Antenna aiming / Raleigh, NC
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Raleigh, NC

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

Transmitter directions from Raleigh, NC N E S W WRPX — 39° NE, 32 mi WUNP — 46° NE, 55 mi WRAY — 75° ENE, 23 mi WNCR — 75° ENE, 44 mi WUNK — 104° ESE, 55 mi WHFL — 132° SE, 39 mi WNGT — 137° SE, 20 mi WARZ — 137° SE, 20 mi WRAL — 167° SSE, 5 mi WRAZ — 167° SSE, 5 mi WNCN — 167° SSE, 5 mi WLFL — 167° SSE, 5 mi WRTD — 167° SSE, 5 mi WTVD — 172° S, 5 mi WRDC — 172° S, 5 mi WUNU — 203° SSW, 71 mi WFPX — 207° SSW, 66 mi WNCB — 207° SSW, 54 mi WUVC — 237° WSW, 29 mi WBFT — 240° WSW, 39 mi WUNC — 284° WNW, 36 mi WIRP — 285° WNW, 36 mi WWIW — 293° WNW, 8 mi WTNC — 314° NW, 32 mi WMDV — 326° NW, 83 mi Raleigh

Point South 178° on a compass — 83 miles of range covers this whole market

10/25stations in the beam
39/101free channels
39%of what's available
The other 15 stations sit north-northeast of you (28°). 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 Raleigh, NC

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WRPX Ion 47 39° NE 32 mi 7
WUNP PBS 36 46° NE 55 mi 4
WRAY TCT 30 75° ENE 23 mi 1
WNCR Biz TV 21 75° ENE 44 mi 2
WUNK PBS 25 104° ESE 55 mi 4
WHFL Independent 43 132° SE 39 mi 4
WNGT WRAL Plus 34 137° SE 20 mi 4
WARZ 3ABN 21 137° SE 20 mi 1
WRAL NBC 5 167° SSE 5 mi 5
WRAZ FOX 50 167° SSE 5 mi 4
WNCN CBS 17 167° SSE 5 mi 5
WLFL CW 22 167° SSE 5 mi 4
WRTD Telemundo 54 167° SSE 5 mi 1
WTVD ABC 11 172° S 5 mi 5
WRDC MyNetworkTV 28 172° S 5 mi 3
WUNU PBS 31 203° SSW 71 mi 4
WFPX Bounce TV 62 207° SSW 66 mi 1
WNCB Infomercials 16 207° SSW 54 mi 7
WUVC Univision 40 237° WSW 29 mi 8
WBFT TCT 46 240° WSW 39 mi 4
WUNC PBS 4 284° WNW 36 mi 4
WIRP Hasbro Legends 27 285° WNW 36 mi 8
WWIW Daystar 66 293° WNW 8 mi 1
WTNC UniMas 11 314° NW 32 mi 8
WMDV Independent 23 326° NW 83 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Raleigh, NC?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 4.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 21 miles.

For Raleigh 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 Raleigh are spread across 288° 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 Raleigh. 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 Raleigh, NC, 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.