VHF antennas: which channels are VHF and what antenna you need

What are VHF and UHF?

They're the two frequency bands TV stations broadcast on. FCC rules number the TV channels by frequency: channels 2 to 6 sit at 54 to 88 MHz, channels 7 to 13 at 174 to 216 MHz, and channels 14 and up start at 470 MHz (47 CFR 73.603). Channels 2 to 13 are VHF and 14 and up are UHF. When the FCC and the electronics industry published consumer antenna guidelines in 2009, they noted that most places have both VHF and UHF channels, so viewers "must make sure their antenna receives both UHF and VHF channels" (TV Technology).

VHF itself splits in two:

• Low VHF: channels 2 to 6. These need the largest antenna elements.
• High VHF: channels 7 to 13.

UHF now tops out lower than it used to. The FCC's 2017 incentive auction gave the spectrum for channels 38 to 51 to wireless carriers (Federal Register), and nearly 1,000 TV stations moved to new channels in a repacking process scheduled to finish in July 2020 (Congressional Research Service). In the 4 markets we cover, every station we list broadcasts on RF channel 36 or lower.

Why the channel number on your TV doesn't tell you the band

Your TV shows a virtual channel, not the frequency the station broadcasts on. The FCC describes a station's virtual channel as the number the broadcast standard attaches to it "regardless of the actual RF channel used for DTV transmission." Its example: WFSB in Hartford, Connecticut, is virtual channel 3 but broadcasts on RF channel 33 (FCC).

It works the other way too. A station that shows a UHF-looking number can broadcast on VHF. Examples from our data:

• WNGH-TV in the Atlanta area shows as channel 18.1 but broadcasts on RF channel 4, which is Low VHF.
• WJSP-TV in the Atlanta area shows as channel 28.1 but broadcasts on RF channel 5, which is Low VHF.
• KHDT-LD in the Denver area shows as channel 24.1 but broadcasts on RF channel 10, which is High VHF.

So a channel 11 can be on VHF or UHF, and so can a channel 28. The RF channel is what matters for your antenna. Every city page on this site marks VHF stations with a VHF or Low VHF badge, so you don't have to look up RF channels yourself.

Why do antennas struggle with VHF?

An antenna's elements are sized to the wavelengths it receives, and VHF wavelengths are much longer than UHF ones. Solid Signal notes that UHF antennas are traditionally smaller than VHF ones and that the largest part of an antenna is the part that picks up the low channels (Solid Signal). Many flat indoor antennas are compact, so they do better on UHF than on VHF.

Low VHF is the hardest band, because channels 2 to 6 have the longest wavelengths. Most stations don't use it, but if one you want does, plan for a larger antenna. Antennas Direct says that while the majority of TV stations transmit on UHF, some use VHF, and that although some UHF antennas can pick up VHF signals, "it is necessary to use an antenna optimized to receive both UHF and VHF frequencies" (Antennas Direct).

How to check an antenna's VHF range

1. Find your stations' RF channels. Open your city page and look for VHF badges in the station table. If a main network station is on VHF, the antenna section says so.
2. Read the antenna's specifications, not just the box front. Look for "VHF" and "UHF", a channel range such as 2 to 36 or 7 to 36, or a frequency range.
3. Match the range to your stations. High VHF needs coverage of 174 to 216 MHz (channels 7 to 13). Low VHF needs 54 to 88 MHz (channels 2 to 6). An antenna that lists only UHF, or 470 MHz and up, isn't built for VHF.
4. Scan and compare. After a channel scan, check that the VHF stations from your city page came in. If only those are missing, the antenna's VHF reception is the likely cause. Our signal guide has next steps.

VHF stations in the cities we cover

These stations broadcast on RF channels 2 to 13 and reach at least one city we cover at a Strong or Moderate signal. Stations with no published channel number show their RF channel.

• Atlanta area: 13 VHF stations, 5 on Low VHF. See Atlanta for an example city page.
• Denver area: 13 VHF stations, 5 on Low VHF. See Denver for an example city page.
• Phoenix area: 7 VHF stations, 1 on Low VHF. See Phoenix for an example city page.
• Seattle-Tacoma area: 6 VHF stations, 1 on Low VHF. See Seattle for an example city page.

Station data from the FCC, as of November 6, 2026. Networks from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.