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

How to aim your TV antenna in Santa Cruz, CA

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

Transmitter directions from Santa Cruz, CA N E S W KTNC — 9° N, 61 mi KDTV — 21° NNE, 36 mi KSTS — 21° NNE, 36 mi KAXT — 21° NNE, 36 mi KSCZ — 21° NNE, 36 mi KQEH — 21° NNE, 35 mi KICU — 21° NNE, 35 mi KACA — 45° NE, 70 mi KBSV — 49° NE, 53 mi KBIT — 80° E, 18 mi KSMS — 118° ESE, 38 mi KSBW — 118° ESE, 38 mi KQET — 118° ESE, 38 mi K15CU-D — 118° ESE, 38 mi KDJT — 118° ESE, 38 mi KCBA — 118° ESE, 38 mi KLFB — 141° SE, 43 mi KMMD — 141° SE, 42 mi KBNY — 141° SE, 42 mi KION — 141° SE, 42 mi K31OL-D — 141° SE, 42 mi KMBY — 151° SSE, 36 mi KOTR — 155° SSE, 33 mi KNTV — 339° NNW, 50 mi KTSF — 339° NNW, 50 mi KMPX-LD — 339° NNW, 50 mi KKPX — 339° NNW, 50 mi KCNZ — 339° NNW, 50 mi KDTS — 339° NNW, 55 mi KTVU — 339° NNW, 55 mi KPIX — 339° NNW, 55 mi KQED — 339° NNW, 55 mi KGO — 339° NNW, 55 mi KMTP — 339° NNW, 55 mi KCNS — 339° NNW, 55 mi KPYX — 339° NNW, 55 mi KRON — 339° NNW, 55 mi KPJK — 339° NNW, 55 mi KFSF — 339° NNW, 55 mi KOFY — 339° NNW, 55 mi Santa Cruz

Point North 0° on a compass — 70 miles of range covers this whole market

24/40stations in the beam
120/200free channels
60%of what's available
The other 16 stations sit east-southeast of you (121°). 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 Santa Cruz, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KTNC TCT 42 9° N 61 mi 2
KDTV Univision 14 21° NNE 36 mi 3
KSTS Telemundo 48 21° NNE 36 mi 6
KAXT Catchy Comedy 1 21° NNE 36 mi 1
KSCZ Hai Le 16 21° NNE 36 mi 10
KQEH PBS 54 21° NNE 35 mi 4
KICU MyNetworkTV 36 21° NNE 35 mi 5
KACA Daystar 34 45° NE 70 mi 1
KBSV Independent 23 49° NE 53 mi 1
KBIT Diya TV 24 80° E 18 mi 10
KSMS Univision 67 118° ESE 38 mi 2
KSBW NBC 8 118° ESE 38 mi 5
KQET PBS 25 118° ESE 38 mi 4
K15CU-D Cozi TV 15 118° ESE 38 mi 4
KDJT UniMas 33 118° ESE 38 mi 1
KCBA CW 35 118° ESE 38 mi 5
KLFB 3ABN 22 141° SE 43 mi 11
KMMD Court TV 39 141° SE 42 mi 8
KBNY Binge TV 19 141° SE 42 mi 11
KION CBS 46 141° SE 42 mi 4
K31OL-D Independent 38 141° SE 42 mi 1
KMBY MeTV 27 151° SSE 36 mi 9
KOTR MyNetworkTV 7 155° SSE 33 mi 3
KNTV NBC 11 339° NNW 50 mi 6
KTSF Independent 26 339° NNW 50 mi 4
KMPX-LD Jewelry TV 18 339° NNW 50 mi 1
KKPX Ion 65 339° NNW 50 mi 8
KCNZ LATV 28 339° NNW 50 mi 4
KDTS Daystar 52 339° NNW 55 mi 12
KTVU FOX 2 339° NNW 55 mi 5
KPIX CBS 5 339° NNW 55 mi 5
KQED PBS 9 339° NNW 55 mi 4
KGO ABC 7 339° NNW 55 mi 5
KMTP Independent 32 339° NNW 55 mi 1
KCNS Shop LC 38 339° NNW 55 mi 5
KPYX Independent 44 339° NNW 55 mi 7
KRON CW 4 339° NNW 55 mi 5
KPJK Independent 60 339° NNW 55 mi 6
KFSF UniMas 66 339° NNW 55 mi 6
KOFY Dr. Phil 20 339° NNW 55 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Santa Cruz, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 18.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 38 miles.

For Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz are spread across 176° 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 Santa Cruz. 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 Santa Cruz, 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.