Antenna aiming / Saint Charles, IL
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Saint Charles, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Saint Charles, IL N E S W WPVN — 58° ENE, 15 mi WRME — 93° E, 35 mi WESV — 93° E, 35 mi WGBO — 93° E, 35 mi WOCK — 93° E, 35 mi W31EZ-D — 95° E, 35 mi WDCI — 95° E, 35 mi WLS — 95° E, 34 mi WTTW — 95° E, 34 mi WXFT — 95° E, 34 mi WBBM — 95° E, 34 mi WCPX — 95° E, 34 mi WPWR — 95° E, 34 mi WJYS — 95° E, 34 mi WWME — 95° E, 34 mi WEDE — 95° E, 34 mi WFLD — 95° E, 34 mi WMAQ — 95° E, 34 mi WGN — 95° E, 34 mi WCIU — 95° E, 34 mi WSNS — 95° E, 34 mi WMEU — 95° E, 34 mi WRJK — 95° E, 34 mi WLPD — 119° ESE, 13 mi WYIN — 130° SE, 61 mi WWTO — 217° SW, 56 mi WREX — 298° WNW, 55 mi WQRF — 299° WNW, 51 mi WTVO — 299° WNW, 51 mi WFBN — 300° WNW, 51 mi WIFR — 300° WNW, 51 mi WSLN — 300° WNW, 51 mi Saint Charles

Point East-Northeast 66° on a compass — 61 miles of range covers this whole market

23/32stations in the beam
120/155free channels
77%of what's available
The other 9 stations sit west-northwest of you (284°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
5 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 Saint Charles, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WPVN MBC 24 58° ENE 15 mi 10
WRME Jewelry TV 6 93° E 35 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 93° E 35 mi 7
WGBO Univision 66 93° E 35 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 93° E 35 mi 6
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 95° E 35 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 95° E 35 mi 1
WLS ABC 7 95° E 34 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 95° E 34 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 95° E 34 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 95° E 34 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 95° E 34 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 95° E 34 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 95° E 34 mi 11
WWME MeTV 23 95° E 34 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 95° E 34 mi 2
WFLD FOX 32 95° E 34 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 95° E 34 mi 5
WGN CW 9 95° E 34 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 95° E 34 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 95° E 34 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 95° E 34 mi 4
WRJK Diya TV 22 95° E 34 mi 10
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 119° ESE 13 mi 2
WYIN PBS 56 130° SE 61 mi 2
WWTO TBN 35 217° SW 56 mi 4
WREX NBC 13 298° WNW 55 mi 6
WQRF FOX 39 299° WNW 51 mi 4
WTVO ABC 17 299° WNW 51 mi 4
WFBN Heroes & Icons 35 300° WNW 51 mi 4
WIFR CBS 23 300° WNW 51 mi 6
WSLN CW 19 300° WNW 51 mi 3

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Saint Charles, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 12.8 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 35 miles.

For Saint Charles 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 Saint Charles are spread across 242° 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 Saint Charles. 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 Saint Charles, 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.