WJAL – Silver Spring, MD Tower Location & Coverage

WJAL

Full power TV station · Silver Spring, Maryland

WJAL is a full power over-the-air TV station, licensed to Silver Spring, Maryland. Its signal is estimated to reach about 389 cities and towns within 51 miles.

Aim your antenna at WJAL

About WJAL

Full-power stations are the main licensed broadcasters in a market. They may run the highest power from the tallest towers and are protected from interference, so they set the core of what you can receive.

At 52 kW effective radiated power, WJAL runs more power than 29% of full-power TV stations nationwide (median: 273 kW). Stations on VHF channels are licensed at much lower power than UHF stations to cover the same area, so a low figure does not always mean a weak signal.

Its antenna sits 236 m above the average surrounding terrain, higher than 15% of full-power stations. Taller antennas see farther: this one's radio horizon is roughly 47 miles, beyond which the signal fades quickly.

We estimate a fair-or-better signal out to about 51 miles with an outdoor antenna. That area includes 389 cities and towns in our guide with about 7,270,000 residents, as far as Fredericksburg, VA (49 miles).

WJAL shares its transmitter site with WJLA-TV (ABC), WHUT-TV (PBS), WUSA (CBS) and WETA-TV (PBS). One antenna aimed at this site picks up all of them.

Station facts

Network	Independent / not listed
Virtual channel	Not listed
Station type	Full power (DTV)
City of license	Silver Spring, MD
Tower location	38.95028, -77.07944
Effective radiated power	52 kW
Antenna height (HAAT)	236 m (773 ft)
FCC facility ID	10259
License status	Licensed

Cities that can receive WJAL

Estimated with an outdoor antenna. Direction is from the city toward the tower.

City	Distance	Point antenna	Est. signal
Bethesda, MD	2.4 mi	152° SSE	Strong
Silver Spring, MD	4.0 mi	226° SW	Strong
Washington, D.C., DC	4.5 mi	329° NNW	Strong
Arlington, VA	5.0 mi	16° NNE	Strong
McLean, VA	5.4 mi	78° ENE	Strong
Wheaton, MD	6.3 mi	192° SSW	Good
North Bethesda, MD	6.8 mi	162° SSE	Good
Potomac, MD	8.4 mi	124° SE	Good
Aspen Hill, MD	8.9 mi	182° S	Good
Rockville, MD	10 mi	157° SSE	Good
Alexandria, VA	10 mi	350° N	Good
Annandale, VA	10 mi	37° NE	Good
Reston, VA	14 mi	95° E	Good
Gaithersburg, MD	15 mi	154° SSE	Good
Burke, VA	15 mi	44° NE	Good
Germantown, MD	19 mi	146° SE	Good
Bowie, MD	19 mi	272° W	Good
Centreville, VA	20 mi	68° ENE	Good
Lake Ridge, VA	22 mi	33° NNE	Good
Odenton, MD	22 mi	246° WSW	Good
Ashburn, VA	23 mi	106° ESE	Good
Waldorf, MD	24 mi	341° NNW	Good
Columbia, MD	24 mi	213° SSW	Fair
Severn, MD	24 mi	238° WSW	Fair
Dale City, VA	25 mi	30° NNE	Fair
Saint Charles, MD	25 mi	342° NNW	Fair
Manassas, VA	25 mi	57° ENE	Fair
Hanover, MD	25 mi	229° SW	Fair
Ellicott City, MD	27 mi	215° SW	Fair
Leesburg, VA	28 mi	114° ESE	Fair
Glen Burnie, MD	28 mi	239° WSW	Fair
Catonsville, MD	29 mi	220° SW	Fair
Severna Park, MD	30 mi	254° WSW	Fair
Annapolis, MD	32 mi	267° W	Fair
Woodlawn, MD	32 mi	216° SW	Fair
Baltimore, MD	34 mi	227° SW	Fair
Dundalk, MD	36 mi	235° SW	Fair
Frederick, MD	37 mi	151° SSE	Fair
Towson, MD	40 mi	220° SW	Fair
Essex, MD	41 mi	233° SW	Fair

Other network stations nearby

Frequently asked questions

Where is the WJAL transmitter tower?

WJAL broadcasts from a tower at 38.9503, -77.0794, near Friendship Village, MD. It is licensed to Silver Spring, Maryland.

How far does WJAL broadcast?

With an outdoor antenna, reception is usually workable up to about 51 miles from the tower, and possible in good conditions out to roughly 59 miles. Hills and buildings can shorten that.

How many people can watch WJAL with an antenna?

About 7,270,000 people live in the 389 cities and towns within its estimated fair-signal range, not counting rural residents between them.

Which way do I point my antenna for WJAL?

Open the live finder from your address to get the exact compass bearing to the WJAL tower, or use the table above if your city is listed.