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

How to aim your TV antenna in Salinas, CA

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

Transmitter directions from Salinas, CA N E S W KBSV — 15° NNE, 56 mi KFKK — 36° NE, 73 mi KSMS — 72° ENE, 8 mi KSBW — 72° ENE, 8 mi KQET — 72° ENE, 8 mi KCBA — 72° ENE, 8 mi K15CU-D — 72° ENE, 8 mi KDJT — 72° ENE, 8 mi KLFB — 175° S, 13 mi KMMD — 177° S, 13 mi KION — 178° S, 13 mi KBNY — 178° S, 13 mi K31OL-D — 178° S, 13 mi KMBY — 217° SW, 15 mi KOTR — 232° SW, 15 mi KNTV — 327° NNW, 80 mi KTSF — 327° NNW, 80 mi KMPX-LD — 327° NNW, 80 mi KKPX — 327° NNW, 80 mi KCNZ — 327° NNW, 80 mi KBIT — 341° NNW, 24 mi KSCZ — 346° NNW, 55 mi KDTV — 346° NNW, 55 mi KSTS — 346° NNW, 55 mi KAXT — 346° NNW, 55 mi KQEH — 346° NNW, 54 mi KICU — 346° NNW, 54 mi Salinas

Point North-Northwest 345° on a compass — 80 miles of range covers this whole market

13/27stations in the beam
63/137free channels
46%of what's available
The other 14 stations sit southeast of you (126°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
4 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 Salinas, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KBSV Independent 23 15° NNE 56 mi 1
KFKK Infomercials 32 36° NE 73 mi 6
KSMS Univision 67 72° ENE 8 mi 2
KSBW NBC 8 72° ENE 8 mi 5
KQET PBS 25 72° ENE 8 mi 4
KCBA CW 35 72° ENE 8 mi 5
K15CU-D Cozi TV 15 72° ENE 8 mi 4
KDJT UniMas 33 72° ENE 8 mi 1
KLFB 3ABN 22 175° S 13 mi 11
KMMD Court TV 39 177° S 13 mi 8
KION CBS 46 178° S 13 mi 4
KBNY Binge TV 19 178° S 13 mi 11
K31OL-D Independent 38 178° S 13 mi 1
KMBY MeTV 27 217° SW 15 mi 9
KOTR MyNetworkTV 7 232° SW 15 mi 3
KNTV NBC 11 327° NNW 80 mi 6
KTSF Independent 26 327° NNW 80 mi 4
KMPX-LD Jewelry TV 18 327° NNW 80 mi 1
KKPX Ion 65 327° NNW 80 mi 8
KCNZ LATV 28 327° NNW 80 mi 4
KBIT Diya TV 24 341° NNW 24 mi 10
KSCZ Hai Le 16 346° NNW 55 mi 10
KDTV Univision 14 346° NNW 55 mi 3
KSTS Telemundo 48 346° NNW 55 mi 6
KAXT Catchy Comedy 1 346° NNW 55 mi 1
KQEH PBS 54 346° NNW 54 mi 4
KICU MyNetworkTV 36 346° NNW 54 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Salinas, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 7.5 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 13 miles.

For Salinas 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 Salinas are spread across 257° 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 Salinas. 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 Salinas, 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.