TV Towers USA1.15 - App Store

TV Towers USA is a map of digital TV broadcasting towers in the United States and its territories plus a select number of Canadian stations. The database includes over 2000 stations and over 1000 repeaters. My users include avid RVers who roam from region to region and need to locate available TV networks, and homeowners setting up a new antenna system.

Apple Watch (Series 5) users can make use of their compass with the optional in-app purchase of an embedded watch app.

There is an alternate compass tab which shows the direction of stations within a 45 mile radius-given enough screen space-just look over your phone to see which way to point your antenna.

Pinch to zoom into your locality, or hit the circular location button to concentrate on local stations. If more than 80 stations are in the area being viewed, a random assortment of 80 stations will be displayed.

There is no "phoning home" with data, personal or not. If a data connection is available, the FCC servers will be asked for contour plot data when a tower is selected. This will show up as a blue overlay showing the calculated area over which the signal will drop off by at most 35 dBu. Basically, this is the area where an antenna not too near the ground has a chance to receive the signal; your luck will vary. Once downloaded, the data is stored for the next time you select the tower.

Errors and omissions are to be expected especially for stations with low power licenses. Please e-mail the support address if you find a glaring omission or error; I'll need a call sign and a TV network.

Version History This app has been updated by Apple to prepare for watchOS 27 compatibility. No new features are included.

• User reported that some Low Power Translators were not showing up on map. This build includes more low power stations that are registered translators of other stations. 1.15 12/04/2024 • Tab buttons had become invisible
• Updated database to most recent FCC data 1.14 12/02/2024 • Completely re-wrote the towers database to be more accurate
• optional tinted icon 1.13 09/29/2024 • Added separate display of NextGenTV (ATSC 3) stations including annotation of DRM limited stations.
• Large number of changes to database to take into account the spreading of "lighthouse" NextGenTV stations with multiple major networks on one digital channel.
• NextGenTV stations are marked with a darker map pin color 1.12 08/24/2023 • Updated Database 1.11.7 10/09/2022 • Fixed crash with older versions of operating system
• Mechanism to change map type was broken on older versions of operating system 1.11.6 11/28/2021 • Watch app was not acknowledging purchase on newer operating systems
• Put in a modern recenter button on the map
• Put in a map mode button to match recenter button
• Graphical Tweaks
• Updating database 1.11.5 11/25/2021 • Contours are back after a helpful tip from the FCC
• Updated database
• Cleaned up use of color 1.11.4 03/14/2021 • New location status button on map, compass and search tabs
• Handling reduced accuracy mode
• Updated database 1.11.3 01/18/2021 • The repack of digital channels has reached its scheduled completion.
• Added mechanism to unlock watch app to the phone app's about tab
• Updated database 1.11.2 07/04/2020 * Fixing problem with in-app purchase of Watch version
* Watch version was not displaying repacked digital channel 1.11.1 05/26/2020 • Apple Watch version included (recommended for Series 5 watches with integrated compass, in-app purchase)
• Cleaned up some dark mode colors
• Made network logos more legible in dark mode
• Updated database 1.11.0 05/22/2020 • Updated database
• Support for dark / light modes
• Fixed some issues with the FCC repack
• Initial support for larger type sizes. 1.10.0 10/21/2019 • Layout of detail views were appearing as too small on initial view.
• Updated database especially to handle large number of translator station changes in Arizona. 1.9.4 05/28/2019 • More elaborate help with the ongoing FCC repack of channels.
• Tapping on the tower detail view was not opening it as expected.
• Updated database. 1.9.3 04/12/2019 • Database includes snapshot of ongoing national repack of broadcast channels. (Some TV spectrum is being repurposed for other services causing a cascade of stations taking on new, lower channels).
• Note - some stations, especially translators, will display their pre-repack channel.
• Note - several Manhattan stations are reported to have moved, but this has not shown up in their licensed record in the FCC database.
• Look for more frequent updates to try and keep up with the repack transition. 1.9.2 03/13/2019 • Updated the database 1.9.1 01/25/2019 • Changed how tower details appear on the map.
• Show multiple details for towers with half a kilometer of each other.
• Updated the tower database. 1.9 10/24/2018 * Updated towers database. 1.8.6 01/31/2018 • New icon
• Edge to edge design on compass tab. 1.8.5 11/18/2017 * Some towers had odd affiliate names 1.8.4 10/31/2017 • Detail view would sometimes have no close mechanism.
• Minor database update. 1.8.3 09/22/2017 • Scale up the big compass on iPads to better make use of the room.
• Laid out the details page to make better use of limited space.
• Changed behavior of the other apps view.
• Implemented the system ask for rating view.
• Changed the orange line on the compass tab to yellow for better visibility. 1.8.2 07/05/2017 • Added status messages to the big rolling compass.
• Supporting mixed virtual channel numbers for subchannels.
• Minor database updates.
* Elevation had been displaying incorrectly.
* Changed to honor user's system preference for using feet versus meters. 1.8.1 01/16/2017 * Added a new tab - a rolling compass of nearby stations.
* Updated database 1.8 01/05/2017