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

How to aim your TV antenna in Stafford, VA

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

Transmitter directions from Stafford, VA N E S W WFPT — 4° N, 58 mi WDWA — 7° N, 25 mi WDCN — 15° NNE, 32 mi WNVC — 15° NNE, 32 mi WTTG — 24° NNE, 40 mi WDCA — 24° NNE, 40 mi WDDN — 24° NNE, 44 mi WETA — 24° NNE, 40 mi WJLA — 24° NNE, 40 mi WUSA — 24° NNE, 40 mi WHUT — 24° NNE, 40 mi WPXW — 24° NNE, 40 mi WWTD — 24° NNE, 39 mi WFDC — 24° NNE, 39 mi WZDC — 24° NNE, 39 mi WRZB — 24° NNE, 39 mi WIAV — 24° NNE, 39 mi WDCO — 24° NNE, 39 mi WDME — 24° NNE, 39 mi WRC — 24° NNE, 39 mi WDCW — 27° NNE, 42 mi WMJF — 32° NNE, 80 mi WUTB — 32° NNE, 74 mi WBFF — 32° NNE, 74 mi WNUV — 32° NNE, 74 mi WMAR — 32° NNE, 74 mi WBAL — 32° NNE, 74 mi WJZ — 32° NNE, 74 mi WQAW — 46° NE, 58 mi WMPT — 46° NE, 58 mi WUPV — 171° S, 48 mi WRID — 186° S, 64 mi WWBT — 186° S, 64 mi WCVE — 191° S, 64 mi WRLH — 191° S, 64 mi WTVR — 191° S, 64 mi WCVW — 191° S, 64 mi WZTD — 191° S, 64 mi WWBK — 191° S, 64 mi WFWG — 191° S, 64 mi WUDW — 191° S, 64 mi WRIC — 191° S, 64 mi WDVM — 317° NW, 51 mi WNVT — 348° NNW, 15 mi Stafford

Point North-Northeast 16° on a compass — 80 miles of range covers this whole market

31/44stations in the beam
131/199free channels
66%of what's available
The other 13 stations sit south-southwest of you (192°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
7 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 Stafford, VA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WFPT PBS 62 4° N 58 mi 4
WDWA Daystar 23 7° N 25 mi 2
WDCN The Country Network 6 15° NNE 32 mi 1
WNVC World 41 15° NNE 32 mi 1
WTTG FOX 5 24° NNE 40 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 24° NNE 40 mi 4
WDDN Daystar 23 24° NNE 44 mi 2
WETA PBS 26 24° NNE 40 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 24° NNE 40 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 24° NNE 40 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 24° NNE 40 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 24° NNE 40 mi 8
WWTD HSN2 49 24° NNE 39 mi 5
WFDC Univision 14 24° NNE 39 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 24° NNE 39 mi 2
WRZB HSN2 31 24° NNE 39 mi 4
WIAV Roar 58 24° NNE 39 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 24° NNE 39 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 24° NNE 39 mi 8
WRC NBC 4 24° NNE 39 mi 4
WDCW CW 50 27° NNE 42 mi 3
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 32° NNE 80 mi 7
WUTB Roar 24 32° NNE 74 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 32° NNE 74 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 32° NNE 74 mi 4
WMAR ABC 2 32° NNE 74 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 32° NNE 74 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 32° NNE 74 mi 6
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 46° NE 58 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 46° NE 58 mi 5
WUPV CW 65 171° S 48 mi 5
WRID NBC 12 186° S 64 mi 4
WWBT NBC 12 186° S 64 mi 6
WCVE PBS 23 191° S 64 mi 4
WRLH FOX 35 191° S 64 mi 6
WTVR CBS 6 191° S 64 mi 8
WCVW PBS 57 191° S 64 mi 1
WZTD Telemundo 45 191° S 64 mi 3
WWBK MeTV Toons 28 191° S 64 mi 7
WFWG Jewelry TV 30 191° S 64 mi 7
WUDW Buzzr 53 191° S 64 mi 7
WRIC ABC 8 191° S 64 mi 6
WDVM Independent 25 317° NW 51 mi 4
WNVT World 23 348° NNW 15 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Stafford, VA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 14.5 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 40 miles.

For Stafford 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 Stafford are spread across 234° 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 Stafford. 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 Stafford, 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.