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

How to aim your TV antenna in Poplar Grove, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Poplar Grove, IL N E S W WDMW — 40° NE, 50 mi WDJT — 43° NE, 67 mi WMLW — 43° NE, 67 mi WBME — 43° NE, 67 mi WYTU — 43° NE, 67 mi WISN — 43° NE, 67 mi WMVS — 44° NE, 67 mi WVCY — 44° NE, 67 mi WMVT — 44° NE, 67 mi WIWN — 44° NE, 67 mi WVTV — 44° NE, 67 mi WPXE — 44° NE, 67 mi WMKE — 44° NE, 67 mi WTSJ — 44° NE, 67 mi WTMJ — 45° NE, 67 mi WITI — 45° NE, 67 mi WPVN — 122° ESE, 47 mi WLPD — 136° SE, 55 mi WQRF — 245° WSW, 19 mi WTVO — 245° WSW, 19 mi WFBN — 246° WSW, 19 mi WSLN — 246° WSW, 19 mi WIFR — 246° WSW, 19 mi WREX — 250° WSW, 22 mi WKOW — 322° NW, 57 mi WISC — 322° NW, 57 mi WHA — 322° NW, 57 mi WMSN — 322° NW, 57 mi WMTV — 323° NW, 56 mi WIFS — 323° NW, 56 mi W23BW-D — 324° NW, 55 mi WMWD — 324° NW, 55 mi WZCK — 324° NW, 55 mi Poplar Grove

Point North-Northeast 15° on a compass — 67 miles of range covers this whole market

16/33stations in the beam
79/171free channels
46%of what's available
The other 17 stations sit west-northwest of you (290°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
6 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 Poplar Grove, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WDMW Daystar 65 40° NE 50 mi 1
WDJT CBS 58 43° NE 67 mi 5
WMLW Independent 49 43° NE 67 mi 5
WBME MeTV 41 43° NE 67 mi 1
WYTU Telemundo 63 43° NE 67 mi 5
WISN ABC 12 43° NE 67 mi 4
WMVS PBS 10 44° NE 67 mi 3
WVCY Independent 30 44° NE 67 mi 1
WMVT PBS 36 44° NE 67 mi 3
WIWN Cozi TV 68 44° NE 67 mi 8
WVTV CW 18 44° NE 67 mi 4
WPXE Ion 55 44° NE 67 mi 8
WMKE Jewelry TV 21 44° NE 67 mi 8
WTSJ Fubo Sports 38 44° NE 67 mi 12
WTMJ NBC 4 45° NE 67 mi 7
WITI FOX 6 45° NE 67 mi 4
WPVN MBC 24 122° ESE 47 mi 10
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 136° SE 55 mi 2
WQRF FOX 39 245° WSW 19 mi 4
WTVO ABC 17 245° WSW 19 mi 4
WFBN Heroes & Icons 35 246° WSW 19 mi 4
WSLN CW 19 246° WSW 19 mi 3
WIFR CBS 23 246° WSW 19 mi 6
WREX NBC 13 250° WSW 22 mi 6
WKOW ABC 27 322° NW 57 mi 6
WISC CBS 3 322° NW 57 mi 6
WHA PBS 21 322° NW 57 mi 4
WMSN FOX 47 322° NW 57 mi 6
WMTV NBC 15 323° NW 56 mi 6
WIFS Ion 57 323° NW 56 mi 9
W23BW-D Busted 23 324° NW 55 mi 7
WMWD Daystar 38 324° NW 55 mi 1
WZCK MovieSphere Gold 8 324° NW 55 mi 8

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Poplar Grove, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 19.1 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 56 miles.

For Poplar Grove 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 Poplar Grove are spread across 251° 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 Poplar Grove. 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 Poplar Grove, 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.