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

How to aim your TV antenna in Wakefield, MA

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

Transmitter directions from Wakefield, MA N E S W WMEA — 12° NNE, 64 mi WLEK — 64° ENE, 4 mi WDPX — 147° SSE, 67 mi WLWC — 172° S, 51 mi WWDP — 178° S, 34 mi WCEA — 183° S, 11 mi WHDT — 185° S, 11 mi WYCN — 187° S, 35 mi WPRI — 194° SSW, 45 mi WNAC — 194° SSW, 45 mi WJAR — 194° SSW, 46 mi WPVD — 194° SSW, 46 mi WLNE — 194° SSW, 46 mi WFXT — 209° SSW, 16 mi WLVI — 209° SSW, 16 mi WHDH — 210° SSW, 15 mi WFXZ — 211° SSW, 16 mi WYDN — 211° SSW, 16 mi WMFP — 211° SSW, 16 mi WBPX — 211° SSW, 16 mi WBTS — 213° SSW, 16 mi WGBH — 213° SSW, 16 mi WBZ — 213° SSW, 16 mi WCVB — 213° SSW, 16 mi WGBX — 213° SSW, 16 mi WSBK — 213° SSW, 16 mi WUNI — 249° WSW, 23 mi WWJE — 249° WSW, 23 mi WUTF — 251° WSW, 35 mi WMUR — 321° NW, 43 mi WNEU — 322° NW, 42 mi WPXG — 345° NNW, 49 mi WENH — 351° N, 47 mi Wakefield

Point South 184° on a compass — 67 miles of range covers this whole market

23/33stations in the beam
80/125free channels
64%of what's available
The other 10 stations sit northwest of you (317°). 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 Wakefield, MA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WMEA PBS 26 12° NNE 64 mi 6
WLEK Sports First TV 22 64° ENE 4 mi 7
WDPX Grit 58 147° SSE 67 mi 1
WLWC Bounce TV 28 172° S 51 mi 1
WWDP Roar 46 178° S 34 mi 5
WCEA Independent 26 183° S 11 mi 4
WHDT Infomercials 3 185° S 11 mi 1
WYCN Telemundo 8 187° S 35 mi 4
WPRI CBS 12 194° SSW 45 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 194° SSW 45 mi 4
WJAR NBC 10 194° SSW 46 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 194° SSW 46 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 194° SSW 46 mi 4
WFXT FOX 25 209° SSW 16 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 209° SSW 16 mi 2
WHDH Independent 7 210° SSW 15 mi 2
WFXZ Biz TV 24 211° SSW 16 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 211° SSW 16 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 211° SSW 16 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 211° SSW 16 mi 7
WBTS NBC 15 213° SSW 16 mi 2
WGBH PBS 2 213° SSW 16 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 213° SSW 16 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 213° SSW 16 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 213° SSW 16 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 213° SSW 16 mi 7
WUNI Univision 66 249° WSW 23 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 249° WSW 23 mi 1
WUTF UniMas 27 251° WSW 35 mi 5
WMUR ABC 9 321° NW 43 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 322° NW 42 mi 5
WPXG Ion 21 345° NNW 49 mi 7
WENH PBS 11 351° N 47 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Wakefield, MA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 4.5 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 16 miles.

For Wakefield 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 Wakefield are spread across 278° 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 Wakefield. 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 Wakefield, 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.