TV Signal Check

Which free TV channels can you get with an antenna?

Type your ZIP. You'll see every free channel, which way to point, and the antenna to buy, predicted over the real terrain around you.

Example result · try your own ZIP above

Naperville, IL60540You can get 95 free channels from 31 stations

Including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS and The CW. Plus 11 more channels that reach only parts of this ZIP.

  • ABCStrongWLS-TV
  • CBSStrongWBBM-TV
  • NBCStrongWMAQ-TV
  • FOXStrongWFLD
  • PBSStrongWTTW
  • The CWStrongWGN-TV
  • UnivisionStrongWGBO-DT
  • TelemundoStrongWSNS-TV

Which way to point

10 mi25 mi50 mi100 mi73°WLS-TV, WXFT-DT, WCIU-TV, WFLD, WPWR-TV, WGN-TV, WBBM-TV, WCPX-TV, WSNS-TV, WMAQ-TV, WTTW, WJYS, WMEU-CD, WWME-CD, WEDE-CD: east-northeast (73 degrees), 27 miles, best signal Strong, VHFWLS-TV +14WGBO-DT, WILC-CD, WPVN-CD, WLPD-CD, WWTO-TV, WTVK, WOCK-CD, W31EZ-D, WESV-LD, WRME-LD, WCHU-LD, WRJK-LD: east-northeast (71 degrees), 29 miles, best signal Strong, VHFWTVO, WSLN, WQRF-TV: northwest (305 degrees), 64 miles, best signal Patchy, VHFWTVO +2WAUR-LD, WSPY-LD: west-southwest (253 degrees), 23 miles, best signal GoodWAUR-LD +1WYIN: southeast (126 degrees), 48 miles, best signal GoodWDCI-LD: east-northeast (73 degrees), 28 miles, best signal GoodNESW
  • you
  • tower site (bigger = more stations)
  • VHF
  • may vary

Point east-northeast (73°). One aim covers all 6 major-network stations.

The antenna to get

Likely enough: an indoor antenna.

Where
Indoors, by a window
Bands
UHF is enough
Rated range
At least 50 miles
Facing
east-northeast (73°)
Amplifier
Not needed
  • Every big network that covers your ZIP is predicted strong here.
  • Every channel you want is on , so a UHF antenna is enough.
  • The towers stand together, east-northeast (73°), so one aim gets them all.
  • The farthest one is 27 miles away; box ratings are optimistic, so we add half again.

Put it high, on or near a window that faces east-northeast (73°), away from metal and electronics.

An estimate from terrain predictions, not yet checked against real channel scans; VHF channels never count as indoor. We don't favour any antenna brand. After you set it up, run a channel scan on your TV.

The towers on a map

Every tower that reaches you, with a line from your area to each. Loads a map (about 300 KB).

Lines are coloured by signal level; dashed lines may vary. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

The channels

34 stations: 21 strong, 10 good, 3 patchy. Sorted by channel number.

  • : an indoor antenna is likely enough
  • : attic or outdoor antenna
  • : roof antenna, aimed
  • : reaches only part of the ZIP
  • terrain makes it hard to call
  • 2.1
    CBSWBBM-TVStrong
  • 5.1
    NBCWMAQ-TVStrong

    5.2 Cozi TV · 5.3 NBC True CRMZ · 5.4 Oxygen

  • 7.1
    ABCWLS-TVStrong

    7.2 Localish · 7.3 Charge!

  • 8.1
    IndependentWILC-CDStrong

    8.2 Daystar Español · 8.3 Daystar Reflections

  • 9.1
    The CWWGN-TVStrong

    9.2 Antenna TV · 9.3 Grit · 9.4 Rewind TV · 9.5 The Nest

  • 11.1
    PBSWTTWStrong

    11.2 WTTW Prime · 11.3 Create · 11.4 PBS Kids

  • 13.1
    KBS AmericaWOCK-CDGood

    13.3 Arirang TV · 13.4 CGTN · 13.5 CGTN Documentary

  • 17.1
    ABCWTVOPatchy · about 42% of this ZIP

    17.2 Independent with MyNetworkTV · 17.3 Laff · 17.4 Grit

  • 19.1
    The CWWSLNPatchy · about 33% of this ZIP

    19.2 365BLK · 19.3 24/7 Local Weather

  • 24.1
    Network unknownWPVN-CDStrong

    24.2 Infomercials · 24.3 SWAAG TV · 24.4 365BLK · 24.5 America's Voice Español · 24.6 Defy · 24.7 QVC en Español · 24.8 Outlaw · 24.9 Law & Crime · 24.10 Fubo Sports Network · 24.12 Newsmax2

  • 26.1
    IndependentWCIU-TVStrong

    26.3 MeTV · 26.4 Heroes & Icons · 26.5 Story Television · 26.6 Catchy Comedy · 26.7 MeTV Toons

  • 30.1
    TBN InspireWLPD-CDStrong

    30.2 TBN

  • 32.1
    FoxWFLDStrong

    32.2 Movies! · 32.3 Buzzr · 32.4 Roar · 32.5 Fox Weather

  • 34.1
    34.1/.2/.3: Religious IndependentWEDE-CDGood

    34.2 RETRO · 34.3 GEM

  • 35.1
    TBNWWTO-TVStrong
  • 38.1
    Ion TelevisionWCPX-TVStrong

    38.2 Bounce TV · 38.3 Court TV · 38.4 Laff · 38.5 Ion Plus · 38.6 Busted · 38.7 Game Show Central · 38.8 HSN

  • 39.1
    FoxWQRF-TVPatchy · about 31% of this ZIP

    39.2 Bounce TV · 39.3 Ion Mystery · 39.4 Cozi TV

  • 44.1
    TelemundoWSNS-TVStrong

    44.2 TeleXitos

  • 48.1
    IndependentWMEU-CDStrong

    48.2 Start TV · 48.3 Catchy Comedy · 48.4 MeTV+

  • 50.1
    MyNetworkTVWPWR-TVStrong
  • 56.1
    PBSWYINGood

    56.2 NHK World

  • 59.1
    InfomercialsWTVKGood
  • 60.1
    UniMásWXFT-DTStrong
  • 62.1
    IndependentWJYSStrong

