Antenna aiming / Paterson, NJ
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Paterson, NJ

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

Transmitter directions from Paterson, NJ N E S W WNYJ — 9° N, 56 mi WEPT — 9° N, 56 mi WRNN — 16° NNE, 41 mi WTBY — 16° NNE, 41 mi WEDW — 63° ENE, 57 mi WLIW — 103° ESE, 39 mi WNYZ — 134° SE, 16 mi WNYN — 134° SE, 16 mi WDYJ — 135° SE, 15 mi WNMF — 136° SE, 15 mi WNWT — 138° SE, 14 mi WNYE — 138° SE, 14 mi WCBS — 139° SE, 15 mi WNBC — 139° SE, 15 mi WABC — 139° SE, 15 mi WNYW — 139° SE, 15 mi WNET — 139° SE, 15 mi WXTV — 139° SE, 15 mi WPIX — 139° SE, 15 mi WNDT — 139° SE, 15 mi WPXN — 139° SE, 15 mi WDVB — 139° SE, 15 mi WFUT — 139° SE, 15 mi WXNY — 139° SE, 15 mi WDYA — 139° SE, 15 mi WJLP — 149° SSE, 16 mi WMBQ — 149° SSE, 16 mi WASA — 149° SSE, 16 mi WKOB — 149° SSE, 16 mi WWOR — 149° SSE, 16 mi W29FF-D — 196° SSW, 58 mi WNJN — 205° SSW, 4 mi WMBC — 205° SSW, 4 mi WNYX — 207° SSW, 9 mi WNJU — 207° SSW, 9 mi WNJT — 212° SSW, 51 mi WNJB — 221° SW, 27 mi Paterson

Point East-Southeast 120° on a compass — 58 miles of range covers this whole market

25/37stations in the beam
83/114free channels
73%of what's available
The other 12 stations sit southwest of you (219°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
12 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 Paterson, NJ

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WNYJ Jewelry TV 16 9° N 56 mi 3
WEPT Independent 15 9° N 56 mi 1
WRNN Shop LC 48 16° NNE 41 mi 5
WTBY TBN 54 16° NNE 41 mi 4
WEDW PBS 49 63° ENE 57 mi 1
WLIW PBS 21 103° ESE 39 mi 4
WNYZ Independent 6 134° SE 16 mi 1
WNYN Independent 39 134° SE 16 mi 1
WDYJ Diya TV 60 135° SE 15 mi 1
WNMF Jewelry TV 22 136° SE 15 mi 1
WNWT Story Television 37 138° SE 14 mi 1
WNYE Independent 25 138° SE 14 mi 3
WCBS CBS 2 139° SE 15 mi 6
WNBC NBC 4 139° SE 15 mi 4
WABC ABC 7 139° SE 15 mi 5
WNYW FOX 5 139° SE 15 mi 5
WNET PBS 13 139° SE 15 mi 6
WXTV Univision 41 139° SE 15 mi 5
WPIX CW 11 139° SE 15 mi 3
WNDT FNX 14 139° SE 15 mi 1
WPXN Ion 31 139° SE 15 mi 8
WDVB TBN Inspire 23 139° SE 15 mi 2
WFUT UniMas 68 139° SE 15 mi 3
WXNY Daystar 32 139° SE 15 mi 1
WDYA Diya TV 33 139° SE 15 mi 5
WJLP MeTV 33 149° SSE 16 mi 7
WMBQ FNX 46 149° SSE 16 mi 1
WASA Independent 24 149° SSE 16 mi 2
WKOB ULFN 42 149° SSE 16 mi 4
WWOR MyNetworkTV 9 149° SSE 16 mi 3
W29FF-D Daystar 45 196° SSW 58 mi 1
WNJN PBS 50 205° SSW 4 mi 1
WMBC Estrella TV 63 205° SSW 4 mi 8
WNYX Infomercials 34 207° SSW 9 mi 3
WNJU Telemundo 47 207° SSW 9 mi 2
WNJT PBS 52 212° SSW 51 mi 1
WNJB PBS 58 221° SW 27 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Paterson, NJ?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 3.6 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 15 miles.

For Paterson 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 Paterson are spread across 212° 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 Paterson. 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 Paterson, NJ, 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.