Antenna aiming / Reading, PA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Reading, PA

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

Transmitter directions from Reading, PA N E S W W09DJ-D — 2° N, 60 mi WPPT — 54° NE, 27 mi WLVT — 54° NE, 27 mi WFMZ — 54° NE, 27 mi WBPH — 54° NE, 27 mi WPHY — 117° ESE, 40 mi WCAU — 122° ESE, 39 mi WPSG — 122° ESE, 39 mi WUVP — 122° ESE, 39 mi WGTW — 122° ESE, 39 mi WPPX — 122° ESE, 39 mi WPHA — 122° ESE, 39 mi WFPA — 122° ESE, 39 mi WTVE — 122° ESE, 39 mi WZPA — 122° ESE, 39 mi WPHL — 122° ESE, 38 mi WHYY — 122° ESE, 38 mi WDPN — 122° ESE, 38 mi KYW — 122° ESE, 38 mi WPVI — 122° ESE, 38 mi WTXF — 122° ESE, 39 mi WELL — 122° ESE, 39 mi WWDD — 200° SSW, 60 mi WBFF — 212° SSW, 81 mi WNUV — 212° SSW, 81 mi WUTB — 212° SSW, 81 mi WMJF — 212° SSW, 76 mi WMPB — 219° SW, 78 mi WLYH — 232° SW, 49 mi WGAL — 243° WSW, 45 mi WYLN — 353° N, 44 mi WRLD — 359° N, 68 mi WYOU — 359° N, 59 mi WBRE — 359° N, 59 mi WVIA — 359° N, 58 mi WNEP — 359° N, 59 mi WOLF — 359° N, 59 mi Reading

Point East 92° on a compass — 81 miles of range covers this whole market

17/37stations in the beam
85/152free channels
56%of what's available
The other 20 stations sit north-northwest of you (338°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
12 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 Reading, PA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
W09DJ-D EWTN 8 2° N 60 mi 1
WPPT PBS 35 54° NE 27 mi 1
WLVT PBS 39 54° NE 27 mi 2
WFMZ Independent 69 54° NE 27 mi 3
WBPH Independent 60 54° NE 27 mi 2
WPHY Infomercials 25 117° ESE 40 mi 4
WCAU NBC 10 122° ESE 39 mi 4
WPSG Independent 57 122° ESE 39 mi 5
WUVP Univision 65 122° ESE 39 mi 3
WGTW TBN 48 122° ESE 39 mi 4
WPPX Ion 61 122° ESE 39 mi 8
WPHA Infomercials 24 122° ESE 39 mi 4
WFPA UniMas 28 122° ESE 39 mi 5
WTVE Shop LC 51 122° ESE 39 mi 4
WZPA NTD America 33 122° ESE 39 mi 7
WPHL MyNetworkTV 17 122° ESE 38 mi 4
WHYY PBS 12 122° ESE 38 mi 3
WDPN MeTV 2 122° ESE 38 mi 11
KYW CBS 3 122° ESE 38 mi 5
WPVI ABC 6 122° ESE 38 mi 6
WTXF FOX 29 122° ESE 39 mi 7
WELL Daystar 45 122° ESE 39 mi 1
WWDD Daystar 49 200° SSW 60 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 212° SSW 81 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 212° SSW 81 mi 4
WUTB Roar 24 212° SSW 81 mi 1
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 212° SSW 76 mi 7
WMPB PBS 67 219° SW 78 mi 5
WLYH Independent 49 232° SW 49 mi 1
WGAL NBC 8 243° WSW 45 mi 6
WYLN YTA TV 35 353° N 44 mi 1
WRLD Independent 43 359° N 68 mi 11
WYOU CBS 22 359° N 59 mi 4
WBRE NBC 28 359° N 59 mi 4
WVIA PBS 44 359° N 58 mi 3
WNEP ABC 16 359° N 59 mi 2
WOLF FOX 56 359° N 59 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Reading, PA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 27.0 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 39 miles.

For Reading 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 Reading are spread across 250° 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 Reading. 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 Reading, PA, 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.