Antenna aiming / Swampscott, MA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Swampscott, MA

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

Transmitter directions from Swampscott, MA N E S W WMEA — 5° N, 65 mi WDPX — 152° SSE, 61 mi WLWC — 181° S, 48 mi WWDP — 192° SSW, 33 mi WYCN — 201° SSW, 35 mi WJAR — 205° SSW, 46 mi WPVD — 205° SSW, 46 mi WLNE — 205° SSW, 46 mi WPRI — 205° SSW, 46 mi WNAC — 205° SSW, 46 mi WPXQ — 214° SW, 81 mi WCEA — 225° SW, 12 mi WHDT — 225° SW, 13 mi WFXT — 233° SW, 20 mi WLVI — 233° SW, 20 mi WHDH — 234° SW, 19 mi WFXZ — 234° SW, 20 mi WYDN — 234° SW, 20 mi WMFP — 234° SW, 20 mi WBPX — 234° SW, 20 mi WBTS — 236° SW, 20 mi WGBH — 236° SW, 20 mi WBZ — 236° SW, 20 mi WCVB — 236° SW, 20 mi WGBX — 236° SW, 20 mi WSBK — 236° SW, 20 mi WUTF — 257° WSW, 42 mi WUNI — 258° WSW, 31 mi WWJE — 258° WSW, 31 mi WLEK — 314° NW, 6 mi WMUR — 316° NW, 49 mi WNEU — 316° NW, 49 mi WPXG — 337° NNW, 53 mi WENH — 343° NNW, 51 mi Swampscott

Point Southwest 229° on a compass — 81 miles of range covers this whole market

25/34stations in the beam
93/133free channels
70%of what's available
The other 9 stations sit northwest of you (310°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
10 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 Swampscott, MA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WMEA PBS 26 5° N 65 mi 6
WDPX Grit 58 152° SSE 61 mi 1
WLWC Bounce TV 28 181° S 48 mi 1
WWDP Roar 46 192° SSW 33 mi 5
WYCN Telemundo 8 201° SSW 35 mi 4
WJAR NBC 10 205° SSW 46 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 205° SSW 46 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 205° SSW 46 mi 4
WPRI CBS 12 205° SSW 46 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 205° SSW 46 mi 4
WPXQ Ion 69 214° SW 81 mi 8
WCEA Independent 26 225° SW 12 mi 4
WHDT Infomercials 3 225° SW 13 mi 1
WFXT FOX 25 233° SW 20 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 233° SW 20 mi 2
WHDH Independent 7 234° SW 19 mi 2
WFXZ Biz TV 24 234° SW 20 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 234° SW 20 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 234° SW 20 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 234° SW 20 mi 7
WBTS NBC 15 236° SW 20 mi 2
WGBH PBS 2 236° SW 20 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 236° SW 20 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 236° SW 20 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 236° SW 20 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 236° SW 20 mi 7
WUTF UniMas 27 257° WSW 42 mi 5
WUNI Univision 66 258° WSW 31 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 258° WSW 31 mi 1
WLEK Sports First TV 22 314° NW 6 mi 7
WMUR ABC 9 316° NW 49 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 316° NW 49 mi 5
WPXG Ion 21 337° NNW 53 mi 7
WENH PBS 11 343° NNW 51 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Swampscott, MA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 5.6 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 20 miles.

For Swampscott 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 Swampscott are spread across 213° 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 Swampscott. 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 Swampscott, MA, 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.