64 mi 1
WDWA Daystar 23 45° NE 56 mi 2
WTTG FOX 5 46° NE 74 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 46° NE 74 mi 4
WETA PBS 26 46° NE 73 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 46° NE 73 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 46° NE 73 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 46° NE 73 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 46° NE 73 mi 8
WWTD HSN2 49 47° NE 73 mi 5
WFDC Univision 14 47° NE 73 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 47° NE 73 mi 2
WIAV Roar 58 47° NE 73 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 47° NE 73 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 47° NE 73 mi 8
WRZB HSN2 31 47° NE 73 mi 4
WRC NBC 4 47° NE 73 mi 4
WNVT World 23 50° NE 44 mi 1
WUPV CW 65 126° SE 55 mi 5
WWBT NBC 12 148° SSE 58 mi 6
WRID NBC 12 148° SSE 58 mi 4
WCVE PBS 23 152° SSE 55 mi 4
WRLH FOX 35 152° SSE 55 mi 6
WTVR CBS 6 152° SSE 55 mi 8
WCVW PBS 57 152° SSE 55 mi 1
WWBK MeTV Toons 28 152° SSE 55 mi 7
WFWG Jewelry TV 30 152° SSE 55 mi 7
WUDW Buzzr 53 152° SSE 55 mi 7
WZTD Telemundo 45 152° SSE 55 mi 3
WRIC ABC 8 152° SSE 55 mi 6
WVIR NBC 29 234° SW 28 mi 6
WCAV CBS 19 234° SW 28 mi 3
WVAW ABC 16 234° SW 28 mi 3
WHTJ PBS 41 234° SW 28 mi 4
WSVW NBC 30 288° WNW 40 mi 6
WSVF FOX 43 288° WNW 40 mi 2
WHSV ABC 3 311° NW 40 mi 6

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Orange, VA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 27.8 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 56 miles.

For Orange 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 Orange are spread across 278° 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 Orange. 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 Orange, VA, 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.