Antenna aiming / Vista, CA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Vista, CA

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

Transmitter directions from Vista, CA N E S W KVMD — 22° NNE, 61 mi KESQ — 45° NE, 63 mi KRET — 45° NE, 63 mi K21DO-D — 45° NE, 63 mi KDFX — 45° NE, 63 mi KCWQ — 45° NE, 63 mi KYAV — 45° NE, 63 mi KMIR — 45° NE, 63 mi KPSE — 45° NE, 63 mi KVPS — 45° NE, 63 mi KPSP — 45° NE, 63 mi KEVC — 45° NE, 63 mi KVER — 45° NE, 63 mi KUNA — 54° NE, 69 mi KZTC — 138° SE, 20 mi KSKT — 138° SE, 20 mi KPBS — 157° SSE, 40 mi KSDX — 157° SSE, 40 mi KUSI — 157° SSE, 40 mi KUAN — 157° SSE, 40 mi KNSD — 157° SSE, 40 mi KSWB — 157° SSE, 40 mi KDTF — 157° SSE, 40 mi KSDY — 157° SSE, 40 mi KFMB — 186° S, 27 mi KBNT — 186° S, 27 mi KGTV — 186° S, 27 mi KIIO — 319° NW, 86 mi KILM — 324° NW, 84 mi KZNO — 324° NW, 84 mi KPXN — 324° NW, 84 mi KPOM — 324° NW, 84 mi KSFV — 324° NW, 84 mi KSCI — 324° NW, 84 mi KSCN — 324° NW, 84 mi KVEA — 324° NW, 84 mi KWHY — 324° NW, 84 mi KRCA — 324° NW, 84 mi KHTV — 324° NW, 84 mi KCET — 325° NW, 85 mi KLCS — 325° NW, 85 mi KTBN — 325° NW, 85 mi KILA — 329° NNW, 46 mi KVCR — 355° N, 51 mi KZSW — 355° N, 51 mi Vista

Point North-Northeast 15° on a compass — 86 miles of range covers this whole market

15/45stations in the beam
79/210free channels
38%of what's available
The other 30 stations sit west-northwest of you (292°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
14 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 Vista, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KVMD OnTV4U 31 22° NNE 61 mi 6
KESQ ABC 42 45° NE 63 mi 5
KRET Binge TV 45 45° NE 63 mi 12
K21DO-D 365BLK 21 45° NE 63 mi 8
KDFX FOX 33 45° NE 63 mi 3
KCWQ CW 2 45° NE 63 mi 2
KYAV Independent 12 45° NE 63 mi 3
KMIR NBC 36 45° NE 63 mi 2
KPSE MyNetworkTV 50 45° NE 63 mi 4
KVPS Independent 8 45° NE 63 mi 7
KPSP CBS 38 45° NE 63 mi 3
KEVC UniMas 5 45° NE 63 mi 3
KVER Univision 41 45° NE 63 mi 6
KUNA Telemundo 15 54° NE 69 mi 1
KZTC Biz TV 7 138° SE 20 mi 4
KSKT MovieSphere Gold 43 138° SE 20 mi 12
KPBS PBS 15 157° SSE 40 mi 4
KSDX Binge TV 9 157° SSE 40 mi 12
KUSI CW 51 157° SSE 40 mi 3
KUAN Telemundo 48 157° SSE 40 mi 2
KNSD NBC 39 157° SSE 40 mi 4
KSWB FOX 69 157° SSE 40 mi 6
KDTF UniMas 36 157° SSE 40 mi 2
KSDY Nuestra Vision 50 157° SSE 40 mi 6
KFMB CBS 8 186° S 27 mi 6
KBNT Univision 17 186° S 27 mi 3
KGTV ABC 10 186° S 27 mi 8
KIIO US Armenia 10 319° NW 86 mi 7
KILM Bounce TV 64 324° NW 84 mi 1
KZNO Jewelry TV 12 324° NW 84 mi 1
KPXN Ion 30 324° NW 84 mi 7
KPOM Catchy Comedy 14 324° NW 84 mi 2
KSFV MeTV Toons 27 324° NW 84 mi 3
KSCI Shop LC 18 324° NW 84 mi 4
KSCN Scientology Network 22 324° NW 84 mi 1
KVEA Telemundo 52 324° NW 84 mi 3
KWHY Canal de la Fe 63 324° NW 84 mi 2
KRCA Estrella TV 62 324° NW 84 mi 3
KHTV MeTV Plus 6 324° NW 84 mi 1
KCET PBS 28 325° NW 85 mi 3
KLCS PBS 58 325° NW 85 mi 3
KTBN TBN 40 325° NW 85 mi 5
KILA Infomercials 8 329° NNW 46 mi 12
KVCR PBS 24 355° N 51 mi 4
KZSW 3ABN 10 355° N 51 mi 11

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Vista, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 20.0 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 40 miles.

For Vista 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 Vista are spread across 227° 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 Vista. 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 Vista, CA, 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.