Antenna aiming / Tampa, FL
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Tampa, FL

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

Transmitter directions from Tampa, FL N E S W WTMO — 59° ENE, 64 mi WFEF — 61° ENE, 62 mi WWCI — 64° ENE, 66 mi WKME — 73° ENE, 54 mi WHDO — 75° ENE, 61 mi WTVT — 161° SSE, 23 mi WEDQ — 163° SSE, 21 mi WVEA — 163° SSE, 21 mi WEDU — 163° SSE, 21 mi WXAX — 163° SSE, 21 mi WFTS — 163° SSE, 21 mi WFLA — 163° SSE, 21 mi WTTA — 163° SSE, 21 mi W16DQ-D — 164° SSE, 23 mi WTSP — 164° SSE, 23 mi WCLF — 164° SSE, 23 mi WMOR — 164° SSE, 23 mi WFTT — 164° SSE, 23 mi WXPX — 164° SSE, 23 mi WSVT — 164° SSE, 23 mi WTOG — 165° SSE, 22 mi WWSB — 180° S, 40 mi WSNN — 187° S, 55 mi WRMD — 205° SSW, 14 mi WARP — 221° SW, 24 mi WPDS — 240° WSW, 30 mi WZRA — 291° WNW, 24 mi WYKE — 349° N, 53 mi Tampa

Point South 176° on a compass — 66 miles of range covers this whole market

19/28stations in the beam
94/132free channels
71%of what's available
The other 9 stations sit northeast of you (42°). 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 Tampa, FL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WTMO Telemundo 31 59° ENE 64 mi 4
WFEF Infomercials 50 61° ENE 62 mi 7
WWCI Infomercials 10 64° ENE 66 mi 7
WKME Telemundo 31 73° ENE 54 mi 4
WHDO Infomercials 38 75° ENE 61 mi 7
WTVT FOX 13 161° SSE 23 mi 7
WEDQ PBS 3 163° SSE 21 mi 3
WVEA Univision 50 163° SSE 21 mi 7
WEDU PBS 3 163° SSE 21 mi 3
WXAX Defy TV 26 163° SSE 21 mi 6
WFTS ABC 28 163° SSE 21 mi 7
WFLA NBC 8 163° SSE 21 mi 3
WTTA CW 38 163° SSE 21 mi 2
W16DQ-D Sports First TV 43 164° SSE 23 mi 8
WTSP CBS 10 164° SSE 23 mi 6
WCLF CTN 22 164° SSE 23 mi 5
WMOR Independent 32 164° SSE 23 mi 3
WFTT Scientology Network 62 164° SSE 23 mi 6
WXPX Independent 66 164° SSE 23 mi 8
WSVT Daystar 18 164° SSE 23 mi 1
WTOG Independent 44 165° SSE 22 mi 7
WWSB ABC 40 180° S 40 mi 4
WSNN Independent 39 187° S 55 mi 4
WRMD Telemundo 49 205° SSW 14 mi 4
WARP Infomercials 20 221° SW 24 mi 1
WPDS Independent 14 240° WSW 30 mi 4
WZRA ERT World 48 291° WNW 24 mi 1
WYKE CTN 47 349° N 53 mi 3

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Tampa, FL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 14.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 23 miles.

For Tampa 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 Tampa are spread across 273° 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 Tampa. 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 Tampa, FL, 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.