TV channels & antenna towers in Gainesville, Virginia

Gainesville, Virginia has a population of about 11,500. Our map shows 42 licensed TV transmitters inside a 70-mile radius: 24 full-power, 7 Class A, 9 low-power and 2 translators. Based on each transmitter's power, antenna height and distance, 28 are likely to arrive at fair strength or better, and 10 at good or strong strength.

2 of them are within 25 miles of Gainesville, 24 sit 25 to 45 miles away and 16 are more than 45 miles out. Nine of the 19 network stations in range are licensed to Washington, DC, so most of the network channels you will find here come from Washington's stations.

The strongest network signals here are ABC on channel 7 (WJLA-TV), CBS on channel 9 (WUSA), NBC on channel 4 (WRC-TV), Fox on channel 5 (WTTG), PBS on channel 26 (WETA-TV), CW on channel 50 (WDCW), ION on channel 66 (WPXW-TV), Telemundo on channel 44 (WZDC-CD), Univision on channel 14 (WFDC-DT) and MeTV on channel 48.1 (WDME-CD). Spanish-language viewers can pick up Telemundo (good signal) and Univision (good signal). 9 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 ENE, at about 69°. The main network towers for Gainesville sit in that direction, so a single directional antenna can pick them all up.

11 network stations, WTTG, WPXW-TV, WDCW, WRC-TV and WZDC-CD and others, transmit from the same tower site about 30 miles northeast of Gainesville (67° ENE). Point at that site and a single antenna setting picks them all up.

Of the 14 full-power and Class A network signals that reach Gainesville at fair strength or better, 64% 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 Gainesville, so signals arrive fairly directly and a well-placed antenna should hold them steadily.

The farthest main network tower for Gainesville is WETA-TV (PBS), 31 miles away with a good estimated signal. That is why we suggest an amplified indoor or attic antenna here. If you only watch the closer stations, a smaller antenna may do.

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 28 stations at fair strength or better, Gainesville ranks 75th of 381 places in Virginia: more than the typical Virginia town (16). Its nearest major network tower is 30 miles away, against a state median of 21 miles.

36% of Virginia's cities and towns get the same recommendation: an amplified indoor or attic antenna. The nearest larger city is Linton Hall, 3.2 miles away.