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How to Aim Your TV Antenna in Ottumwa, IA

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

Transmitter directions from Ottumwa, IA N E S W KYOU — 66° ENE, 27 mi KTVO — 181° S, 35 mi KRPG — 323° NW, 67 mi KAJR — 323° NW, 67 mi KCYM — 323° NW, 67 mi KFPX — 324° NW, 67 mi Ottumwa

Point West-Northwest 294° on a compass — 67 miles of range covers this whole market

4/6stations in the beam
30/40free channels
75%of what's available
The other 2 stations sit east-southeast of you (124°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.

Every Transmitter Near Ottumwa, IA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KYOU FOX 15 66° ENE 27 mi 6
KTVO ABC 3 181° S 35 mi 4
KRPG Infomercials 43 323° NW 67 mi 7
KAJR Defy TV 36 323° NW 67 mi 7
KCYM MovieSphere Gold 44 323° NW 67 mi 7
KFPX Ion 39 324° NW 67 mi 9

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What Antenna Do You Need in Ottumwa, IA?

How far the transmitters are, which way they sit, and what that means for the antenna you buy.

The nearest transmitter is 27.1 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 68 miles.

For Ottumwa 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 Ottumwa are spread across 217° 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 Ottumwa. 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 Ottumwa, IA, including what each station carries.

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