Antenna aiming / Rolling Meadows, IL
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Rolling Meadows, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Rolling Meadows, IL N E S W WRME — 120° ESE, 24 mi WESV — 120° ESE, 24 mi WGBO — 120° ESE, 24 mi WOCK — 120° ESE, 24 mi W31EZ-D — 122° ESE, 24 mi WDCI — 122° ESE, 24 mi WRJK — 124° SE, 24 mi WLS — 124° SE, 24 mi WTTW — 124° SE, 24 mi WXFT — 124° SE, 24 mi WBBM — 124° SE, 24 mi WCPX — 124° SE, 24 mi WPWR — 124° SE, 24 mi WJYS — 124° SE, 24 mi WWME — 124° SE, 24 mi WEDE — 124° SE, 24 mi WFLD — 124° SE, 24 mi WMAQ — 124° SE, 24 mi WGN — 124° SE, 24 mi WCIU — 124° SE, 24 mi WSNS — 124° SE, 24 mi WMEU — 124° SE, 24 mi WYIN — 147° SSE, 59 mi WLPD — 190° S, 17 mi WPVN — 207° SSW, 2 mi WWTO — 221° SW, 72 mi WDMW — 352° N, 62 mi Rolling Meadows

Point East-Southeast 118° on a compass — 72 miles of range covers this whole market

23/27stations in the beam
112/129free channels
87%of what's available
The other 4 stations sit southwest of you (221°). 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 Rolling Meadows, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WRME Jewelry TV 6 120° ESE 24 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 120° ESE 24 mi 7
WGBO Univision 66 120° ESE 24 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 120° ESE 24 mi 6
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 122° ESE 24 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 122° ESE 24 mi 1
WRJK Diya TV 22 124° SE 24 mi 10
WLS ABC 7 124° SE 24 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 124° SE 24 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 124° SE 24 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 124° SE 24 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 124° SE 24 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 124° SE 24 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 124° SE 24 mi 11
WWME MeTV 23 124° SE 24 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 124° SE 24 mi 2
WFLD FOX 32 124° SE 24 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 124° SE 24 mi 5
WGN CW 9 124° SE 24 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 124° SE 24 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 124° SE 24 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 124° SE 24 mi 4
WYIN PBS 56 147° SSE 59 mi 2
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 190° S 17 mi 2
WPVN MBC 24 207° SSW 2 mi 10
WWTO TBN 35 221° SW 72 mi 4
WDMW Daystar 65 352° N 62 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Rolling Meadows, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 2.3 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 25 miles.

For Rolling Meadows 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 Rolling Meadows are spread across 229° 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 Rolling Meadows. 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 Rolling Meadows, IL, 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.