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

How to aim your TV antenna in Portage, MI

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, MI N E S W WXMI — 7° N, 34 mi WWMT — 8° N, 30 mi WOOD — 9° N, 34 mi WOLP — 9° N, 34 mi WOTV — 17° NNE, 27 mi WLLA — 18° NNE, 26 mi WZPX — 40° NE, 43 mi WSYM — 69° ENE, 53 mi WOBC — 75° ENE, 24 mi W25GE-D — 109° ESE, 15 mi WCUH — 115° ESE, 37 mi WINM — 141° SE, 67 mi WEID — 212° SSW, 43 mi WHME — 214° SW, 50 mi WBND — 216° SW, 50 mi WMYS — 216° SW, 50 mi WCWW — 216° SW, 50 mi WNIT — 216° SW, 50 mi WSJV — 216° SW, 50 mi WNDU — 217° SW, 51 mi WSBT — 217° SW, 51 mi WMKG — 336° NNW, 74 mi WOGC — 338° NNW, 46 mi WOHO — 338° NNW, 46 mi WTLJ — 345° NNW, 54 mi WGVK — 345° NNW, 7 mi WGVU — 345° NNW, 54 mi WOKZ — 350° N, 7 mi WXSP — 354° N, 57 mi WUHQ — 356° N, 52 mi Portage

Point North 11° on a compass — 74 miles of range covers this whole market

13/30stations in the beam
65/161free channels
40%of what's available
The other 17 stations sit south-southwest of you (200°). 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 Portage, MI

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WXMI FOX 17 7° N 34 mi 8
WWMT CBS 3 8° N 30 mi 5
WOOD NBC 8 9° N 34 mi 4
WOLP MyNetworkTV 27 9° N 34 mi 1
WOTV ABC 41 17° NNE 27 mi 4
WLLA Independent 64 18° NNE 26 mi 6
WZPX Ion 43 40° NE 43 mi 9
WSYM FOX 47 69° ENE 53 mi 7
WOBC MyNetworkTV 16 75° ENE 24 mi 3
W25GE-D TCT 25 109° ESE 15 mi 11
WCUH Outlaw 16 115° ESE 37 mi 7
WINM TCT 12 141° SE 67 mi 11
WEID Daystar 18 212° SSW 43 mi 1
WHME Univision 46 214° SW 50 mi 10
WBND ABC 57 216° SW 50 mi 3
WMYS MyNetworkTV 69 216° SW 50 mi 4
WCWW CW 25 216° SW 50 mi 7
WNIT PBS 34 216° SW 50 mi 8
WSJV Roar 28 216° SW 50 mi 7
WNDU NBC 16 217° SW 51 mi 7
WSBT CBS 22 217° SW 51 mi 5
WMKG Independent 31 336° NNW 74 mi 1
WOGC NBC 25 338° NNW 46 mi 3
WOHO MyNetworkTV 33 338° NNW 46 mi 1
WTLJ TCT 54 345° NNW 54 mi 11
WGVK PBS 52 345° NNW 7 mi 6
WGVU PBS 35 345° NNW 54 mi 6
WOKZ MyNetworkTV 50 350° N 7 mi 1
WXSP MyNetworkTV 15 354° N 57 mi 3
WUHQ Daystar 29 356° N 52 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Portage, MI?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 6.6 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 34 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 241° 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, MI, 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.