Antenna aiming / Salem, OR
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Salem, OR

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

Transmitter directions from Salem, OR N E S W KPDX — 17° NNE, 41 mi KPTV — 17° NNE, 41 mi KGW — 17° NNE, 42 mi KOPB — 17° NNE, 42 mi KPXG — 17° NNE, 42 mi KORS — 17° NNE, 42 mi KOXI — 17° NNE, 42 mi KPXG-LD — 17° NNE, 42 mi KEVE — 18° NNE, 41 mi KUNP-LD — 18° NNE, 41 mi KOIN — 18° NNE, 41 mi KNMT — 18° NNE, 41 mi KRCW — 18° NNE, 41 mi KATU — 18° NNE, 41 mi KMTR — 180° S, 58 mi KEZI — 180° S, 58 mi K19GH-D — 180° S, 58 mi KLSR — 185° S, 66 mi KEVU — 185° S, 66 mi KAMK — 185° S, 66 mi KORY — 185° S, 66 mi KVAL — 185° S, 66 mi KEPB — 185° S, 66 mi KOAC — 212° SSW, 25 mi KSLM — 286° WNW, 7 mi K36QX-D — 294° WNW, 8 mi Salem

Point North 0° on a compass — 66 miles of range covers this whole market

14/26stations in the beam
69/119free channels
58%of what's available
The other 12 stations sit south-southwest of you (198°). 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 Salem, OR

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KPDX MyNetworkTV 49 17° NNE 41 mi 4
KPTV FOX 12 17° NNE 41 mi 6
KGW NBC 8 17° NNE 42 mi 5
KOPB PBS 10 17° NNE 42 mi 4
KPXG Ion 22 17° NNE 42 mi 8
KORS HSN 16 17° NNE 42 mi 2
KOXI MovieSphere Gold 20 17° NNE 42 mi 12
KPXG-LD Daystar 42 17° NNE 42 mi 1
KEVE Better Life TV 31 18° NNE 41 mi 4
KUNP-LD Independent 47 18° NNE 41 mi 4
KOIN CBS 6 18° NNE 41 mi 6
KNMT TBN 24 18° NNE 41 mi 5
KRCW CW 32 18° NNE 41 mi 4
KATU ABC 2 18° NNE 41 mi 4
KMTR NBC 16 180° S 58 mi 3
KEZI ABC 9 180° S 58 mi 6
K19GH-D FOX 34 180° S 58 mi 2
KLSR FOX 34 185° S 66 mi 2
KEVU MyNetworkTV 23 185° S 66 mi 2
KAMK Better Life TV 36 185° S 66 mi 4
KORY 365BLK 15 185° S 66 mi 8
KVAL CBS 13 185° S 66 mi 4
KEPB PBS 28 185° S 66 mi 4
KOAC PBS 7 212° SSW 25 mi 4
KSLM The Dove 27 286° WNW 7 mi 4
K36QX-D Telemundo 21 294° WNW 8 mi 7

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Salem, OR?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 7.0 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 42 miles.

For Salem 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 Salem are spread across 199° 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 Salem. 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 Salem, OR, 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.