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

How to aim your TV antenna in Wood River, IL

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

Transmitter directions from Wood River, IL N E S W WSEC — 2° N, 51 mi WCIX — 25° NNE, 71 mi WICS — 27° NNE, 73 mi WRSP — 27° NNE, 73 mi WPXS — 113° ESE, 30 mi WSIU — 139° SE, 69 mi KMOV — 208° SSW, 26 mi K25NG-D — 208° SSW, 18 mi KETC — 214° SSW, 32 mi KPLR — 214° SW, 24 mi KDTL — 214° SW, 24 mi KBGU — 214° SW, 24 mi KSDK — 214° SW, 25 mi WRBU — 214° SW, 40 mi KDNL — 215° SW, 24 mi KTVI — 215° SW, 28 mi KNLC — 217° SW, 43 mi WODK — 217° SW, 37 mi W36EX-D — 338° NNW, 4 mi Wood River

Point South 187° on a compass — 73 miles of range covers this whole market

12/19stations in the beam
72/103free channels
70%of what's available
The other 7 stations sit northeast of you (36°). 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 Wood River, IL

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

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WSEC PBS 14 2° N 51 mi 4
WCIX MyNetworkTV 49 25° NNE 71 mi 5
WICS ABC 20 27° NNE 73 mi 5
WRSP FOX 55 27° NNE 73 mi 3
WPXS Daystar 13 113° ESE 30 mi 2
WSIU PBS 8 139° SE 69 mi 5
KMOV CBS 4 208° SSW 26 mi 6
K25NG-D NTD America 25 208° SSW 18 mi 7
KETC PBS 9 214° SSW 32 mi 4
KPLR CW 11 214° SW 24 mi 4
KDTL 365BLK 4 214° SW 24 mi 3
KBGU Buzzr 33 214° SW 24 mi 7
KSDK NBC 5 214° SW 25 mi 7
WRBU Ion 46 214° SW 40 mi 8
KDNL ABC 30 215° SW 24 mi 6
KTVI FOX 2 215° SW 28 mi 5
KNLC MeTV 24 217° SW 43 mi 10
WODK Telemundo 45 217° SW 37 mi 5
W36EX-D Shop HQ 36 338° NNW 4 mi 7

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Wood River, IL?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 4.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 31 miles.

For Wood River 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 Wood River are spread across 239° 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 Wood River. 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 Wood River, 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.