TV channels & antenna towers in Palm Desert, California

Palm Desert is a city of about 51,900 people in California. There are 44 licensed TV transmitters within 70 miles: 3 full-power, 7 Class A, 22 low-power and 12 translators. Based on each transmitter's power, antenna height and distance, 18 are likely to arrive at fair strength or better, and 12 at good or strong strength.

23 of them are within 25 miles of Palm Desert, 6 sit 25 to 45 miles away and 15 are more than 45 miles out. Three of the 9 network stations in range are licensed to Palm Springs, so most of the network channels you will find here come from Palm Springs's stations.

The best-placed network stations are CBS on channel 38 (KPSP-CD), NBC on channel 36 (KMIR-TV), Fox on channel 33 (KDFX-CD), PBS on channel 24 (KVCR-DT), CW on channel 2.3 (KESQ-TV), Telemundo on channel 15 (KUNA-LD) and Univision on channel 41 (KVER-CD). No ABC affiliate is listed within 70 miles; the nearest one in our data is KGTV in San Diego, CA, 79 miles to the southwest. Spanish-language viewers can pick up Telemundo (good signal) and Univision (good signal).

Point your antenna NNW, at about 342°. The main network towers for Palm Desert sit in that direction, so a single directional antenna can pick them all up.

Five network stations, KVER-CD, KPSP-CD, KESQ-TV, KDFX-CD and KMIR-TV, transmit from the same tower site about 10 miles north of Palm Desert (342° NNW). Point at that site and a single antenna setting picks them all up.

Of the 6 full-power and Class A network signals that reach Palm Desert at fair strength or better, 83% arrive from the north; the rest are spread across one other direction.

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

The farthest main network tower for Palm Desert is KMIR-TV (NBC), 10 miles away with a strong estimated signal. That is why we suggest an indoor antenna here.

KVCR-DT (PBS), 55 miles west, 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.

KMIR-TV is only 10 miles away with a strong signal. Signals that strong can overload an amplifier, so start without one and add it only if distant channels are missing. Read when an amplifier helps.

With 18 stations at fair strength or better, Palm Desert ranks 684th of 1,078 places in California: fewer than the typical California town (25). Its nearest major network tower is 10 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 Temecula, 47 miles away.