Antenna aiming / Springfield, VA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Springfield, VA

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

Transmitter directions from Springfield, VA N E S W WDCN — 4° N, 9 mi WNVC — 4° N, 9 mi WMPB — 27° NNE, 54 mi WDDN — 28° NNE, 20 mi WTTG — 29° NNE, 17 mi WDCA — 29° NNE, 17 mi WETA — 30° NNE, 16 mi WJLA — 30° NNE, 16 mi WUSA — 30° NNE, 16 mi WHUT — 30° NNE, 16 mi WPXW — 30° NNE, 16 mi WWTD — 31° NNE, 16 mi WFDC — 31° NNE, 16 mi WZDC — 31° NNE, 16 mi WRZB — 31° NNE, 16 mi WIAV — 31° NNE, 16 mi WDCO — 31° NNE, 16 mi WDME — 31° NNE, 16 mi WRC — 31° NNE, 16 mi WMJF — 36° NE, 57 mi WDCW — 37° NE, 19 mi WUTB — 37° NE, 52 mi WBFF — 37° NE, 52 mi WNUV — 37° NE, 52 mi WMAR — 37° NE, 51 mi WBAL — 37° NE, 51 mi WJZ — 37° NE, 51 mi WWDD — 45° NE, 75 mi WQAW — 61° ENE, 38 mi WMPT — 61° ENE, 38 mi WNVT — 234° SW, 14 mi WDVM — 289° WNW, 45 mi WDWA — 300° WNW, 6 mi WWPX — 318° NW, 66 mi WWPB — 328° NNW, 74 mi WFPT — 353° N, 36 mi Springfield

Point North-Northeast 32° on a compass — 75 miles of range covers this whole market

30/36stations in the beam
130/153free channels
85%of what's available
The other 6 stations sit northwest of you (306°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
6 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 Springfield, VA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WDCN The Country Network 6 4° N 9 mi 1
WNVC World 41 4° N 9 mi 1
WMPB PBS 67 27° NNE 54 mi 5
WDDN Daystar 23 28° NNE 20 mi 2
WTTG FOX 5 29° NNE 17 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 29° NNE 17 mi 4
WETA PBS 26 30° NNE 16 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 30° NNE 16 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 30° NNE 16 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 30° NNE 16 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 30° NNE 16 mi 8
WWTD HSN2 49 31° NNE 16 mi 5
WFDC Univision 14 31° NNE 16 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 31° NNE 16 mi 2
WRZB HSN2 31 31° NNE 16 mi 4
WIAV Roar 58 31° NNE 16 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 31° NNE 16 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 31° NNE 16 mi 8
WRC NBC 4 31° NNE 16 mi 4
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 36° NE 57 mi 7
WDCW CW 50 37° NE 19 mi 3
WUTB Roar 24 37° NE 52 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 37° NE 52 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 37° NE 52 mi 4
WMAR ABC 2 37° NE 51 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 37° NE 51 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 37° NE 51 mi 6
WWDD Daystar 49 45° NE 75 mi 1
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 61° ENE 38 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 61° ENE 38 mi 5
WNVT World 23 234° SW 14 mi 1
WDVM Independent 25 289° WNW 45 mi 4
WDWA Daystar 23 300° WNW 6 mi 2
WWPX Ion 60 318° NW 66 mi 8
WWPB PBS 31 328° NNW 74 mi 4
WFPT PBS 62 353° N 36 mi 4

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Springfield, VA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 5.9 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 16 miles.

For Springfield 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 Springfield are spread across 187° 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 Springfield. 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 Springfield, VA, 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.