Antenna aiming / Rochester, MI
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Rochester, MI

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

Transmitter directions from Rochester, MI N E S W WADL — 121° ESE, 14 mi WLPC — 170° S, 23 mi WHPS — 179° S, 31 mi WTVS — 190° S, 15 mi WUDT — 190° S, 15 mi WHNE — 190° S, 15 mi WUDL — 190° S, 15 mi WMYD — 190° S, 15 mi WWJ — 190° S, 15 mi WNWO — 190° S, 70 mi WTOL — 191° S, 69 mi WTVG — 193° SSW, 69 mi WJBK — 199° SSW, 15 mi WDIV — 199° SSW, 13 mi WXYZ — 206° SSW, 15 mi WLMB — 216° SW, 78 mi WKBD — 218° SW, 16 mi WDWO — 218° SW, 16 mi WPXD — 248° WSW, 52 mi WSMH — 309° NW, 62 mi WAQP — 310° NW, 61 mi WJRT — 310° NW, 62 mi W35DQ-D — 318° NW, 49 mi WFFC — 322° NW, 65 mi WXON — 322° NW, 45 mi WEYI — 322° NW, 49 mi WNEM — 327° NNW, 67 mi WBSF — 327° NNW, 67 mi WDCQ — 336° NNW, 67 mi Rochester

Point South 189° on a compass — 78 miles of range covers this whole market

17/29stations in the beam
105/184free channels
57%of what's available
The other 12 stations sit northwest of you (317°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
6 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 Rochester, MI

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WADL MyNetworkTV 38 121° ESE 14 mi 8
WLPC Independent 28 170° S 23 mi 5
WHPS Maria Vision 15 179° S 31 mi 6
WTVS PBS 56 190° S 15 mi 5
WUDT Daystar 23 190° S 15 mi 1
WHNE Binge TV 3 190° S 15 mi 12
WUDL Defy TV 19 190° S 15 mi 7
WMYD Independent 20 190° S 15 mi 4
WWJ CBS 62 190° S 15 mi 5
WNWO NBC 24 190° S 70 mi 5
WTOL CBS 11 191° S 69 mi 8
WTVG ABC 13 193° SSW 69 mi 7
WJBK FOX 2 199° SSW 15 mi 7
WDIV NBC 4 199° SSW 13 mi 5
WXYZ ABC 7 206° SSW 15 mi 7
WLMB Independent 40 216° SW 78 mi 6
WKBD CW 50 218° SW 16 mi 7
WDWO Defy TV 18 218° SW 16 mi 8
WPXD Ion 31 248° WSW 52 mi 9
WSMH FOX 66 309° NW 62 mi 4
WAQP TCT 49 310° NW 61 mi 11
WJRT ABC 12 310° NW 62 mi 7
W35DQ-D MovieSphere Gold 24 318° NW 49 mi 7
WFFC Black Vision TV 17 322° NW 65 mi 7
WXON Retro TV 9 322° NW 45 mi 7
WEYI Roar 25 322° NW 49 mi 5
WNEM CBS 5 327° NNW 67 mi 6
WBSF CW 46 327° NNW 67 mi 3
WDCQ PBS 19 336° NNW 67 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Rochester, MI?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 12.9 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 15 miles.

For Rochester 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 Rochester are spread across 215° 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 Rochester. 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 Rochester, MI, 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.