Antenna aiming / Philadelphia, PA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Philadelphia, PA

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

Transmitter directions from Philadelphia, PA N E S W WNJB — 38° NE, 52 mi WNJN — 40° NE, 75 mi WMBC — 40° NE, 75 mi WNJU — 41° NE, 70 mi WNYX — 41° NE, 70 mi WNJT — 53° NE, 29 mi W29FF-D — 81° E, 34 mi WWSI — 124° SE, 49 mi WACP — 144° SE, 25 mi WNJS — 145° SE, 26 mi WMCN — 145° SE, 26 mi WSJT — 145° SE, 26 mi WPSJ — 145° SE, 26 mi WMGM — 163° SSE, 66 mi WELL — 273° W, 6 mi WTXF — 274° W, 6 mi WZPA — 274° W, 6 mi WTVE — 275° W, 6 mi WDPN — 275° W, 6 mi WPHL — 275° W, 6 mi WHYY — 275° W, 6 mi WFPA — 275° W, 6 mi WCAU — 275° W, 6 mi WPSG — 275° W, 6 mi WUVP — 275° W, 6 mi WGTW — 275° W, 6 mi WPPX — 275° W, 6 mi WPHA — 275° W, 6 mi KYW — 275° W, 6 mi WPVI — 275° W, 6 mi WPHY — 306° NW, 5 mi WYLN — 326° NW, 78 mi WPPT — 335° NNW, 40 mi WLVT — 335° NNW, 40 mi WFMZ — 335° NNW, 40 mi WBPH — 336° NNW, 40 mi Philadelphia

Point West-Northwest 297° on a compass — 78 miles of range covers this whole market

18/36stations in the beam
86/144free channels
60%of what's available
The other 18 stations sit east-northeast of you (70°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
13 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 Philadelphia, PA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WNJB PBS 58 38° NE 52 mi 1
WNJN PBS 50 40° NE 75 mi 1
WMBC Estrella TV 63 40° NE 75 mi 8
WNJU Telemundo 47 41° NE 70 mi 2
WNYX Infomercials 34 41° NE 70 mi 3
WNJT PBS 52 53° NE 29 mi 1
W29FF-D Daystar 45 81° E 34 mi 1
WWSI Telemundo 62 124° SE 49 mi 2
WACP TCT 4 144° SE 25 mi 9
WNJS PBS 23 145° SE 26 mi 1
WMCN Infomercials 44 145° SE 26 mi 3
WSJT Classic Shows 15 145° SE 26 mi 8
WPSJ Infomercials 8 145° SE 26 mi 7
WMGM True Crime Network 40 163° SSE 66 mi 3
WELL Daystar 45 273° W 6 mi 1
WTXF FOX 29 274° W 6 mi 7
WZPA NTD America 33 274° W 6 mi 7
WTVE Shop LC 51 275° W 6 mi 4
WDPN MeTV 2 275° W 6 mi 11
WPHL MyNetworkTV 17 275° W 6 mi 4
WHYY PBS 12 275° W 6 mi 3
WFPA UniMas 28 275° W 6 mi 5
WCAU NBC 10 275° W 6 mi 4
WPSG Independent 57 275° W 6 mi 5
WUVP Univision 65 275° W 6 mi 3
WGTW TBN 48 275° W 6 mi 4
WPPX Ion 61 275° W 6 mi 8
WPHA Infomercials 24 275° W 6 mi 4
KYW CBS 3 275° W 6 mi 5
WPVI ABC 6 275° W 6 mi 6
WPHY Infomercials 25 306° NW 5 mi 4
WYLN YTA TV 35 326° NW 78 mi 1
WPPT PBS 35 335° NNW 40 mi 1
WLVT PBS 39 335° NNW 40 mi 2
WFMZ Independent 69 335° NNW 40 mi 3
WBPH Independent 60 336° NNW 40 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Philadelphia, PA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 4.6 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 7 miles.

For Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia are spread across 250° 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 Philadelphia. 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 Philadelphia, PA, 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.