Antenna aiming / Skokie, IL
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Skokie, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Skokie, IL N E S W WRME — 150° SSE, 11 mi WESV — 150° SSE, 11 mi WGBO — 150° SSE, 11 mi WOCK — 150° SSE, 11 mi W31EZ-D — 152° SSE, 12 mi WDCI — 152° SSE, 12 mi WRJK — 156° SSE, 12 mi WLS — 156° SSE, 12 mi WTTW — 156° SSE, 12 mi WXFT — 156° SSE, 12 mi WBBM — 156° SSE, 12 mi WCPX — 156° SSE, 12 mi WPWR — 156° SSE, 12 mi WJYS — 156° SSE, 12 mi WWME — 156° SSE, 12 mi WEDE — 156° SSE, 12 mi WFLD — 156° SSE, 12 mi WMAQ — 156° SSE, 12 mi WGN — 156° SSE, 12 mi WCIU — 156° SSE, 12 mi WSNS — 156° SSE, 12 mi WMEU — 156° SSE, 12 mi WYIN — 160° SSE, 50 mi WLPD — 233° SW, 23 mi WPVN — 273° W, 16 mi WDMW — 340° NNW, 69 mi Skokie

Point Southeast 131° on a compass — 69 miles of range covers this whole market

23/26stations in the beam
112/125free channels
90%of what's available
The other 3 stations sit west of you (280°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
3 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 Skokie, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WRME Jewelry TV 6 150° SSE 11 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 150° SSE 11 mi 7
WGBO Univision 66 150° SSE 11 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 150° SSE 11 mi 6
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 152° SSE 12 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 152° SSE 12 mi 1
WRJK Diya TV 22 156° SSE 12 mi 10
WLS ABC 7 156° SSE 12 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 156° SSE 12 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 156° SSE 12 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 156° SSE 12 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 156° SSE 12 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 156° SSE 12 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 156° SSE 12 mi 11
WWME MeTV 23 156° SSE 12 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 156° SSE 12 mi 2
WFLD FOX 32 156° SSE 12 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 156° SSE 12 mi 5
WGN CW 9 156° SSE 12 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 156° SSE 12 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 156° SSE 12 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 156° SSE 12 mi 4
WYIN PBS 56 160° SSE 50 mi 2
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 233° SW 23 mi 2
WPVN MBC 24 273° W 16 mi 10
WDMW Daystar 65 340° NNW 69 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Skokie, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 10.8 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 12 miles.

For Skokie we would start with a basic indoor antenna. Most of the lineup is transmitting from close by, so a flat indoor antenna in a window facing the towers should be enough.

The towers around Skokie are spread across 191° 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 Skokie. 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 Skokie, IL, 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.