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

How to aim your TV antenna in Triangle, VA

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

Transmitter directions from Triangle, VA N E S W WFPT — 5° N, 48 mi WDWA — 12° NNE, 15 mi WDCN — 23° NNE, 23 mi WNVC — 23° NNE, 23 mi WMPB — 28° NNE, 69 mi WDDN — 31° NNE, 34 mi WTTG — 32° NNE, 31 mi WDCA — 32° NNE, 31 mi WETA — 33° NNE, 31 mi WJLA — 33° NNE, 31 mi WUSA — 33° NNE, 31 mi WHUT — 33° NNE, 31 mi WPXW — 33° NNE, 31 mi WWTD — 33° NNE, 30 mi WFDC — 33° NNE, 30 mi WZDC — 33° NNE, 30 mi WRZB — 33° NNE, 30 mi WIAV — 33° NNE, 30 mi WDCO — 33° NNE, 30 mi WDME — 33° NNE, 30 mi WRC — 33° NNE, 30 mi WDCW — 36° NE, 33 mi WMJF — 36° NE, 71 mi WUTB — 37° NE, 66 mi WBFF — 37° NE, 66 mi WNUV — 37° NE, 66 mi WMAR — 37° NE, 66 mi WBAL — 37° NE, 66 mi WJZ — 37° NE, 66 mi WQAW — 54° NE, 52 mi WMPT — 54° NE, 52 mi WUPV — 173° S, 58 mi WDVM — 308° NW, 43 mi WNVT — 325° NW, 5 mi WWPX — 330° NNW, 71 mi Triangle

Point North-Northeast 25° on a compass — 71 miles of range covers this whole market

31/35stations in the beam
135/153free channels
88%of what's available
The other 4 stations sit northwest of you (307°). 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 Triangle, VA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WFPT PBS 62 5° N 48 mi 4
WDWA Daystar 23 12° NNE 15 mi 2
WDCN The Country Network 6 23° NNE 23 mi 1
WNVC World 41 23° NNE 23 mi 1
WMPB PBS 67 28° NNE 69 mi 5
WDDN Daystar 23 31° NNE 34 mi 2
WTTG FOX 5 32° NNE 31 mi 3
WDCA MyNetworkTV 20 32° NNE 31 mi 4
WETA PBS 26 33° NNE 31 mi 5
WJLA ABC 7 33° NNE 31 mi 6
WUSA CBS 9 33° NNE 31 mi 5
WHUT PBS 32 33° NNE 31 mi 2
WPXW Ion 66 33° NNE 31 mi 8
WWTD HSN2 49 33° NNE 30 mi 5
WFDC Univision 14 33° NNE 30 mi 4
WZDC Telemundo 44 33° NNE 30 mi 2
WRZB HSN2 31 33° NNE 30 mi 4
WIAV Roar 58 33° NNE 30 mi 2
WDCO Roar 10 33° NNE 30 mi 1
WDME MeTV 48 33° NNE 30 mi 8
WRC NBC 4 33° NNE 30 mi 4
WDCW CW 50 36° NE 33 mi 3
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 36° NE 71 mi 7
WUTB Roar 24 37° NE 66 mi 1
WBFF FOX 45 37° NE 66 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 37° NE 66 mi 4
WMAR ABC 2 37° NE 66 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 37° NE 66 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 37° NE 66 mi 6
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 54° NE 52 mi 12
WMPT PBS 22 54° NE 52 mi 5
WUPV CW 65 173° S 58 mi 5
WDVM Independent 25 308° NW 43 mi 4
WNVT World 23 325° NW 5 mi 1
WWPX Ion 60 330° NNW 71 mi 8

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Triangle, VA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 4.6 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 31 miles.

For Triangle 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 Triangle are spread across 225° 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 Triangle. 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 Triangle, 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.