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

How to aim your TV antenna in Watertown, MA

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

Transmitter directions from Watertown, MA N E S W WLEK — 41° NE, 15 mi WCEA — 105° ESE, 5 mi WHDT — 108° ESE, 5 mi WDPX — 138° SE, 64 mi WLWC — 163° SSE, 43 mi WWDP — 165° SSE, 26 mi WYCN — 177° S, 26 mi WPRI — 189° S, 35 mi WNAC — 189° S, 35 mi WJAR — 189° S, 35 mi WPVD — 189° S, 35 mi WLNE — 189° S, 35 mi WFXT — 204° SSW, 5 mi WLVI — 204° SSW, 5 mi WHDH — 206° SSW, 5 mi WPXQ — 208° SSW, 68 mi WFXZ — 209° SSW, 5 mi WYDN — 209° SSW, 5 mi WMFP — 209° SSW, 5 mi WBPX — 209° SSW, 5 mi WBTS — 216° SW, 5 mi WGBH — 216° SW, 5 mi WBZ — 216° SW, 5 mi WCVB — 216° SW, 5 mi WGBX — 216° SW, 5 mi WSBK — 216° SW, 5 mi WEDN — 221° SW, 78 mi WUTF — 265° W, 28 mi WUNI — 274° W, 16 mi WWJE — 274° W, 16 mi WMUR — 334° NNW, 47 mi WNEU — 334° NNW, 47 mi WPXG — 353° N, 57 mi WENH — 358° N, 56 mi Watertown

Point South-Southwest 192° on a compass — 78 miles of range covers this whole market

23/34stations in the beam
85/129free channels
66%of what's available
The other 11 stations sit north-northwest of you (347°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
11 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 Watertown, MA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WLEK Sports First TV 22 41° NE 15 mi 7
WCEA Independent 26 105° ESE 5 mi 4
WHDT Infomercials 3 108° ESE 5 mi 1
WDPX Grit 58 138° SE 64 mi 1
WLWC Bounce TV 28 163° SSE 43 mi 1
WWDP Roar 46 165° SSE 26 mi 5
WYCN Telemundo 8 177° S 26 mi 4
WPRI CBS 12 189° S 35 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 189° S 35 mi 4
WJAR NBC 10 189° S 35 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 189° S 35 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 189° S 35 mi 4
WFXT FOX 25 204° SSW 5 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 204° SSW 5 mi 2
WHDH Independent 7 206° SSW 5 mi 2
WPXQ Ion 69 208° SSW 68 mi 8
WFXZ Biz TV 24 209° SSW 5 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 209° SSW 5 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 209° SSW 5 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 209° SSW 5 mi 7
WBTS NBC 15 216° SW 5 mi 2
WGBH PBS 2 216° SW 5 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 216° SW 5 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 216° SW 5 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 216° SW 5 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 216° SW 5 mi 7
WEDN PBS 53 221° SW 78 mi 2
WUTF UniMas 27 265° W 28 mi 5
WUNI Univision 66 274° W 16 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 274° W 16 mi 1
WMUR ABC 9 334° NNW 47 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 334° NNW 47 mi 5
WPXG Ion 21 353° N 57 mi 7
WENH PBS 11 358° N 56 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Watertown, 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 6 miles.

For Watertown 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 Watertown are spread across 296° 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 Watertown. 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 Watertown, 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.