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

How to aim your TV antenna in San Jose, CA

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

Transmitter directions from San Jose, CA N E S W KOVR — 15° NNE, 71 mi KTFK — 15° NNE, 71 mi KXTV — 15° NNE, 71 mi KACA — 46° NE, 48 mi KBSV — 54° NE, 31 mi KFKK — 67° ENE, 59 mi KSMS — 151° SSE, 38 mi KSBW — 151° SSE, 38 mi KQET — 151° SSE, 38 mi K15CU-D — 151° SSE, 38 mi KDJT — 151° SSE, 38 mi KCBA — 152° SSE, 38 mi KLFB — 166° SSE, 51 mi KBIT — 166° SSE, 13 mi KMMD — 166° SSE, 50 mi KION — 167° SSE, 50 mi KBNY — 167° SSE, 50 mi K31OL-D — 167° SSE, 50 mi KMBY — 177° S, 48 mi KOTR — 181° S, 46 mi KNTV — 313° NW, 45 mi KTSF — 313° NW, 45 mi KMPX-LD — 313° NW, 45 mi KKPX — 313° NW, 45 mi KCNZ — 313° NW, 45 mi KDTS — 316° NW, 49 mi KTVU — 316° NW, 49 mi KPIX — 316° NW, 49 mi KQED — 316° NW, 49 mi KGO — 316° NW, 49 mi KMTP — 316° NW, 49 mi KCNS — 316° NW, 49 mi KPYX — 316° NW, 49 mi KRON — 316° NW, 49 mi KPJK — 316° NW, 49 mi KFSF — 316° NW, 49 mi KOFY — 316° NW, 49 mi KTLN — 327° NNW, 75 mi KSCZ — 353° N, 18 mi KDTV — 353° N, 18 mi KSTS — 353° N, 18 mi KAXT — 353° N, 18 mi KQEH — 354° N, 17 mi KICU — 354° N, 17 mi KTNC — 354° N, 44 mi San Jose

Point Northwest 324° on a compass — 75 miles of range covers this whole market

25/45stations in the beam
127/232free channels
55%of what's available
The other 20 stations sit southeast of you (139°). 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 San Jose, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KOVR CBS 13 15° NNE 71 mi 5
KTFK UniMas 64 15° NNE 71 mi 7
KXTV ABC 10 15° NNE 71 mi 7
KACA Daystar 34 46° NE 48 mi 1
KBSV Independent 23 54° NE 31 mi 1
KFKK Infomercials 32 67° ENE 59 mi 6
KSMS Univision 67 151° SSE 38 mi 2
KSBW NBC 8 151° SSE 38 mi 5
KQET PBS 25 151° SSE 38 mi 4
K15CU-D Cozi TV 15 151° SSE 38 mi 4
KDJT UniMas 33 151° SSE 38 mi 1
KCBA CW 35 152° SSE 38 mi 5
KLFB 3ABN 22 166° SSE 51 mi 11
KBIT Diya TV 24 166° SSE 13 mi 10
KMMD Court TV 39 166° SSE 50 mi 8
KION CBS 46 167° SSE 50 mi 4
KBNY Binge TV 19 167° SSE 50 mi 11
K31OL-D Independent 38 167° SSE 50 mi 1
KMBY MeTV 27 177° S 48 mi 9
KOTR MyNetworkTV 7 181° S 46 mi 3
KNTV NBC 11 313° NW 45 mi 6
KTSF Independent 26 313° NW 45 mi 4
KMPX-LD Jewelry TV 18 313° NW 45 mi 1
KKPX Ion 65 313° NW 45 mi 8
KCNZ LATV 28 313° NW 45 mi 4
KDTS Daystar 52 316° NW 49 mi 12
KTVU FOX 2 316° NW 49 mi 5
KPIX CBS 5 316° NW 49 mi 5
KQED PBS 9 316° NW 49 mi 4
KGO ABC 7 316° NW 49 mi 5
KMTP Independent 32 316° NW 49 mi 1
KCNS Shop LC 38 316° NW 49 mi 5
KPYX Independent 44 316° NW 49 mi 7
KRON CW 4 316° NW 49 mi 5
KPJK Independent 60 316° NW 49 mi 6
KFSF UniMas 66 316° NW 49 mi 6
KOFY Dr. Phil 20 316° NW 49 mi 5
KTLN Heroes & Icons 68 327° NNW 75 mi 7
KSCZ Hai Le 16 353° N 18 mi 10
KDTV Univision 14 353° N 18 mi 3
KSTS Telemundo 48 353° N 18 mi 6
KAXT Catchy Comedy 1 353° N 18 mi 1
KQEH PBS 54 354° N 17 mi 4
KICU MyNetworkTV 36 354° N 17 mi 5
KTNC TCT 42 354° N 44 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in San Jose, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 13.3 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 39 miles.

For San Jose 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 San Jose are spread across 229° 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 Jose. 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 Jose, 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.