Antenna aiming / Vancouver, WA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Vancouver, WA

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

Transmitter directions from Vancouver, WA N E S W KSLM — 214° SW, 58 mi K36QX-D — 215° SW, 57 mi KATU — 228° SW, 16 mi KOIN — 228° SW, 16 mi KNMT — 228° SW, 16 mi KRCW — 228° SW, 16 mi KEVE — 230° SW, 16 mi KUNP-LD — 230° SW, 16 mi KOXI — 231° SW, 16 mi KPXG-LD — 231° SW, 16 mi KGW — 231° SW, 16 mi KOPB — 231° SW, 16 mi KPXG — 231° SW, 16 mi KORS — 231° SW, 16 mi KPDX — 231° SW, 17 mi KPTV — 231° SW, 17 mi KCKA — 336° NNW, 67 mi Vancouver

Point South-Southwest 202° on a compass — 67 miles of range covers this whole market

16/17stations in the beam
80/83free channels
96%of what's available
The other 1 station sit north-northwest of you (336°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
2 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 Vancouver, WA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KSLM The Dove 27 214° SW 58 mi 4
K36QX-D Telemundo 21 215° SW 57 mi 7
KATU ABC 2 228° SW 16 mi 4
KOIN CBS 6 228° SW 16 mi 6
KNMT TBN 24 228° SW 16 mi 5
KRCW CW 32 228° SW 16 mi 4
KEVE Better Life TV 31 230° SW 16 mi 4
KUNP-LD Independent 47 230° SW 16 mi 4
KOXI MovieSphere Gold 20 231° SW 16 mi 12
KPXG-LD Daystar 42 231° SW 16 mi 1
KGW NBC 8 231° SW 16 mi 5
KOPB PBS 10 231° SW 16 mi 4
KPXG Ion 22 231° SW 16 mi 8
KORS HSN 16 231° SW 16 mi 2
KPDX MyNetworkTV 49 231° SW 17 mi 4
KPTV FOX 12 231° SW 17 mi 6
KCKA PBS 15 336° NNW 67 mi 3

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Vancouver, WA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 16.3 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 17 miles.

For Vancouver 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 Vancouver are spread across 122° 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 Vancouver. 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 Vancouver, WA, 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.