Antenna aiming / Wilmington, DE
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Wilmington, DE

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

Transmitter directions from Wilmington, DE N E S W WPPT — 12° NNE, 58 mi WLVT — 12° NNE, 58 mi WFMZ — 12° NNE, 58 mi WBPH — 12° NNE, 59 mi KYW — 47° NE, 31 mi WPVI — 47° NE, 31 mi WDPN — 47° NE, 31 mi WPHL — 47° NE, 31 mi WHYY — 47° NE, 31 mi WTXF — 47° NE, 31 mi WTVE — 47° NE, 31 mi WCAU — 47° NE, 31 mi WPSG — 47° NE, 31 mi WUVP — 47° NE, 31 mi WGTW — 47° NE, 31 mi WPPX — 47° NE, 31 mi WPHA — 47° NE, 31 mi WFPA — 47° NE, 31 mi WPHY — 47° NE, 34 mi WZPA — 47° NE, 31 mi WELL — 47° NE, 31 mi WNJT — 54° NE, 64 mi WACP — 90° E, 44 mi WNJS — 91° E, 44 mi WMCN — 91° E, 44 mi WSJT — 91° E, 44 mi WPSJ — 91° E, 44 mi WMGM — 131° SE, 64 mi WMPT — 225° SW, 71 mi WQAW — 225° SW, 71 mi WMAR — 242° WSW, 59 mi WBAL — 242° WSW, 59 mi WJZ — 242° WSW, 59 mi WBFF — 242° WSW, 59 mi WNUV — 242° WSW, 59 mi WUTB — 242° WSW, 59 mi WWDD — 243° WSW, 34 mi WMJF — 245° WSW, 55 mi WLYH — 284° WNW, 50 mi WGAL — 292° WNW, 55 mi Wilmington

Point East-Northeast 61° on a compass — 71 miles of range covers this whole market

23/40stations in the beam
114/187free channels
61%of what's available
The other 17 stations sit west of you (262°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
14 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 Wilmington, DE

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WPPT PBS 35 12° NNE 58 mi 1
WLVT PBS 39 12° NNE 58 mi 2
WFMZ Independent 69 12° NNE 58 mi 3
WBPH Independent 60 12° NNE 59 mi 2
KYW CBS 3 47° NE 31 mi 5
WPVI ABC 6 47° NE 31 mi 6
WDPN MeTV 2 47° NE 31 mi 11
WPHL MyNetworkTV 17 47° NE 31 mi 4
WHYY PBS 12 47° NE 31 mi 3
WTXF FOX 29 47° NE 31 mi 7
WTVE Shop LC 51 47° NE 31 mi 4
WCAU NBC 10 47° NE 31 mi 4
WPSG Independent 57 47° NE 31 mi 5
WUVP Univision 65 47° NE 31 mi 3
WGTW TBN 48 47° NE 31 mi 4
WPPX Ion 61 47° NE 31 mi 8
WPHA Infomercials 24 47° NE 31 mi 4
WFPA UniMas 28 47° NE 31 mi 5
WPHY Infomercials 25 47° NE 34 mi 4
WZPA NTD America 33 47° NE 31 mi 7
WELL Daystar 45 47° NE 31 mi 1
WNJT PBS 52 54° NE 64 mi 1
WACP TCT 4 90° E 44 mi 9
WNJS PBS 23 91° E 44 mi 1
WMCN Infomercials 44 91° E 44 mi 3
WSJT Classic Shows 15 91° E 44 mi 8
WPSJ Infomercials 8 91° E 44 mi 7
WMGM True Crime Network 40 131° SE 64 mi 3
WMPT PBS 22 225° SW 71 mi 5
WQAW Jewelry TV 69 225° SW 71 mi 12
WMAR ABC 2 242° WSW 59 mi 9
WBAL NBC 11 242° WSW 59 mi 7
WJZ CBS 13 242° WSW 59 mi 6
WBFF FOX 45 242° WSW 59 mi 3
WNUV CW 54 242° WSW 59 mi 4
WUTB Roar 24 242° WSW 59 mi 1
WWDD Daystar 49 243° WSW 34 mi 1
WMJF MeTV Toons 39 245° WSW 55 mi 7
WLYH Independent 49 284° WNW 50 mi 1
WGAL NBC 8 292° WNW 55 mi 6

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Wilmington, DE?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 30.8 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 31 miles.

For Wilmington 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 Wilmington are spread across 266° 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 Wilmington. 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 Wilmington, DE, 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.