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

How to aim your TV antenna in Oswego, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Oswego, IL N E S W WPVN — 29° NNE, 30 mi WLPD — 46° NE, 17 mi WGBO — 66° ENE, 40 mi WOCK — 66° ENE, 40 mi WRME — 66° ENE, 40 mi WESV — 66° ENE, 40 mi W31EZ-D — 67° ENE, 39 mi WDCI — 67° ENE, 39 mi WFLD — 67° ENE, 38 mi WMAQ — 67° ENE, 38 mi WGN — 67° ENE, 38 mi WCIU — 67° ENE, 38 mi WSNS — 67° ENE, 38 mi WMEU — 67° ENE, 38 mi WWME — 67° ENE, 38 mi WEDE — 67° ENE, 38 mi WLS — 67° ENE, 38 mi WTTW — 67° ENE, 38 mi WXFT — 67° ENE, 38 mi WBBM — 67° ENE, 38 mi WCPX — 67° ENE, 38 mi WPWR — 67° ENE, 38 mi WJYS — 67° ENE, 38 mi WRJK — 67° ENE, 38 mi WYIN — 114° ESE, 53 mi WWTO — 230° SW, 41 mi WREX — 313° NW, 64 mi WQRF — 315° NW, 61 mi WTVO — 315° NW, 61 mi WFBN — 315° NW, 62 mi WIFR — 315° NW, 62 mi WSLN — 315° NW, 62 mi Oswego

Point Northeast 38° on a compass — 64 miles of range covers this whole market

24/32stations in the beam
122/155free channels
79%of what's available
The other 8 stations sit northwest of you (308°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
5 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 Oswego, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WPVN MBC 24 29° NNE 30 mi 10
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 46° NE 17 mi 2
WGBO Univision 66 66° ENE 40 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 66° ENE 40 mi 6
WRME Jewelry TV 6 66° ENE 40 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 66° ENE 40 mi 7
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 67° ENE 39 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 67° ENE 39 mi 1
WFLD FOX 32 67° ENE 38 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 67° ENE 38 mi 5
WGN CW 9 67° ENE 38 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 67° ENE 38 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 67° ENE 38 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 67° ENE 38 mi 4
WWME MeTV 23 67° ENE 38 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 67° ENE 38 mi 2
WLS ABC 7 67° ENE 38 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 67° ENE 38 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 67° ENE 38 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 67° ENE 38 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 67° ENE 38 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 67° ENE 38 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 67° ENE 38 mi 11
WRJK Diya TV 22 67° ENE 38 mi 10
WYIN PBS 56 114° ESE 53 mi 2
WWTO TBN 35 230° SW 41 mi 4
WREX NBC 13 313° NW 64 mi 6
WQRF FOX 39 315° NW 61 mi 4
WTVO ABC 17 315° NW 61 mi 4
WFBN Heroes & Icons 35 315° NW 62 mi 4
WIFR CBS 23 315° NW 62 mi 6
WSLN CW 19 315° NW 62 mi 3

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Oswego, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 17.4 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 39 miles.

For Oswego we would start with an amplified indoor or attic antenna. The towers are far enough out that an amplified indoor antenna, or one mounted in the attic, will pull in far more of the lineup than a basic flat antenna.

The towers around Oswego are spread across 244° 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 Oswego. 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 Oswego, 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.