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A directional TV antenna on a roof mast, aimed toward distant transmitters

How to Aim Your TV Antenna in Rochester, MN

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, MN N E S W WHWC — 25° NNE, 74 mi WEUX — 34° NE, 73 mi KTTC — 174° S, 35 mi KAAL — 182° S, 30 mi KSMQ — 182° S, 30 mi KXLT — 182° S, 30 mi KIMT — 194° SSW, 43 mi KYIN — 194° SSW, 43 mi KKTW — 324° NW, 79 mi WUMN — 329° NNW, 73 mi K14RB-D — 329° NNW, 73 mi KJNK — 329° NNW, 73 mi K33LN-D — 329° NNW, 73 mi KMBD — 329° NNW, 73 mi WDMI — 334° NNW, 76 mi WCCO — 335° NNW, 75 mi KSTP — 335° NNW, 75 mi KARE — 335° NNW, 75 mi WUCW — 335° NNW, 75 mi KSTC — 335° NNW, 75 mi KTCA — 336° NNW, 74 mi WFTC — 336° NNW, 74 mi KTCI — 336° NNW, 74 mi KMSP — 336° NNW, 74 mi Rochester

Point Northwest 306° on a compass — 79 miles of range covers this whole market

16/24stations in the beam
88/130free channels
68%of what's available
The other 8 stations sit south of you (174°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
2 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, MN

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WHWC PBS 28 25° NNE 74 mi 4
WEUX FOX 48 34° NE 73 mi 4
KTTC NBC 10 174° S 35 mi 7
KAAL ABC 6 182° S 30 mi 5
KSMQ PBS 15 182° S 30 mi 4
KXLT FOX 47 182° S 30 mi 7
KIMT CBS 3 194° SSW 43 mi 6
KYIN PBS 24 194° SSW 43 mi 5
KKTW Heartland TV 19 324° NW 79 mi 7
WUMN Univision 21 329° NNW 73 mi 11
K14RB-D Independent 14 329° NNW 73 mi 3
KJNK Telemundo 25 329° NNW 73 mi 6
K33LN-D Infomercials 33 329° NNW 73 mi 7
KMBD MovieSphere Gold 43 329° NNW 73 mi 7
WDMI Daystar 62 334° NNW 76 mi 1
WCCO CBS 4 335° NNW 75 mi 5
KSTP ABC 5 335° NNW 75 mi 4
KARE NBC 11 335° NNW 75 mi 7
WUCW CW 23 335° NNW 75 mi 7
KSTC Independent 5 335° NNW 75 mi 5
KTCA PBS 2 336° NNW 74 mi 5
WFTC FOX 9 336° NNW 74 mi 3
KTCI PBS 2 336° NNW 74 mi 5
KMSP FOX 9 336° NNW 74 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What Antenna Do You Need in Rochester, MN?

How far the transmitters are, which way they sit, and what that means for the antenna you buy.

The nearest transmitter is 30.0 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 73 miles.

For Rochester 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 Rochester are spread across 220° 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, MN, including what each station carries.

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