Antenna aiming / Williamsburg, VA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Williamsburg, VA

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

Transmitter directions from Williamsburg, VA N E S W WYSJ — 132° SE, 18 mi WVAD — 144° SE, 38 mi WJGN — 145° SE, 33 mi WSKY — 157° SSE, 55 mi WGNT — 158° SSE, 33 mi WVEC — 158° SSE, 32 mi WHRO — 162° SSE, 32 mi WTPC — 162° SSE, 32 mi WTKR — 162° SSE, 32 mi WPXV — 162° SSE, 32 mi WTVZ — 162° SSE, 32 mi WAVY — 162° SSE, 31 mi WVBT — 162° SSE, 31 mi WKTD — 162° SSE, 31 mi WNLO-CD — 162° SSE, 31 mi WCVE — 290° WNW, 53 mi WRIC — 290° WNW, 53 mi WZTD — 290° WNW, 53 mi WRLH — 290° WNW, 53 mi WTVR — 290° WNW, 53 mi WCVW — 290° WNW, 53 mi WWBK — 290° WNW, 53 mi WFWG — 290° WNW, 53 mi WUDW — 290° WNW, 53 mi WRID — 292° WNW, 48 mi WWBT — 292° WNW, 48 mi WUPV — 318° NW, 46 mi Williamsburg

Point Southeast 132° on a compass — 55 miles of range covers this whole market

15/27stations in the beam
82/146free channels
56%of what's available
The other 12 stations sit west-northwest of you (293°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
5 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 Williamsburg, VA

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WYSJ Story Television 19 132° SE 18 mi 4
WVAD Daystar 25 144° SE 38 mi 1
WJGN Binge TV 38 145° SE 33 mi 11
WSKY Independent 4 157° SSE 55 mi 7
WGNT Independent 27 158° SSE 33 mi 6
WVEC ABC 13 158° SSE 32 mi 8
WHRO PBS 15 162° SSE 32 mi 5
WTPC TBN 21 162° SSE 32 mi 5
WTKR CBS 3 162° SSE 32 mi 5
WPXV Ion 49 162° SSE 32 mi 8
WTVZ MyNetworkTV 33 162° SSE 32 mi 4
WAVY NBC 10 162° SSE 31 mi 4
WVBT FOX 43 162° SSE 31 mi 4
WKTD NBC 17 162° SSE 31 mi 4
WNLO-CD FOX 43 162° SSE 31 mi 6
WCVE PBS 23 290° WNW 53 mi 4
WRIC ABC 8 290° WNW 53 mi 6
WZTD Telemundo 45 290° WNW 53 mi 3
WRLH FOX 35 290° WNW 53 mi 6
WTVR CBS 6 290° WNW 53 mi 8
WCVW PBS 57 290° WNW 53 mi 1
WWBK MeTV Toons 28 290° WNW 53 mi 7
WFWG Jewelry TV 30 290° WNW 53 mi 7
WUDW Buzzr 53 290° WNW 53 mi 7
WRID NBC 12 292° WNW 48 mi 4
WWBT NBC 12 292° WNW 48 mi 6
WUPV CW 65 318° NW 46 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Williamsburg, VA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 17.8 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 33 miles.

For Williamsburg 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 Williamsburg are spread across 186° 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 Williamsburg. 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 Williamsburg, VA, 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.