Antenna aiming / Wauconda, IL
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Wauconda, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Wauconda, IL N E S W WDJT — 10° N, 59 mi WMLW — 10° N, 59 mi WBME — 10° N, 59 mi WYTU — 10° N, 59 mi WISN — 10° N, 59 mi WVTV — 12° NNE, 58 mi WPXE — 12° NNE, 58 mi WMVS — 12° NNE, 58 mi WVCY — 12° NNE, 58 mi WMVT — 12° NNE, 58 mi WIWN — 12° NNE, 58 mi WMKE — 12° NNE, 58 mi WTSJ — 12° NNE, 58 mi WTMJ — 12° NNE, 58 mi WITI — 12° NNE, 58 mi WRME — 134° SE, 37 mi WESV — 134° SE, 37 mi WGBO — 134° SE, 37 mi WOCK — 134° SE, 37 mi W31EZ-D — 135° SE, 37 mi WDCI — 135° SE, 37 mi WRJK — 136° SE, 37 mi WLS — 136° SE, 37 mi WTTW — 136° SE, 37 mi WXFT — 136° SE, 37 mi WBBM — 136° SE, 37 mi WCPX — 136° SE, 37 mi WPWR — 136° SE, 37 mi WJYS — 136° SE, 37 mi WWME — 136° SE, 37 mi WEDE — 136° SE, 37 mi WFLD — 136° SE, 37 mi WMAQ — 136° SE, 37 mi WGN — 136° SE, 37 mi WCIU — 136° SE, 37 mi WSNS — 136° SE, 37 mi WMEU — 136° SE, 37 mi WYIN — 149° SSE, 74 mi WPVN — 162° SSE, 16 mi WLPD — 174° S, 30 mi WWTO — 211° SSW, 80 mi WDMW — 357° N, 48 mi Wauconda

Point Southeast 145° on a compass — 80 miles of range covers this whole market

25/42stations in the beam
124/207free channels
60%of what's available
The other 17 stations sit north of you (9°). 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 Wauconda, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WDJT CBS 58 10° N 59 mi 5
WMLW Independent 49 10° N 59 mi 5
WBME MeTV 41 10° N 59 mi 1
WYTU Telemundo 63 10° N 59 mi 5
WISN ABC 12 10° N 59 mi 4
WVTV CW 18 12° NNE 58 mi 4
WPXE Ion 55 12° NNE 58 mi 8
WMVS PBS 10 12° NNE 58 mi 3
WVCY Independent 30 12° NNE 58 mi 1
WMVT PBS 36 12° NNE 58 mi 3
WIWN Cozi TV 68 12° NNE 58 mi 8
WMKE Jewelry TV 21 12° NNE 58 mi 8
WTSJ Fubo Sports 38 12° NNE 58 mi 12
WTMJ NBC 4 12° NNE 58 mi 7
WITI FOX 6 12° NNE 58 mi 4
WRME Jewelry TV 6 134° SE 37 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 134° SE 37 mi 7
WGBO Univision 66 134° SE 37 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 134° SE 37 mi 6
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 135° SE 37 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 135° SE 37 mi 1
WRJK Diya TV 22 136° SE 37 mi 10
WLS ABC 7 136° SE 37 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 136° SE 37 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 136° SE 37 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 136° SE 37 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 136° SE 37 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 136° SE 37 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 136° SE 37 mi 11
WWME MeTV 23 136° SE 37 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 136° SE 37 mi 2
WFLD FOX 32 136° SE 37 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 136° SE 37 mi 5
WGN CW 9 136° SE 37 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 136° SE 37 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 136° SE 37 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 136° SE 37 mi 4
WYIN PBS 56 149° SSE 74 mi 2
WPVN MBC 24 162° SSE 16 mi 10
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 174° S 30 mi 2
WWTO TBN 35 211° SSW 80 mi 4
WDMW Daystar 65 357° N 48 mi 1

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Wauconda, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 16.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 38 miles.

For Wauconda 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 Wauconda are spread across 214° 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 Wauconda. 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 Wauconda, IL, 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.