Antenna aiming / Sacramento, CA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Sacramento, CA

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

Transmitter directions from Sacramento, CA N E S W K20JX-D — 15° NNE, 26 mi K04QR-D — 57° ENE, 22 mi KSTV — 57° ENE, 22 mi KSAO — 57° ENE, 22 mi KUVS — 122° ESE, 46 mi KFKK — 152° SSE, 70 mi KACA — 165° SSE, 53 mi KBSV — 177° S, 67 mi KCRA — 190° S, 15 mi KSPX — 190° S, 15 mi KMAX — 190° S, 15 mi KQCA — 190° S, 15 mi KOVR — 191° S, 17 mi KTFK — 191° S, 17 mi KXTV — 191° S, 17 mi KCSO — 194° SSW, 14 mi KTXL — 194° SSW, 14 mi KVIE — 194° SSW, 14 mi KQEH — 199° SSW, 72 mi KICU — 199° SSW, 72 mi KSCZ — 199° SSW, 71 mi KDTV — 199° SSW, 71 mi KSTS — 199° SSW, 71 mi KAXT — 199° SSW, 71 mi KTNC — 212° SSW, 48 mi KNTV — 225° SW, 77 mi KTSF — 225° SW, 77 mi KMPX-LD — 225° SW, 77 mi KKPX — 225° SW, 77 mi KCNZ — 225° SW, 77 mi KEDS — 338° NNW, 54 mi KKPM — 338° NNW, 54 mi KBTV-CD — 342° NNW, 7 mi KEZT — 342° NNW, 7 mi KRJR — 351° N, 12 mi KFMS — 351° N, 12 mi KAHC — 351° N, 12 mi Sacramento

Point South-Southwest 196° on a compass — 77 miles of range covers this whole market

23/37stations in the beam
110/189free channels
58%of what's available
The other 14 stations sit north-northeast of you (20°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
7 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 Sacramento, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
K20JX-D Good News TV 19 15° NNE 26 mi 5
K04QR-D Sports First TV 38 57° ENE 22 mi 7
KSTV Heartland TV 32 57° ENE 22 mi 6
KSAO Infomercials 49 57° ENE 22 mi 12
KUVS Univision 19 122° ESE 46 mi 3
KFKK Infomercials 32 152° SSE 70 mi 6
KACA Daystar 34 165° SSE 53 mi 1
KBSV Independent 23 177° S 67 mi 1
KCRA NBC 3 190° S 15 mi 6
KSPX Ion 29 190° S 15 mi 8
KMAX Independent 31 190° S 15 mi 7
KQCA CW 58 190° S 15 mi 3
KOVR CBS 13 191° S 17 mi 5
KTFK UniMas 64 191° S 17 mi 7
KXTV ABC 10 191° S 17 mi 7
KCSO Telemundo 33 194° SSW 14 mi 4
KTXL FOX 40 194° SSW 14 mi 4
KVIE PBS 6 194° SSW 14 mi 4
KQEH PBS 54 199° SSW 72 mi 4
KICU MyNetworkTV 36 199° SSW 72 mi 5
KSCZ Hai Le 16 199° SSW 71 mi 10
KDTV Univision 14 199° SSW 71 mi 3
KSTS Telemundo 48 199° SSW 71 mi 6
KAXT Catchy Comedy 1 199° SSW 71 mi 1
KTNC TCT 42 212° SSW 48 mi 2
KNTV NBC 11 225° SW 77 mi 6
KTSF Independent 26 225° SW 77 mi 4
KMPX-LD Jewelry TV 18 225° SW 77 mi 1
KKPX Ion 65 225° SW 77 mi 8
KCNZ LATV 28 225° SW 77 mi 4
KEDS The Dove 16 338° NNW 54 mi 1
KKPM The Dove 28 338° NNW 54 mi 12
KBTV-CD Buzzr 8 342° NNW 7 mi 7
KEZT Univision 23 342° NNW 7 mi 3
KRJR Daystar 44 351° N 12 mi 2
KFMS Infomercials 47 351° N 12 mi 7
KAHC LATV 43 351° N 12 mi 7

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Sacramento, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 6.6 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 15 miles.

For Sacramento 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 Sacramento are spread across 247° 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 Sacramento. 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 Sacramento, CA, 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.