Antenna aiming / Saranac Lake, NY
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Saranac Lake, NY

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

Transmitter directions from Saranac Lake, NY N E S W WCFE — 28° NNE, 27 mi WYCI — 232° SW, 21 mi WWNY-CD — 286° WNW, 37 mi WNPI — 286° WNW, 37 mi Saranac Lake

Point West-Southwest 257° on a compass — 37 miles of range covers this whole market

3/4stations in the beam
14/17free channels
82%of what's available
The other 1 station sit north-northeast of you (28°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.

Every transmitter near Saranac Lake, NY

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WCFE PBS 57 28° NNE 27 mi 3
WYCI MyNetworkTV 40 232° SW 21 mi 7
WWNY-CD FOX 28 286° WNW 37 mi 3
WNPI PBS 18 286° WNW 37 mi 4

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Saranac Lake, NY?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 20.9 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 37 miles.

For Saranac Lake 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 Saranac Lake are spread across 156° 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 Saranac Lake. 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 Saranac Lake, NY, 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.