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

How to aim your TV antenna in Pekin, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Pekin, IL N E S W WHOI — 14° NNE, 8 mi WTVP — 25° NNE, 6 mi WTVK — 33° NNE, 7 mi WEEK — 33° NNE, 7 mi WMBD — 35° NE, 8 mi WWTO — 35° NE, 62 mi WYZZ — 73° ENE, 24 mi WILL — 125° SE, 61 mi WAND — 134° SE, 58 mi WBUI — 135° SE, 58 mi WLCF — 136° SE, 57 mi WCQA — 149° SSE, 46 mi WRSP — 170° S, 52 mi WICS — 171° S, 52 mi WCIX — 174° S, 52 mi WSEC — 199° SSW, 69 mi KWQC — 324° NW, 66 mi WQAD — 324° NW, 66 mi KQIN — 324° NW, 66 mi KLJB — 324° NW, 66 mi WQPT — 324° NW, 66 mi WMWC — 324° NW, 66 mi Pekin

Point Southeast 144° on a compass — 69 miles of range covers this whole market

8/22stations in the beam
43/109free channels
39%of what's available
The other 14 stations sit north of you (360°). 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 Pekin, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WHOI MyNetworkTV 19 14° NNE 8 mi 6
WTVP PBS 47 25° NNE 6 mi 5
WTVK Shop LC 59 33° NNE 7 mi 4
WEEK NBC 25 33° NNE 7 mi 4
WMBD CBS 31 35° NE 8 mi 4
WWTO TBN 35 35° NE 62 mi 4
WYZZ FOX 43 73° ENE 24 mi 3
WILL PBS 12 125° SE 61 mi 3
WAND NBC 17 134° SE 58 mi 7
WBUI CW 23 135° SE 58 mi 5
WLCF CTN 45 136° SE 57 mi 5
WCQA 365BLK 16 149° SSE 46 mi 10
WRSP FOX 55 170° S 52 mi 3
WICS ABC 20 171° S 52 mi 5
WCIX MyNetworkTV 49 174° S 52 mi 5
WSEC PBS 14 199° SSW 69 mi 4
KWQC NBC 6 324° NW 66 mi 7
WQAD ABC 8 324° NW 66 mi 7
KQIN PBS 36 324° NW 66 mi 5
KLJB FOX 18 324° NW 66 mi 6
WQPT PBS 24 324° NW 66 mi 2
WMWC TBN 53 324° NW 66 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Pekin, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 6.4 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 53 miles.

For Pekin 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 Pekin are spread across 236° 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 Pekin. 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 Pekin, 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.