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

How to aim your TV antenna in Palo Alto, CA

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

Transmitter directions from Palo Alto, CA N E S W KTNC — 20° NNE, 32 mi KTXL — 30° NNE, 66 mi KVIE — 30° NNE, 66 mi KCSO — 30° NNE, 66 mi KCRA — 31° NNE, 66 mi KSPX — 31° NNE, 66 mi KMAX — 31° NNE, 66 mi KQCA — 31° NNE, 66 mi KOVR — 32° NNE, 64 mi KTFK — 32° NNE, 64 mi KXTV — 32° NNE, 64 mi KACA — 69° ENE, 54 mi KDTV — 76° ENE, 14 mi KSTS — 76° ENE, 14 mi KAXT — 76° ENE, 14 mi KSCZ — 76° ENE, 14 mi KQEH — 79° E, 14 mi KICU — 79° E, 14 mi KBSV — 84° E, 41 mi KSMS — 144° SE, 59 mi KSBW — 144° SE, 59 mi KQET — 144° SE, 59 mi K15CU-D — 144° SE, 59 mi KDJT — 144° SE, 59 mi KCBA — 145° SE, 59 mi KBIT — 145° SE, 33 mi KLFB — 156° SSE, 70 mi KMMD — 156° SSE, 69 mi KION — 156° SSE, 69 mi KBNY — 156° SSE, 69 mi K31OL-D — 156° SSE, 69 mi KMBY — 164° SSE, 65 mi KOTR — 166° SSE, 62 mi KNTV — 313° NW, 24 mi KTSF — 313° NW, 24 mi KMPX-LD — 313° NW, 24 mi KKPX — 314° NW, 24 mi KCNZ — 314° NW, 24 mi KDTS — 319° NW, 28 mi KTVU — 319° NW, 28 mi KPIX — 319° NW, 28 mi KQED — 319° NW, 28 mi KGO — 319° NW, 28 mi KMTP — 319° NW, 28 mi KCNS — 319° NW, 28 mi KPYX — 319° NW, 28 mi KRON — 319° NW, 28 mi KPJK — 319° NW, 28 mi KFSF — 319° NW, 28 mi KOFY — 319° NW, 28 mi KTLN — 332° NNW, 55 mi KRCB — 338° NNW, 67 mi Palo Alto

Point Northwest 309° on a compass — 70 miles of range covers this whole market

19/52stations in the beam
99/265free channels
37%of what's available
The other 33 stations sit east of you (93°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
10 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 Palo Alto, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KTNC TCT 42 20° NNE 32 mi 2
KTXL FOX 40 30° NNE 66 mi 4
KVIE PBS 6 30° NNE 66 mi 4
KCSO Telemundo 33 30° NNE 66 mi 4
KCRA NBC 3 31° NNE 66 mi 6
KSPX Ion 29 31° NNE 66 mi 8
KMAX Independent 31 31° NNE 66 mi 7
KQCA CW 58 31° NNE 66 mi 3
KOVR CBS 13 32° NNE 64 mi 5
KTFK UniMas 64 32° NNE 64 mi 7
KXTV ABC 10 32° NNE 64 mi 7
KACA Daystar 34 69° ENE 54 mi 1
KDTV Univision 14 76° ENE 14 mi 3
KSTS Telemundo 48 76° ENE 14 mi 6
KAXT Catchy Comedy 1 76° ENE 14 mi 1
KSCZ Hai Le 16 76° ENE 14 mi 10
KQEH PBS 54 79° E 14 mi 4
KICU MyNetworkTV 36 79° E 14 mi 5
KBSV Independent 23 84° E 41 mi 1
KSMS Univision 67 144° SE 59 mi 2
KSBW NBC 8 144° SE 59 mi 5
KQET PBS 25 144° SE 59 mi 4
K15CU-D Cozi TV 15 144° SE 59 mi 4
KDJT UniMas 33 144° SE 59 mi 1
KCBA CW 35 145° SE 59 mi 5
KBIT Diya TV 24 145° SE 33 mi 10
KLFB 3ABN 22 156° SSE 70 mi 11
KMMD Court TV 39 156° SSE 69 mi 8
KION CBS 46 156° SSE 69 mi 4
KBNY Binge TV 19 156° SSE 69 mi 11
K31OL-D Independent 38 156° SSE 69 mi 1
KMBY MeTV 27 164° SSE 65 mi 9
KOTR MyNetworkTV 7 166° SSE 62 mi 3
KNTV NBC 11 313° NW 24 mi 6
KTSF Independent 26 313° NW 24 mi 4
KMPX-LD Jewelry TV 18 313° NW 24 mi 1
KKPX Ion 65 314° NW 24 mi 8
KCNZ LATV 28 314° NW 24 mi 4
KDTS Daystar 52 319° NW 28 mi 12
KTVU FOX 2 319° NW 28 mi 5
KPIX CBS 5 319° NW 28 mi 5
KQED PBS 9 319° NW 28 mi 4
KGO ABC 7 319° NW 28 mi 5
KMTP Independent 32 319° NW 28 mi 1
KCNS Shop LC 38 319° NW 28 mi 5
KPYX Independent 44 319° NW 28 mi 7
KRON CW 4 319° NW 28 mi 5
KPJK Independent 60 319° NW 28 mi 6
KFSF UniMas 66 319° NW 28 mi 6
KOFY Dr. Phil 20 319° NW 28 mi 5
KTLN Heroes & Icons 68 332° NNW 55 mi 7
KRCB PBS 22 338° NNW 67 mi 3

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Palo Alto, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 14.0 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 24 miles.

For Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto are spread across 213° 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 Palo Alto. 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 Palo Alto, 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.