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

How to aim your TV antenna in Wheaton, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Wheaton, IL N E S W WPVN — 16° NNE, 15 mi WGBO — 81° E, 26 mi WOCK — 81° E, 26 mi WRME — 81° E, 26 mi WESV — 81° E, 26 mi W31EZ-D — 83° E, 26 mi WDCI — 83° E, 26 mi WFLD — 84° E, 25 mi WMAQ — 84° E, 25 mi WGN — 84° E, 25 mi WCIU — 84° E, 25 mi WSNS — 84° E, 25 mi WMEU — 84° E, 25 mi WWME — 84° E, 25 mi WEDE — 84° E, 25 mi WLS — 84° E, 25 mi WTTW — 84° E, 25 mi WXFT — 84° E, 25 mi WBBM — 84° E, 25 mi WCPX — 84° E, 25 mi WPWR — 84° E, 25 mi WJYS — 84° E, 25 mi WRJK — 84° E, 25 mi WLPD — 92° E, 2 mi WYIN — 132° SE, 50 mi WWTO — 228° SW, 57 mi Wheaton

Point East-Southeast 103° on a compass — 57 miles of range covers this whole market

24/26stations in the beam
114/128free channels
89%of what's available
The other 2 stations sit west-northwest of you (302°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
3 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 Wheaton, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WPVN MBC 24 16° NNE 15 mi 10
WGBO Univision 66 81° E 26 mi 7
WOCK Shop LC 13 81° E 26 mi 6
WRME Jewelry TV 6 81° E 26 mi 1
WESV Almavision 40 81° E 26 mi 7
W31EZ-D Almavision 25 83° E 26 mi 7
WDCI Daystar 57 83° E 26 mi 1
WFLD FOX 32 84° E 25 mi 6
WMAQ NBC 5 84° E 25 mi 5
WGN CW 9 84° E 25 mi 6
WCIU The U 26 84° E 25 mi 8
WSNS Telemundo 44 84° E 25 mi 2
WMEU U Too 48 84° E 25 mi 4
WWME MeTV 23 84° E 25 mi 3
WEDE Independent 34 84° E 25 mi 2
WLS ABC 7 84° E 25 mi 3
WTTW PBS 11 84° E 25 mi 4
WXFT UniMas 60 84° E 25 mi 3
WBBM CBS 2 84° E 25 mi 5
WCPX Ion 38 84° E 25 mi 8
WPWR MyNetworkTV 50 84° E 25 mi 1
WJYS Independent 62 84° E 25 mi 11
WRJK Diya TV 22 84° E 25 mi 10
WLPD TBN Inspire 30 92° E 2 mi 2
WYIN PBS 56 132° SE 50 mi 2
WWTO TBN 35 228° SW 57 mi 4

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Wheaton, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 2.1 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 26 miles.

For Wheaton 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 Wheaton are spread across 212° 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 Wheaton. 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 Wheaton, 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.