Antenna aiming / Sparta, NJ
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Sparta, NJ

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

Transmitter directions from Sparta, NJ N E S W WNYJ — 35° NE, 57 mi WEPT — 35° NE, 57 mi WTBY — 49° NE, 47 mi WRNN — 49° NE, 47 mi WNJN — 119° ESE, 26 mi WMBC — 119° ESE, 26 mi WNYZ — 120° ESE, 41 mi WNYN — 120° ESE, 41 mi WDYJ — 120° ESE, 40 mi WNMF — 120° ESE, 40 mi WNWT — 121° ESE, 39 mi WNYE — 121° ESE, 39 mi WCBS — 121° ESE, 39 mi WNBC — 121° ESE, 39 mi WABC — 121° ESE, 39 mi WNYW — 121° ESE, 39 mi WNET — 121° ESE, 39 mi WXTV — 121° ESE, 39 mi WPIX — 121° ESE, 39 mi WNDT — 121° ESE, 39 mi WPXN — 121° ESE, 39 mi WDVB — 121° ESE, 39 mi WFUT — 121° ESE, 39 mi WXNY — 121° ESE, 39 mi WDYA — 121° ESE, 39 mi WJLP — 125° SE, 40 mi WMBQ — 125° SE, 40 mi WASA — 125° SE, 40 mi WKOB — 125° SE, 40 mi WWOR — 126° SE, 40 mi WNJU — 130° SE, 26 mi WNYX — 130° SE, 26 mi WNJB — 168° SSE, 30 mi W29FF-D — 173° S, 65 mi WNJT — 183° S, 53 mi WPHY — 204° SSW, 73 mi WBPH — 232° SW, 54 mi WLVT — 232° SW, 54 mi WFMZ — 232° SW, 54 mi WPPT — 232° SW, 54 mi Sparta

Point Southeast 144° on a compass — 73 miles of range covers this whole market

30/40stations in the beam
95/121free channels
79%of what's available
The other 10 stations sit southwest of you (214°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
16 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 Sparta, NJ

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WNYJ Jewelry TV 16 35° NE 57 mi 3
WEPT Independent 15 35° NE 57 mi 1
WTBY TBN 54 49° NE 47 mi 4
WRNN Shop LC 48 49° NE 47 mi 5
WNJN PBS 50 119° ESE 26 mi 1
WMBC Estrella TV 63 119° ESE 26 mi 8
WNYZ Independent 6 120° ESE 41 mi 1
WNYN Independent 39 120° ESE 41 mi 1
WDYJ Diya TV 60 120° ESE 40 mi 1
WNMF Jewelry TV 22 120° ESE 40 mi 1
WNWT Story Television 37 121° ESE 39 mi 1
WNYE Independent 25 121° ESE 39 mi 3
WCBS CBS 2 121° ESE 39 mi 6
WNBC NBC 4 121° ESE 39 mi 4
WABC ABC 7 121° ESE 39 mi 5
WNYW FOX 5 121° ESE 39 mi 5
WNET PBS 13 121° ESE 39 mi 6
WXTV Univision 41 121° ESE 39 mi 5
WPIX CW 11 121° ESE 39 mi 3
WNDT FNX 14 121° ESE 39 mi 1
WPXN Ion 31 121° ESE 39 mi 8
WDVB TBN Inspire 23 121° ESE 39 mi 2
WFUT UniMas 68 121° ESE 39 mi 3
WXNY Daystar 32 121° ESE 39 mi 1
WDYA Diya TV 33 121° ESE 39 mi 5
WJLP MeTV 33 125° SE 40 mi 7
WMBQ FNX 46 125° SE 40 mi 1
WASA Independent 24 125° SE 40 mi 2
WKOB ULFN 42 125° SE 40 mi 4
WWOR MyNetworkTV 9 126° SE 40 mi 3
WNJU Telemundo 47 130° SE 26 mi 2
WNYX Infomercials 34 130° SE 26 mi 3
WNJB PBS 58 168° SSE 30 mi 1
W29FF-D Daystar 45 173° S 65 mi 1
WNJT PBS 52 183° S 53 mi 1
WPHY Infomercials 25 204° SSW 73 mi 4
WBPH Independent 60 232° SW 54 mi 2
WLVT PBS 39 232° SW 54 mi 2
WFMZ Independent 69 232° SW 54 mi 3
WPPT PBS 35 232° SW 54 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Sparta, NJ?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 25.6 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 40 miles.

For Sparta 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 Sparta are spread across 197° 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 Sparta. 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 Sparta, NJ, 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.