Antenna aiming / South Bend, IN
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in South Bend, IN

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

Transmitter directions from South Bend, IN N E S W WOTV — 32° NNE, 79 mi WLLA — 32° NNE, 79 mi WGVK — 33° NNE, 58 mi WOKZ — 34° NE, 58 mi W25GE-D — 53° NE, 61 mi WEID — 65° ENE, 12 mi WSBT — 75° ENE, 3 mi WSJV — 79° E, 5 mi WCWW — 81° E, 5 mi WBND — 81° E, 5 mi WMYS — 81° E, 5 mi WNIT — 82° E, 5 mi WNDU — 88° E, 4 mi WHME — 95° E, 6 mi WSOT — 152° SSE, 74 mi WJSJ — 154° SSE, 76 mi South Bend

Point East-Northeast 59° on a compass — 79 miles of range covers this whole market

13/16stations in the beam
70/87free channels
80%of what's available
The other 3 stations sit southeast of you (135°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
1 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 South Bend, IN

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WOTV ABC 41 32° NNE 79 mi 4
WLLA Independent 64 32° NNE 79 mi 6
WGVK PBS 52 33° NNE 58 mi 6
WOKZ MyNetworkTV 50 34° NE 58 mi 1
W25GE-D TCT 25 53° NE 61 mi 11
WEID Daystar 18 65° ENE 12 mi 1
WSBT CBS 22 75° ENE 3 mi 5
WSJV Roar 28 79° E 5 mi 7
WCWW CW 25 81° E 5 mi 7
WBND ABC 57 81° E 5 mi 3
WMYS MyNetworkTV 69 81° E 5 mi 4
WNIT PBS 34 82° E 5 mi 8
WNDU NBC 16 88° E 4 mi 7
WHME Univision 46 95° E 6 mi 10
WSOT NRB TV 27 152° SSE 74 mi 1
WJSJ WEST 51 154° SSE 76 mi 6

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in South Bend, IN?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 3.4 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 59 miles.

For South Bend we would start with an outdoor or roof-mounted antenna. The transmitters are a long way from town. An outdoor antenna mounted as high as possible, pointed toward the towers, is what it takes to receive the full lineup reliably.

The towers around South Bend are spread across 122° 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 South Bend. 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 South Bend, IN, 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.