TV channels & antenna towers in South Elgin, Illinois

With roughly 22,400 residents, South Elgin is a city in Illinois. Within 70 miles of the town center we count 42 licensed TV transmitters: 19 full-power, 7 Class A, 15 low-power and 1 translator. Based on each transmitter's power, antenna height and distance, 23 are likely to arrive at fair strength or better, and 12 at good or strong strength.

0 of them are within 25 miles of South Elgin, 30 sit 25 to 45 miles away and 12 are more than 45 miles out. Ten of the 17 network stations in range are licensed to Chicago, so most of the network channels you will find here come from Chicago's stations.

For the networks, the best local options are ABC on channel 7 (WLS-TV), CBS on channel 2 (WBBM-TV), NBC on channel 5 (WMAQ-TV), Fox on channel 32 (WFLD), CW on channel 9 (WGN-TV), ION on channel 38 (WCPX-TV), Telemundo on channel 44 (WSNS-TV), Univision on channel 66 (WGBO-DT) and MeTV on channel 26.3 (WCIU-TV). Spanish-language viewers can pick up Telemundo (good signal) and Univision (good signal). 6 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 ESE, at about 103°. The main network towers for South Elgin sit in that direction, so a single directional antenna can pick them all up.

Ten network stations, WFLD, WMAQ-TV, WSNS-TV, WWME-CD and WCIU-TV and others, transmit from the same tower site about 35 miles east of South Elgin (103° ESE). That one direction covers every station on the site.

Of the 12 full-power and Class A network signals that reach South Elgin at fair strength or better, 83% arrive from the east; the rest are spread across one other direction.

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

The farthest main network tower for South Elgin is WBBM-TV (CBS), 35 miles away with a fair estimated signal. That is why we suggest an amplified indoor or attic antenna here. Viewers who do not need that station can often manage with less.

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 23 stations at fair strength or better, South Elgin ranks 251st of 766 places in Illinois: more than the typical Illinois town (17). Its nearest major network tower is 35 miles away, against a state median of 24 miles.

54% of Illinois's cities and towns get the same recommendation: an amplified indoor or attic antenna. The nearest larger city is Elgin, 3.0 miles away.