KDSM-TV · channel 17.1
KDSM-TV is channel 17.1 (Fox), a full-power station licensed to Des Moines, IA. It now sends NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) A newer broadcast format. Older TVs can't decode it, so stations also send the old format from a partner station. More in the glossary , so ordinary TVs get its channels from partner stations.
Updated from FCC data
KDSM-TV channels and Subchannel An extra channel a station sends alongside its main one, like 2.2 or 2.3. More in the glossary
- 17.1 Fox NextGen TV only
- 17.2 network unknown NextGen TV only
- 17.3 Charge! NextGen TV only
- 17.4 network unknown NextGen TV only
- 17.10 T2 NextGen TV only
- 17.11 Pickleballtv NextGen TV only
- 17.20 GameLoop NextGen TV only
- 17.21 ROXi NextGen TV only
Which way to point your antenna for KDSM-TV
KDSM-TV transmits from the main Des Moines-Ames tower site, so an antenna aimed for the other big stations gets it too. It broadcasts on RF 16 ( UHF Higher frequencies (RF 14–36). Most stations are here; almost any antenna picks it up. More in the glossary ).
| From | Point | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ankeny, IA | north (353°) | 7 mi |
| West Des Moines, IA | north-northeast (24°) | 21 mi |
| Urbandale, IA | north-northeast (32°) | 16 mi |
| Marshalltown, IA | west-southwest (249°) | 39 mi |
| Indianola, IA | north (355°) | 32 mi |
| Newton, IA | west-northwest (288°) | 31 mi |
| Norwalk, IA | north (10°) | 24 mi |
| Knoxville, IA | northwest (323°) | 44 mi |
KDSM-TV transmitter details
- Station type
- Class A and low-power stations Smaller stations with a shorter range than full-power ones. More in the glossary
- RF channel The real broadcast frequency, which can differ from the number your TV shows. More in the glossary
- 16 (UHF)
- ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary
- 1000 kW
- Antenna height
- 903 m above sea level, 612 m above average terrain
- Tower location
- 41.8300, -93.6152 (NAD83)
- FCC facility ID
- 56527
- Licence on file
- 2024-07-18
More in Des Moines-Ames
Where this comes from
- Stations, towers, channels and power: FCC Licensing and Management System (LMS) public database, data of .
- Networks and subchannels: our affiliations dataset, built from Wikipedia (used under CC BY-SA 4.0), the network field stations file with the FCC, and station websites; checked . Credits.
- Towns and distances: US Census Bureau: Vintage 2025 city population estimates (SUB-EST2025) and 2026 Gazetteer place coordinates; distances are straight-line from each town's Census centre point.
- Market area: Market area: counties assigned by FCC service-contour coverage of each market's full-power stations (FCC LMS market list, Census 2020).
Updated How we work this out