Antenna aiming / Portage, IN
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Portage, IN

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

Transmitter directions from Portage, IN N E S W WSBT — 87° E, 50 mi WSJV — 87° E, 51 mi WCWW — 87° E, 51 mi WBND — 87° E, 51 mi WMYS — 87° E, 51 mi WNIT — 87° E, 51 mi WNDU — 88° E, 50 mi WYIN — 215° SW, 20 mi WLPD — 291° WNW, 50 mi WPVN — 306° NW, 55 mi WFLD — 311° NW, 31 mi WMAQ — 311° NW, 31 mi WGN — 311° NW, 31 mi WCIU — 311° NW, 31 mi WSNS — 311° NW, 31 mi WMEU — 311° NW, 31 mi WWME — 311° NW, 31 mi WEDE — 311° NW, 31 mi WLS — 311° NW, 31 mi WTTW — 311° NW, 31 mi WXFT — 311° NW, 31 mi WBBM — 311° NW, 31 mi WCPX — 311° NW, 31 mi WPWR — 311° NW, 31 mi WJYS — 311° NW, 31 mi WRJK — 311° NW, 31 mi W31EZ-D — 312° NW, 31 mi WDCI — 312° NW, 31 mi WGBO — 314° NW, 32 mi WOCK — 314° NW, 32 mi WRME — 314° NW, 32 mi WESV — 314° NW, 32 mi Portage

Point West-Northwest 284° on a compass — 55 miles of range covers this whole market

24/32stations in the beam
122/165free channels
74%of what's available
The other 8 stations sit east of you (94°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
3 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 Portage, IN

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WSBT CBS 22 87° E 50 mi 5
WSJV Roar 28 87° E 51 mi 7
WCWW CW 25 87° E 51 mi 7
WBND ABC 57 87° E 51 mi 3
WMYS MyNetworkTV 69 87° E 51 mi 4
WNIT PBS 34 87° E 51 mi 8
WNDU NBC 16 88° E 50 mi 7
WYIN PBS 56 215° SW 20 mi 2
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 291° WNW 50 mi 2
WPVN MBC 24 306° NW 55 mi 10
WFLD FOX 32 311° NW 31 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 311° NW 31 mi 5
WGN CW 9 311° NW 31 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 311° NW 31 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 311° NW 31 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 311° NW 31 mi 4
WWME MeTV 23 311° NW 31 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 311° NW 31 mi 2
WLS ABC 7 311° NW 31 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 311° NW 31 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 311° NW 31 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 311° NW 31 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 311° NW 31 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 311° NW 31 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 311° NW 31 mi 11
WRJK Diya TV 22 311° NW 31 mi 10
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 312° NW 31 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 312° NW 31 mi 1
WGBO Univision 66 314° NW 32 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 314° NW 32 mi 6
WRME Jewelry TV 6 314° NW 32 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 314° NW 32 mi 7

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Portage, IN?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 19.9 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 32 miles.

For Portage 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 Portage are spread across 226° 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 Portage. 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 Portage, IN, 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.