- Five major L.A. stations transmit on VHF; many flat antennas favor UHF.
- Nearly all L.A. TV stations transmit from Mount Wilson and nearby peaks.
- Federal rules protect your right to an antenna on property you control.
Key takeaways
- Buy an antenna that clearly receives VHF as well as UHF.
- Point it toward the San Gabriel Mountains; most L.A. TV transmitters are up there.
- Try a window first, then attic or roof only if you need to.
- Renters and condo owners have antenna rights under the FCC’s OTARD rule.
Antenna TV in Los Angeles comes with one big advantage and one catch. Most stations transmit from the same mountaintops, so a well-placed antenna can pull in almost everything at once. But several of the biggest stations use VHF channels, and that trips up a lot of buyers.
The VHF catch
According to the FCC’s public files, KABC-TV (ABC7) transmits on RF channel 7, KCAL-TV on 9, KTTV (FOX 11) on 11, KDOC-TV on 12 and KCOP-TV on 13. Those are VHF channels. Most other L.A. stations are UHF. Many slim indoor antennas are designed mainly for UHF and do poorly on VHF, so they deliver dozens of stations and miss ABC7 and FOX 11.
| If you want | Look for |
|---|---|
| ABC7, KCAL, FOX 11, KCOP, KDOC | An antenna clearly rated for VHF and UHF |
| Most other stations | UHF reception, which almost every antenna has |
| Everything from a valley location | An outdoor or attic antenna with VHF elements |
Aim for the mountains
When the 2009 Station Fire burned toward Mount Wilson, NBC4 and ABC7 reported that nearly all of the 22 Los Angeles TV stations transmit from Mount Wilson and nearby mountaintop sites, and more than two-thirds of the region’s FM stations broadcast from there too. In practice, that means most antennas in the basin should point toward the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of downtown, and the clearer your view of them, the better your reception.
Tip: If you can see the antenna towers on the mountain ridge from a window or balcony, put the antenna right there. Line of sight beats almost any other factor.
Placement in apartments and houses
- Use a window or balcony facing the mountains, as high as possible.
- Keep the antenna away from metal: window screens, foil shades, appliances.
- Stucco walls with metal lath can block signals; a window is usually better than a wall.
- Rescan after every move and keep the spot that finds the most stations.
Your right to an antenna
The FCC’s Over-the-Air Reception Devices rule, 47 CFR 1.4000, prohibits restrictions by local governments, landlords and homeowners associations that impair installing, maintaining or using an antenna to receive TV broadcast signals, along with its mast, on property within your exclusive use or control where you have an ownership or leasehold interest. That includes a rented balcony or patio you control. A restriction impairs reception if it unreasonably delays or prevents installation, unreasonably increases cost or prevents an acceptable signal.
The rule does not cover common areas, such as a shared roof, and it allows restrictions that are necessary for a clearly defined safety objective or for a property on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, if they are no more burdensome than necessary.
Rooftop safety
The Consumer Product Safety Commission warns about electrocutions when antennas or ladders touch overhead power lines. Keep masts and ladders far from lines, keep an antenna or pole at least 1 1/2 times its height away from any power line, never assume a line is insulated and ground every mast according to electrical codes. Mount the antenna securely and avoid working on the roof on windy days.
When nothing works
If you are in a canyon or on the far side of a ridge, even a good antenna may struggle. The San Fernando Valley has its own challenges; see TV Reception in the San Fernando Valley: Why It Is Different and How to Fix It. Stations also stream their newscasts free; see How to Watch Los Angeles Local News Without Cable. The full channel list is in Los Angeles TV Channels: Every Free Over-the-Air Station.
Questions to ask before buying
- Does the package clearly say it receives VHF as well as UHF?
- Will you be able to place it in a window facing the mountains?
- Is your home in a canyon or behind a ridge, where an attic or roof antenna may be needed?
- Can you return it if it does not work in your home?
If you can, buy from a store with an easy return policy. Antenna performance depends so much on your exact location that the only real test is your own window. Try it in two or three spots over a couple of days, rescanning each time, before deciding whether to keep it or move up to an attic or rooftop model.
Whatever you buy, scan with the antenna in place before mounting anything permanently.