    62.2 CRTV · 62.4 Heartland · 62.5 QVC · 62.6 Heartland · 62.7 Jewelry TV · 62.8 HSN · 62.9 HSN2 · 62.10 Polvision

  • 66.1
    UnivisionWGBO-DTStrong

    66.2 MovieSphere Gold · 66.3 Great · 66.4 True Crime Network · 66.5 Grit

  • –
    METVWWME-CDStrong
    Network from FCC filing
8 low-power stations, lineup unknown
  • 3
    Network unknownWCHU-LDGood
  • 31
    Network unknownWSPY-LDGood
  • –
    Network unknownW31EZ-DStrong
  • –
    Network unknownWESV-LDStrong
  • –
    Network unknownWRME-LDGood
  • –
    Network unknownWAUR-LDGood
  • –
    Network unknownWRJK-LDGood
  • –
    Network unknownWDCI-LDGood
5 more that won't reach Naperville, IL (60540)
  • 13.1
    NBCWREXNot expected

    13.2 MeTV Toons · 13.3 MeTV · 13.4 Court TV · 13.5 True Crime Network

  • 43.1
    FoxWYZZ-TVNot expected

    43.2 MeTV Toons · 43.3 Great

  • 68.1
    Cozi TVWIWNNot expected

    68.2 SonLife · 68.3 Quest · 68.4 MovieSphere Gold · 68.5 Oxygen · 68.6 Roar · 68.7 Dabl · 68.8 SonLife · 68.11 RVTV

  • 49
    Network unknownWAAA-LDNot expected
  • –
    Network unknownKPDS-LDNot expected

Predicted for Naperville, IL (60540) from FCC data of Nov 3, 2026 (model 2026-11-11.4). Levels are for a typical home in this ZIP; hills and buildings close to you can change them, and a channel scan on your TV is the final word. All channels in this market. All channels in this market.

Rotator

A motor that turns a directional antenna, so one antenna can aim at towers in different directions.

More in the glossary

UHF

Higher frequencies (RF 14–36). Most stations are here; almost any antenna picks it up.

More in the glossary

Signal levels: Strong, Good, Fair, Patchy

Our estimate of how easily you get a station: Strong = an indoor antenna is likely enough; Good = attic or outdoor; Fair = roof antenna, aimed; Patchy = reaches only part of the ZIP.

More in the glossary

May vary

Terrain makes this station hard to predict here: it may or may not come in. A channel scan is the real test.

More in the glossary

NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0)

A newer broadcast format. Older TVs can't decode it, so stations also send the old format from a partner station.

More in the glossary

Lighthouse (channel sharing)

One station switches to NextGen TV and carries other stations' 3.0 versions; partners carry its old-format version.

More in the glossary

RF channel

The real broadcast frequency, which can differ from the number your TV shows.

More in the glossary

Signal margin (dB)

How far the predicted signal is above (+) or below (−) what a TV needs, in decibels. Higher is safer.

More in the glossary

Low VHF

RF channels 2–6. Needs long antenna elements; most indoor and many compact outdoor antennas are weak here.

More in the glossary

VHF

Lower frequencies (RF 2–13). Needs an antenna with longer elements; many flat indoor antennas are weak here.

More in the glossary

Checked against the FCC's own software

99.5% match with FCC TVStudy

We ran a test set of 52 ZIP codes across seven kinds of terrain (flat, mountain, valley and ridge, shadowed basin, coast, dense city and island) through FCC TVStudy, the software the FCC uses for TV coverage studies, and compared every station: 5,652 station-and-ZIP checks.

Whether a station reaches the ZIP matched 99.5% of the time, and the full answer (all, part or none of the ZIP) matched 99.2%. We never said a station covers a whole ZIP where TVStudy found it reaches none of it.

This compares two prediction models. Comparing with real channel scans from viewers is next.

How we check our numbers

We publish this check so you can judge for yourself. Where terrain makes a station genuinely hard to call, we mark it May vary instead of guessing.

The work behind every answer

A channel list is easy. Knowing which ones actually reach your home takes the terrain, the towers and the people, all at once: 2.7 million station-to-ZIP predictions in all.

  • 62 GB of USGS elevation data at about 30 m detail: the hills between each tower and your area

  • 896,137 neighbourhood points, weighted by where 303 million people actually live, not just the ZIP's centre

  • Every station full-power, Class A, low-power and translators, each with its own tower height, power and filed antenna pattern

  • November 3, 2026 date of the FCC licence data behind every answer, shown on each result

How TV Signal Check compares

OthersTV Signal Check
FCC DTV reception map The FCC's official map of predicted signals by station The same FCC licence data, plus which way to point and which antenna to get, in plain English
AntennaWeb Groups stations into colour-coded antenna types Levels for your ZIP from terrain, tower height and each station's antenna pattern
RabbitEars Detailed station data and signal search for enthusiasts A simple answer first, with an expert view (RF channel, dB, distance) one tap away
TV Fool Signal reports with detailed technical tables Every subchannel and network, with the FCC data date on every answer
Antenna makers Channel finders run by companies that sell antennas Brand-neutral: we name the type of antenna and say why

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