Antenna aiming / Portland, TN
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Portland, TN

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

Transmitter directions from Portland, TN N E S W WBKO — 6° N, 34 mi WKYU — 6° N, 34 mi WCZU — 14° NNE, 41 mi WDNZ — 29° NNE, 36 mi WNKY-LD — 29° NNE, 36 mi WNKY — 29° NNE, 36 mi WPBM — 53° NE, 29 mi WJFB — 167° SSE, 30 mi WHTN — 173° S, 34 mi WNPX-LD — 195° SSW, 47 mi WNPT — 207° SSW, 41 mi WKRN — 207° SSW, 41 mi WLLC — 208° SSW, 32 mi WJDE — 208° SSW, 32 mi WTNX — 209° SSW, 32 mi WSMV — 214° SW, 36 mi WTVF — 217° SW, 27 mi WZTV — 217° SW, 27 mi WUXP — 217° SW, 27 mi WNAB — 217° SW, 27 mi WNPX — 217° SW, 27 mi WRTN — 217° SW, 27 mi WNTU — 217° SW, 27 mi WCTZ — 217° SW, 27 mi WKUW — 217° SW, 27 mi WJNK — 217° SW, 27 mi WPGD — 217° SW, 27 mi WKUT — 224° SW, 4 mi WCKV — 266° W, 48 mi WKGB — 348° NNW, 36 mi Portland

Point South-Southwest 195° on a compass — 48 miles of range covers this whole market

21/30stations in the beam
111/145free channels
77%of what's available
The other 9 stations sit north-northeast of you (12°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
4 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 Portland, TN

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WBKO ABC 13 6° N 34 mi 6
WKYU PBS 24 6° N 34 mi 3
WCZU 365BLK 39 14° NNE 41 mi 7
WDNZ The Country Network 11 29° NNE 36 mi 3
WNKY-LD Ion 35 29° NNE 36 mi 4
WNKY NBC 40 29° NNE 36 mi 3
WPBM Independent 31 53° NE 29 mi 1
WJFB MeTV 44 167° SSE 30 mi 10
WHTN CTN 39 173° S 34 mi 5
WNPX-LD Daystar 24 195° SSW 47 mi 1
WNPT PBS 8 207° SSW 41 mi 4
WKRN ABC 2 207° SSW 41 mi 5
WLLC Univision 42 208° SSW 32 mi 4
WJDE KCMI 31 208° SSW 32 mi 10
WTNX Telemundo 29 209° SSW 32 mi 4
WSMV NBC 4 214° SW 36 mi 6
WTVF CBS 5 217° SW 27 mi 6
WZTV FOX 17 217° SW 27 mi 5
WUXP MyNetworkTV 30 217° SW 27 mi 3
WNAB Roar 58 217° SW 27 mi 3
WNPX Independent 28 217° SW 27 mi 9
WRTN Daystar 6 217° SW 27 mi 4
WNTU Daystar 26 217° SW 27 mi 1
WCTZ Buzzr 35 217° SW 27 mi 11
WKUW MovieSphere Gold 40 217° SW 27 mi 7
WJNK TBN 59 217° SW 27 mi 1
WPGD TBN 50 217° SW 27 mi 5
WKUT 365BLK 25 224° SW 4 mi 7
WCKV The Walk TV 22 266° W 48 mi 3
WKGB PBS 53 348° NNW 36 mi 4

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Portland, TN?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 3.5 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 28 miles.

For Portland 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 Portland are spread across 246° 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 Portland. 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 Portland, TN, 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.