Antenna aiming / Sarasota, FL
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Sarasota, FL

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

Transmitter directions from Sarasota, FL N E S W WRMD — 1° N, 43 mi WXAX — 19° NNE, 38 mi WVEA — 19° NNE, 38 mi WEDU — 19° NNE, 38 mi WEDQ — 20° NNE, 38 mi WFTS — 20° NNE, 38 mi WFLA — 20° NNE, 38 mi WTTA — 20° NNE, 38 mi WTOG — 20° NNE, 37 mi W16DQ-D — 21° NNE, 36 mi WTSP — 21° NNE, 36 mi WCLF — 21° NNE, 36 mi WMOR — 21° NNE, 36 mi WFTT — 21° NNE, 36 mi WXPX — 21° NNE, 36 mi WSVT — 21° NNE, 36 mi WTVT — 23° NNE, 37 mi WWSB — 23° NNE, 17 mi WSNN — 24° NNE, 1 mi WBBH — 128° SE, 56 mi WZVN — 128° SE, 56 mi WGCU — 129° SE, 56 mi WLZE — 130° SE, 57 mi WINK — 130° SE, 57 mi WFTX — 131° SE, 55 mi WXCW — 132° SE, 56 mi WRXY — 132° SE, 56 mi WUVF — 145° SE, 83 mi WWDT — 146° SE, 68 mi WGPS — 146° SE, 73 mi WPDS — 334° NNW, 45 mi WARP — 346° NNW, 38 mi WZRA — 346° NNW, 66 mi Sarasota

Point North 0° on a compass — 83 miles of range covers this whole market

22/33stations in the beam
100/160free channels
63%of what's available
The other 11 stations sit southeast of you (134°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
5 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 Sarasota, FL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WRMD Telemundo 49 1° N 43 mi 4
WXAX Defy TV 26 19° NNE 38 mi 6
WVEA Univision 50 19° NNE 38 mi 7
WEDU PBS 3 19° NNE 38 mi 3
WEDQ PBS 3 20° NNE 38 mi 3
WFTS ABC 28 20° NNE 38 mi 7
WFLA NBC 8 20° NNE 38 mi 3
WTTA CW 38 20° NNE 38 mi 2
WTOG Independent 44 20° NNE 37 mi 7
W16DQ-D Sports First TV 43 21° NNE 36 mi 8
WTSP CBS 10 21° NNE 36 mi 6
WCLF CTN 22 21° NNE 36 mi 5
WMOR Independent 32 21° NNE 36 mi 3
WFTT Scientology Network 62 21° NNE 36 mi 6
WXPX Independent 66 21° NNE 36 mi 8
WSVT Daystar 18 21° NNE 36 mi 1
WTVT FOX 13 23° NNE 37 mi 7
WWSB ABC 40 23° NNE 17 mi 4
WSNN Independent 39 24° NNE 1 mi 4
WBBH NBC 20 128° SE 56 mi 4
WZVN ABC 26 128° SE 56 mi 6
WGCU PBS 30 129° SE 56 mi 6
WLZE Univision 51 130° SE 57 mi 4
WINK CBS 11 130° SE 57 mi 3
WFTX FOX 36 131° SE 55 mi 8
WXCW CW 46 132° SE 56 mi 4
WRXY CTN 49 132° SE 56 mi 5
WUVF Univision 2 145° SE 83 mi 4
WWDT Telemundo 43 146° SE 68 mi 4
WGPS Confess 22 146° SE 73 mi 12
WPDS Independent 14 334° NNW 45 mi 4
WARP Infomercials 20 346° NNW 38 mi 1
WZRA ERT World 48 346° NNW 66 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Sarasota, FL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 1.1 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 37 miles.

For Sarasota 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 Sarasota are spread across 172° 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 Sarasota. 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 Sarasota, FL, 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.