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

How to aim your TV antenna in Santa Monica, CA

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

Transmitter directions from Santa Monica, CA N E S W KEDD — 8° N, 18 mi KIIO — 56° NE, 19 mi KNLA — 56° NE, 27 mi KHIZ — 56° NE, 27 mi KFLA — 56° NE, 27 mi KCBS — 57° ENE, 27 mi KCAL — 57° ENE, 27 mi KOCE — 57° ENE, 27 mi KABC — 57° ENE, 27 mi KAZA — 57° ENE, 27 mi KTLA — 57° ENE, 27 mi KMEX — 57° ENE, 27 mi KFTR — 57° ENE, 27 mi KXLA — 57° ENE, 27 mi KDOC — 57° ENE, 27 mi KJLA — 57° ENE, 27 mi KNBC — 57° ENE, 27 mi KTTV — 57° ENE, 27 mi KCOP — 57° ENE, 27 mi KTBN — 58° ENE, 27 mi KCET — 58° ENE, 27 mi KLCS — 58° ENE, 27 mi KSCI — 59° ENE, 27 mi KSCN — 59° ENE, 27 mi KVEA — 59° ENE, 27 mi KWHY — 59° ENE, 27 mi KRCA — 59° ENE, 27 mi KHTV — 59° ENE, 27 mi KZNO — 59° ENE, 27 mi KPXN — 59° ENE, 27 mi KPOM — 59° ENE, 27 mi KSFV — 59° ENE, 27 mi KILM — 59° ENE, 27 mi KILA — 107° ESE, 51 mi KSKJ — 359° N, 19 mi Santa Monica

Point East-Northeast 77° on a compass — 51 miles of range covers this whole market

33/35stations in the beam
167/180free channels
93%of what's available
The other 2 stations sit north of you (4°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
13 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 Monica, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KEDD Jewelry TV 45 8° N 18 mi 1
KIIO US Armenia 10 56° NE 19 mi 7
KNLA Daystar 20 56° NE 27 mi 6
KHIZ Defy TV 39 56° NE 27 mi 7
KFLA Infomercials 8 56° NE 27 mi 12
KCBS CBS 2 57° ENE 27 mi 5
KCAL Independent 9 57° ENE 27 mi 6
KOCE PBS 50 57° ENE 27 mi 5
KABC ABC 7 57° ENE 27 mi 4
KAZA MeTV 54 57° ENE 27 mi 5
KTLA CW 5 57° ENE 27 mi 6
KMEX Univision 34 57° ENE 27 mi 6
KFTR UniMas 46 57° ENE 27 mi 6
KXLA Independent 44 57° ENE 27 mi 6
KDOC TCT 56 57° ENE 27 mi 12
KJLA Vision Latina 57 57° ENE 27 mi 9
KNBC NBC 4 57° ENE 27 mi 5
KTTV FOX 11 57° ENE 27 mi 5
KCOP MyNetworkTV 13 57° ENE 27 mi 4
KTBN TBN 40 58° ENE 27 mi 5
KCET PBS 28 58° ENE 27 mi 3
KLCS PBS 58 58° ENE 27 mi 3
KSCI Shop LC 18 59° ENE 27 mi 4
KSCN Scientology Network 22 59° ENE 27 mi 1
KVEA Telemundo 52 59° ENE 27 mi 3
KWHY Canal de la Fe 63 59° ENE 27 mi 2
KRCA Estrella TV 62 59° ENE 27 mi 3
KHTV MeTV Plus 6 59° ENE 27 mi 1
KZNO Jewelry TV 12 59° ENE 27 mi 1
KPXN Ion 30 59° ENE 27 mi 7
KPOM Catchy Comedy 14 59° ENE 27 mi 2
KSFV MeTV Toons 27 59° ENE 27 mi 3
KILM Bounce TV 64 59° ENE 27 mi 1
KILA Infomercials 8 107° ESE 51 mi 12
KSKJ Heartland TV 45 359° N 19 mi 12

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Santa Monica, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 18.4 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 28 miles.

For Santa Monica 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 sit within a 107° arc, so a directional antenna pointed east-northeast suits this market. With the furthest transmitters 51 miles out, mount it outdoors and as high as you can.

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 Monica. 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 Monica, 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.