Antenna aiming / San Marcos, TX
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in San Marcos, TX

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

Transmitter directions from San Marcos, TX N E S W KLRU — 19° NNE, 32 mi KVUE — 19° NNE, 32 mi KEYE — 19° NNE, 32 mi KADF — 19° NNE, 32 mi KXAN — 19° NNE, 32 mi KNVA — 19° NNE, 32 mi KBVO-CD — 19° NNE, 32 mi KTFO — 19° NNE, 32 mi KGBS — 19° NNE, 32 mi KADT — 19° NNE, 32 mi KVAT — 19° NNE, 32 mi KTBC — 21° NNE, 32 mi K32OJ-D — 27° NNE, 31 mi KSAT — 202° SSW, 46 mi KHCE — 202° SSW, 44 mi WOAI — 202° SSW, 46 mi KENS — 202° SSW, 46 mi K25OB-D — 202° SSW, 45 mi KVDA — 202° SSW, 44 mi KGMM — 202° SSW, 44 mi KWEX — 202° SSW, 44 mi KABB — 203° SSW, 44 mi KLRN — 211° SSW, 45 mi KQVE — 211° SSW, 44 mi KISA — 226° SW, 44 mi K17MJ-D — 226° SW, 44 mi KVDF — 226° SW, 44 mi KOBS — 243° WSW, 18 mi KNIC — 248° WSW, 34 mi KMYS — 251° WSW, 58 mi KCWX — 295° WNW, 42 mi KBVO — 328° NNW, 65 mi KAKW — 359° N, 58 mi San Marcos

Point Southwest 222° on a compass — 65 miles of range covers this whole market

17/33stations in the beam
94/194free channels
48%of what's available
The other 16 stations sit north-northeast of you (12°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
6 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 Marcos, TX

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KLRU PBS 18 19° NNE 32 mi 4
KVUE ABC 24 19° NNE 32 mi 8
KEYE CBS 42 19° NNE 32 mi 6
KADF Shop HQ 20 19° NNE 32 mi 12
KXAN NBC 36 19° NNE 32 mi 5
KNVA CW 54 19° NNE 32 mi 5
KBVO-CD MyNetworkTV 14 19° NNE 32 mi 4
KTFO UniMas 31 19° NNE 32 mi 8
KGBS Infomercials 19 19° NNE 32 mi 7
KADT Daystar 16 19° NNE 32 mi 1
KVAT Fubo Sports 17 19° NNE 32 mi 12
KTBC FOX 7 21° NNE 32 mi 7
K32OJ-D Independent 32 27° NNE 31 mi 3
KSAT ABC 12 202° SSW 46 mi 5
KHCE TBN 23 202° SSW 44 mi 2
WOAI NBC 4 202° SSW 46 mi 4
KENS CBS 5 202° SSW 46 mi 8
K25OB-D NTD America 27 202° SSW 45 mi 7
KVDA Telemundo 60 202° SSW 44 mi 7
KGMM Estrella TV 10 202° SSW 44 mi 8
KWEX Univision 41 202° SSW 44 mi 6
KABB FOX 29 203° SSW 44 mi 4
KLRN PBS 9 211° SSW 45 mi 6
KQVE Daystar 46 211° SSW 44 mi 1
KISA Infomercials 40 226° SW 44 mi 7
K17MJ-D Sports First TV 51 226° SW 44 mi 7
KVDF Fubo Sports 31 226° SW 44 mi 7
KOBS Infomercials 19 243° WSW 18 mi 7
KNIC UniMas 17 248° WSW 34 mi 6
KMYS Roar 35 251° WSW 58 mi 2
KCWX MyNetworkTV 2 295° WNW 42 mi 6
KBVO MyNetworkTV 14 328° NNW 65 mi 4
KAKW Univision 62 359° N 58 mi 8

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in San Marcos, TX?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 17.7 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 33 miles.

For San Marcos 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 Marcos are spread across 186° 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 Marcos. 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 Marcos, TX, 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.