TV channels & antenna towers in Fairfax, California

Fairfax is a town of about 7,630 people in California. Within 70 miles of the town center we count 49 licensed TV transmitters: 31 full-power, 3 Class A and 15 low-power. Based on each transmitter's power, antenna height and distance, 36 are likely to arrive at fair strength or better, and 28 at good or strong strength.

27 of them are within 25 miles of Fairfax, 2 sit 25 to 45 miles away and 20 are more than 45 miles out. Seven of the 21 network stations in range are licensed to Sacramento, so most of the network channels you will find here come from Sacramento's stations.

The strongest network signals here are ABC on channel 7 (KGO-TV), CBS on channel 5 (KPIX-TV), NBC on channel 3 (KCRA-TV), Fox on channel 2 (KTVU), PBS on channel 9 (KQED), CW on channel 4 (KRON-TV), ION on channel 65 (KKPX-TV), Telemundo on channel 31.7 (KMAX-TV), Univision on channel 14 (KDTV-DT) and MeTV on channel 44.3 (KPYX). Spanish-language viewers can pick up Telemundo (good signal) and Univision (good signal). 12 full-power stations in range have no network listed in our data; these are typically public television, religious, shopping or independent stations.

Point your antenna SSE, at about 155°. The main network towers for Fairfax sit in that direction, so a single directional antenna can pick them all up.

Six network stations, KPIX-TV, KGO-TV, KQED, KTVU and KRON-TV and others, transmit from the same tower site about 18 miles southeast of Fairfax (155° SSE). Aim there first: one setting covers all of them.

Of the 18 full-power and Class A network signals that reach Fairfax at fair strength or better, 44% arrive from the southeast; the rest are spread across two other directions.

All of the main network towers are within their radio horizon as seen from Fairfax, so signals arrive fairly directly and a well-placed antenna should hold them steadily.

The farthest main network tower for Fairfax is KQED (PBS), 18 miles away with a strong estimated signal. That is why we suggest an indoor antenna here.

KCRA-TV (NBC), 63 miles east, is the exception: the nearest listed affiliate of its network is far enough away to need an outdoor antenna. Some local stations in our data carry no network tag, so check the other stations table below before buying a bigger antenna just for that one.

An amplifier only helps here if you run a long cable (over about 50 feet) or split the antenna to several TVs. Otherwise better placement does more. See the amplifier guide.

With 36 stations at fair strength or better, Fairfax ranks 208th of 1,078 places in California: more than the typical California town (25). Its nearest major network tower is 18 miles away, against a state median of 22 miles.

22% of California's cities and towns get the same recommendation: an indoor antenna. The nearest larger city is San Rafael, 3.3 miles away.