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

How to aim your TV antenna in Watsonville, CA

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

Transmitter directions from Watsonville, CA N E S W KBSV — 28° NNE, 44 mi KACA — 29° NNE, 62 mi KFKK — 48° NE, 66 mi KSMS — 133° SE, 19 mi KSBW — 133° SE, 19 mi KQET — 133° SE, 19 mi K15CU-D — 133° SE, 19 mi KDJT — 133° SE, 19 mi KCBA — 133° SE, 19 mi KLFB — 165° SSE, 29 mi KMMD — 165° SSE, 29 mi KION — 166° SSE, 29 mi KBNY — 166° SSE, 29 mi K31OL-D — 166° SSE, 29 mi KMBY — 185° S, 27 mi KOTR — 193° SSW, 25 mi KNTV — 324° NW, 64 mi KTSF — 324° NW, 64 mi KMPX-LD — 324° NW, 64 mi KKPX — 324° NW, 64 mi KCNZ — 324° NW, 64 mi KDTS — 326° NW, 68 mi KTVU — 326° NW, 68 mi KPIX — 326° NW, 68 mi KQED — 326° NW, 68 mi KGO — 326° NW, 68 mi KMTP — 326° NW, 68 mi KCNS — 326° NW, 68 mi KPYX — 326° NW, 68 mi KRON — 326° NW, 68 mi KPJK — 326° NW, 68 mi KFSF — 326° NW, 68 mi KOFY — 326° NW, 68 mi KSCZ — 350° N, 39 mi KDTV — 350° N, 39 mi KSTS — 350° N, 39 mi KAXT — 350° N, 39 mi KBIT — 350° N, 8 mi KQEH — 350° N, 38 mi KICU — 350° N, 38 mi KTNC — 352° N, 66 mi Watsonville

Point Northwest 322° on a compass — 68 miles of range covers this whole market

25/41stations in the beam
130/206free channels
63%of what's available
The other 16 stations sit southeast of you (140°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
6 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 Watsonville, CA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
KBSV Independent 23 28° NNE 44 mi 1
KACA Daystar 34 29° NNE 62 mi 1
KFKK Infomercials 32 48° NE 66 mi 6
KSMS Univision 67 133° SE 19 mi 2
KSBW NBC 8 133° SE 19 mi 5
KQET PBS 25 133° SE 19 mi 4
K15CU-D Cozi TV 15 133° SE 19 mi 4
KDJT UniMas 33 133° SE 19 mi 1
KCBA CW 35 133° SE 19 mi 5
KLFB 3ABN 22 165° SSE 29 mi 11
KMMD Court TV 39 165° SSE 29 mi 8
KION CBS 46 166° SSE 29 mi 4
KBNY Binge TV 19 166° SSE 29 mi 11
K31OL-D Independent 38 166° SSE 29 mi 1
KMBY MeTV 27 185° S 27 mi 9
KOTR MyNetworkTV 7 193° SSW 25 mi 3
KNTV NBC 11 324° NW 64 mi 6
KTSF Independent 26 324° NW 64 mi 4
KMPX-LD Jewelry TV 18 324° NW 64 mi 1
KKPX Ion 65 324° NW 64 mi 8
KCNZ LATV 28 324° NW 64 mi 4
KDTS Daystar 52 326° NW 68 mi 12
KTVU FOX 2 326° NW 68 mi 5
KPIX CBS 5 326° NW 68 mi 5
KQED PBS 9 326° NW 68 mi 4
KGO ABC 7 326° NW 68 mi 5
KMTP Independent 32 326° NW 68 mi 1
KCNS Shop LC 38 326° NW 68 mi 5
KPYX Independent 44 326° NW 68 mi 7
KRON CW 4 326° NW 68 mi 5
KPJK Independent 60 326° NW 68 mi 6
KFSF UniMas 66 326° NW 68 mi 6
KOFY Dr. Phil 20 326° NW 68 mi 5
KSCZ Hai Le 16 350° N 39 mi 10
KDTV Univision 14 350° N 39 mi 3
KSTS Telemundo 48 350° N 39 mi 6
KAXT Catchy Comedy 1 350° N 39 mi 1
KBIT Diya TV 24 350° N 8 mi 10
KQEH PBS 54 350° N 38 mi 4
KICU MyNetworkTV 36 350° N 38 mi 5
KTNC TCT 42 352° N 66 mi 2

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Watsonville, CA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 8.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 29 miles.

For Watsonville 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 Watsonville are spread across 229° 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 Watsonville. 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 Watsonville, 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.