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

How to aim your TV antenna in San Francisco, CA

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

Transmitter directions from San Francisco, CA N E S W KRJR — 39° NE, 83 mi KFMS — 39° NE, 83 mi KAHC — 39° NE, 83 mi KBTV-CD — 42° NE, 78 mi KEZT — 42° NE, 78 mi KTXL — 53° NE, 64 mi KVIE — 53° NE, 64 mi KCSO — 53° NE, 64 mi KCRA — 54° NE, 64 mi KSPX — 54° NE, 64 mi KMAX — 54° NE, 64 mi KQCA — 54° NE, 64 mi KOVR — 55° NE, 63 mi KTFK — 55° NE, 63 mi KXTV — 55° NE, 63 mi KTNC — 69° ENE, 31 mi KDTV — 116° ESE, 35 mi KSTS — 116° ESE, 35 mi KAXT — 116° ESE, 35 mi KSCZ — 116° ESE, 35 mi KQEH — 117° ESE, 35 mi KICU — 117° ESE, 35 mi KBIT — 141° SE, 59 mi KSMS — 142° SE, 84 mi KSBW — 142° SE, 84 mi KQET — 142° SE, 84 mi K15CU-D — 142° SE, 84 mi KDJT — 142° SE, 84 mi KCBA — 142° SE, 84 mi KKPX — 169° S, 2 mi KCNZ — 169° S, 2 mi KTSF — 169° S, 2 mi KMPX-LD — 169° S, 2 mi KNTV — 170° S, 2 mi KTLN — 345° NNW, 31 mi KDTS — 347° NNW, 2 mi KTVU — 347° NNW, 2 mi KPIX — 347° NNW, 2 mi KQED — 347° NNW, 2 mi KGO — 347° NNW, 2 mi KMTP — 347° NNW, 2 mi KCNS — 347° NNW, 2 mi KPYX — 347° NNW, 2 mi KRON — 347° NNW, 2 mi KPJK — 347° NNW, 2 mi KFSF — 347° NNW, 2 mi KOFY — 347° NNW, 2 mi KDAS — 348° NNW, 56 mi KRCB — 350° N, 44 mi KEMO — 351° N, 66 mi KDTV-CD — 352° N, 65 mi San Francisco

Point North-Northeast 12° on a compass — 84 miles of range covers this whole market

22/51stations in the beam
124/264free channels
47%of what's available
The other 29 stations sit east-southeast of you (109°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
10 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 San Francisco, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KRJR Daystar 44 39° NE 83 mi 2
KFMS Infomercials 47 39° NE 83 mi 7
KAHC LATV 43 39° NE 83 mi 7
KBTV-CD Buzzr 8 42° NE 78 mi 7
KEZT Univision 23 42° NE 78 mi 3
KTXL FOX 40 53° NE 64 mi 4
KVIE PBS 6 53° NE 64 mi 4
KCSO Telemundo 33 53° NE 64 mi 4
KCRA NBC 3 54° NE 64 mi 6
KSPX Ion 29 54° NE 64 mi 8
KMAX Independent 31 54° NE 64 mi 7
KQCA CW 58 54° NE 64 mi 3
KOVR CBS 13 55° NE 63 mi 5
KTFK UniMas 64 55° NE 63 mi 7
KXTV ABC 10 55° NE 63 mi 7
KTNC TCT 42 69° ENE 31 mi 2
KDTV Univision 14 116° ESE 35 mi 3
KSTS Telemundo 48 116° ESE 35 mi 6
KAXT Catchy Comedy 1 116° ESE 35 mi 1
KSCZ Hai Le 16 116° ESE 35 mi 10
KQEH PBS 54 117° ESE 35 mi 4
KICU MyNetworkTV 36 117° ESE 35 mi 5
KBIT Diya TV 24 141° SE 59 mi 10
KSMS Univision 67 142° SE 84 mi 2
KSBW NBC 8 142° SE 84 mi 5
KQET PBS 25 142° SE 84 mi 4
K15CU-D Cozi TV 15 142° SE 84 mi 4
KDJT UniMas 33 142° SE 84 mi 1
KCBA CW 35 142° SE 84 mi 5
KKPX Ion 65 169° S 2 mi 8
KCNZ LATV 28 169° S 2 mi 4
KTSF Independent 26 169° S 2 mi 4
KMPX-LD Jewelry TV 18 169° S 2 mi 1
KNTV NBC 11 170° S 2 mi 6
KTLN Heroes & Icons 68 345° NNW 31 mi 7
KDTS Daystar 52 347° NNW 2 mi 12
KTVU FOX 2 347° NNW 2 mi 5
KPIX CBS 5 347° NNW 2 mi 5
KQED PBS 9 347° NNW 2 mi 4
KGO ABC 7 347° NNW 2 mi 5
KMTP Independent 32 347° NNW 2 mi 1
KCNS Shop LC 38 347° NNW 2 mi 5
KPYX Independent 44 347° NNW 2 mi 7
KRON CW 4 347° NNW 2 mi 5
KPJK Independent 60 347° NNW 2 mi 6
KFSF UniMas 66 347° NNW 2 mi 6
KOFY Dr. Phil 20 347° NNW 2 mi 5
KDAS Daystar 52 348° NNW 56 mi 12
KRCB PBS 22 350° N 44 mi 3
KEMO QVC 50 351° N 66 mi 5
KDTV-CD Univision 28 352° N 65 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in San Francisco, CA?

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 3 miles.

For San Francisco 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 San Francisco are spread across 185° 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 San Francisco. 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 San Francisco, 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.

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Today
Upcoming broadcasts

Pins are broadcast dates. Bars are full seasons. Orange marks today.

Nov 26 · NBCMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Dec 12 · CBSArmy-Navy Game
Jan 25 · ABCCFP National Championship
Feb 7 · ABCGrammy Awards
Feb 14 · ABCSuper Bowl LXI
Feb 21 · FOXDaytona 500
Mar 14 · ABCAcademy Awards
Apr 8 · CBSThe Masters
May 1 · NBCKentucky Derby
Feb '26MarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan '27FebMarAprMay
Sports TV schedules
NFL SeasonCBS, FOX, NBC
CBS, FOX, NBC
College FootballABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CW
ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CW
NASCAR Cup SeriesFOX, NBC
FOX, NBC
Guides

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