Antenna aiming / Portsmouth, NH
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Portsmouth, NH

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

Transmitter directions from Portsmouth, NH N E S W WMEA — 0° N, 24 mi WMTW — 2° N, 53 mi WCSH — 5° N, 54 mi WGME — 15° NNE, 61 mi WPXT — 24° NNE, 59 mi WIPL — 24° NNE, 59 mi WLEK — 194° SSW, 39 mi WCEA — 195° SSW, 52 mi WHDT — 196° SSW, 52 mi WFXT — 202° SSW, 57 mi WLVI — 202° SSW, 57 mi WHDH — 202° SSW, 57 mi WFXZ — 202° SSW, 57 mi WYDN — 202° SSW, 57 mi WMFP — 202° SSW, 57 mi WBPX — 202° SSW, 57 mi WBTS — 203° SSW, 57 mi WGBH — 203° SSW, 57 mi WBZ — 203° SSW, 57 mi WCVB — 203° SSW, 57 mi WGBX — 203° SSW, 57 mi WSBK — 203° SSW, 57 mi WUNI — 216° SW, 59 mi WWJE — 216° SW, 59 mi WUTF — 223° SW, 69 mi WMUR — 261° W, 40 mi WNEU — 261° W, 40 mi WPXG — 287° WNW, 27 mi WENH — 289° WNW, 22 mi Portsmouth

Point South-Southwest 193° on a compass — 69 miles of range covers this whole market

19/29stations in the beam
68/127free channels
54%of what's available
The other 10 stations sit north-northwest of you (336°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
7 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 Portsmouth, NH

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WMEA PBS 26 0° N 24 mi 6
WMTW ABC 8 2° N 53 mi 6
WCSH NBC 6 5° N 54 mi 8
WGME CBS 13 15° NNE 61 mi 5
WPXT CW 51 24° NNE 59 mi 5
WIPL Ion 35 24° NNE 59 mi 9
WLEK Sports First TV 22 194° SSW 39 mi 7
WCEA Independent 26 195° SSW 52 mi 4
WHDT Infomercials 3 196° SSW 52 mi 1
WFXT FOX 25 202° SSW 57 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 202° SSW 57 mi 2
WHDH Independent 7 202° SSW 57 mi 2
WFXZ Biz TV 24 202° SSW 57 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 202° SSW 57 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 202° SSW 57 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 202° SSW 57 mi 7
WBTS NBC 15 203° SSW 57 mi 2
WGBH PBS 2 203° SSW 57 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 203° SSW 57 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 203° SSW 57 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 203° SSW 57 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 203° SSW 57 mi 7
WUNI Univision 66 216° SW 59 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 216° SW 59 mi 1
WUTF UniMas 27 223° SW 69 mi 5
WMUR ABC 9 261° W 40 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 261° W 40 mi 5
WPXG Ion 21 287° WNW 27 mi 7
WENH PBS 11 289° WNW 22 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Portsmouth, NH?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 21.5 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 55 miles.

For Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth are spread across 190° 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 Portsmouth. 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 Portsmouth, NH, 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.