Antenna aiming / Reno, NV
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Reno, NV

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

Transmitter directions from Reno, NV N E S W KREN — 210° SSW, 14 mi KRNS — 210° SSW, 14 mi KOLO — 210° SSW, 14 mi KTVN — 211° SSW, 14 mi KRNV — 211° SSW, 14 mi KRXI — 305° NW, 12 mi KNPB — 336° NNW, 7 mi KNRC — 336° NNW, 7 mi KNSN — 336° NNW, 7 mi Reno

Point South 181° on a compass — 14 miles of range covers this whole market

5/9stations in the beam
24/35free channels
69%of what's available
The other 4 stations sit north-northwest of you (328°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
3 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 Reno, NV

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KREN Univision 27 210° SSW 14 mi 4
KRNS UniMas 46 210° SSW 14 mi 3
KOLO ABC 8 210° SSW 14 mi 7
KTVN CBS 2 211° SSW 14 mi 5
KRNV Roar 4 211° SSW 14 mi 5
KRXI FOX 11 305° NW 12 mi 4
KNPB PBS 5 336° NNW 7 mi 3
KNRC 3ABN 14 336° NNW 7 mi 2
KNSN MyNetworkTV 21 336° NNW 7 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Reno, NV?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 6.8 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 15 miles.

For Reno we would start with a basic indoor antenna. Most of the lineup is transmitting from close by, so a flat indoor antenna in a window facing the towers should be enough.

The towers around Reno are spread across 126° 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 Reno. 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 Reno, NV, 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.