It CAN Be Done
lou giovannetti (KB2DHG)
on
March 6, 2009
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Some of us are lucky enough to own a home and have antennas. Working DX, no problem and not having to deal with HOA's and land lords etc.
I was one of those and had a station and antenna farm to rival none! BUT my life took an unexpected turn and I was forced to move from my home QTH to a small one-bedroom condo.
I was certain my beloved hobby was doomed. Not having room for a station and yes Condo board restrictions, I was certain I would never be on HF again.
After living without HAM RADIO for about a month I was going crazy! I had to get back on the air...
To make a long story short, I approached the board and asked them to allow me an antenna. Before I could get the antenna out of my mouth a BIG NO!
I then went back to the drawing board and made copies and presentations of Amateur Radio and emergency communications and all we as hams do for the community.
I set an appointment up to meet with the board and gave my presentation. I assured them that I will not be causing any interference, the antenna would not be seen and it won't be permanently attached to any part of the building and all it would actually be was a thin wire stretched across the roof.
I also went to the city zoning board and found that this condo was in violation of dish antenna laws. BUT I'll get to that later...
Anyway, even after my presentation they still voted NO ANTENNAS.
Now with nothing else to loose I brought up the Building and Zoning laws and gave everyone a copy. Our local law prohibits installation of dish antennas to be mounted on the front side of the building. ALL ANTENNAS are to be mounted on the roof and out of sight of the front view. I counted 16 of them and 3 of them belonged to the board members. So I asked them to have ALL dishes removed and relocated to the code required locations...
Well, as you can very well figure, no one wanted to get the building department involved so about a month later I received a letter from the condo board accepting my installation of a WIRE antenna.
I was able to get a G5RV antenna up and although not as great as my tower and beam I am operating and on the air!
This was just my experience and story of how I got an antenna up. There are many other conditions that some of us just can't deal with. BUT I put it to you NEVER GIVE UP. Even if you have to hide a long wire out the window, there is ALWAYS a way!
My station is not as big as my home station was but I learned to work with less...
As it goes today learning to work with less has become a way of life...
Don't let ANYONE take your right away to give up your hobby... Amateur Radio is a wonderful and rewarding hobby and we all deserve the right to enjoy it.
Never give up... Get on the air we'll be listening in for ya!
Remember no matter what, THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY!
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It CAN Be Done
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by N2EY on March 6, 2009
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I'm glad you won.
However, unless you're in a recognized historic district, the rule about requiring all dishes to be at the rear of buildings has been federally preempted by the OTARD ruling.
73 de Jim, N2EY
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by W4LGH on March 6, 2009
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I lived in a condo for 7 years. Since it was a 2 story condo and I lived on the 2nd floor, my unit had access to the attic. It was a very high built up roof, so I figured there would be plenty of room up there. Upon finally opening the trap door and going in, I found a bunch of room. I start out with VHF and UHF antennas. Using an ARROW dual band J-Pole, mounted upside down, gave great results, much better than expected. I then mounted a Cushcraft dual band beam, in a fixed position to the south, and got even better results. I was now back in business, somewhat.
For HF, I came up with several ideas, and built a shortened 20m dipole, by folding the wire in 1/2. I had only about 35' of space in one contiguous run, so I didn't have room for a 40m wire, and I really wanted to be able to work 40m. Not liking antenna tuners, I looked into the SGC line of autotuners that are placed at the antenna end, and run on 12vdc. After receiving this the manual said it needed a minimum of 40' of wire to work on all HF bands. I used Ladder line, cut to 25' and shorted on the ends to get a folded radiator. I had to do some tricky runs with it, to fit the total of 50' into a 35' space, but managed. All in all it worked OK. It wasn't great, but it did work. You get a lot of added noise with an hf antenna in your attic, but you learned to live with it. You also learned to live with the reduced performance, but you could make contacts.
Glad you worked out your antenna problems, as you say, there is always a way, if you don't give up. It probably won't be as good as it could be, but something is always better than nothing!
73 de W4LGH - Alan
http://www.w4lgh.com
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by W4WSW on March 6, 2009
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Oh Well, I had the same problem, I live in a deed restricted "home" and I have my tower ready to be lifted up when I began to read the papers from the covenants stuff, for my surprise the first thing I start to read was the antennas, poles dishes etc...
Then I told my wife I'm screwed, I can have antennas In my own house, I was so frustrated & %@#$*!%@#.
So one day I say let me try an screwdriver antnenna, I spend few hundred $$ and get the ant. I installed in the edge of my house in the back side, place the radials and the whole thing, gest what..? the SWR was way way way up, worst for me.
Any way, I fix the problem adding more radials change the wip, remove the shunt coil & the antenna works Fantastic in all bands from 80/75m to 10m includding 6m, no more than 12 feet from ground, and I can put 1K Watt in it, I'm happy and working HF around the world. Oh I almost rorgot for 160m and 80/75m I build a delta loop hanging all around the fence and work very well....
So I am agree, ALWAYS IS A WAY....
Best Wishes to all of y'a...
W4WSW / Luis...
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by W4WSW on March 6, 2009
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I forgot, the most Important thing, Congratulation Lou, you play that game very well....
73's
W4WSW
Lou....
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by KC0NIB on March 6, 2009
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This is a rather inspiring article. I however do not live in a condo or anything like that and in fact, am still in a private house. Unfortunately the size of my lot is SO SMALL and I have no trees that putting up antennas has become a formidable challenge for me. My Neighbors are so close to my property that I have to be careful about what goes up that if it ever came down, would not reach their houses.
I recently got a G5RV and plan on doing a stretch between the detached garage and the house In the hopes of a horizontally polarized multi-bander. I did get a common MFJ dual band V/U antenna up on 2 x 10 foot masts fixed to the side of one of my kid's swing set and seated down in the ground for stability. Its withstanding good 60mph winds so far without issue. Ingenuity is probably the key here is what appears to be stressed in the story. Keep at it!
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by WY3X on March 6, 2009
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Apparently your condo board was unaware of the FCC's OTARD laws. A dish may be installed wherever the installer deems necessary to receive a satisfactory signal, with the exceptions being reasons of safety or historical preservation. Once installed, the HOA (or in your case, condo board) has 30 days to provide access to a channel which is available on the dish but not on their cable system, or the dish system stays. If they provide access to that channel on their cable system (within the 30 day period), and they still want the dish down, the HOA (or condo board) must pay all fees associated with the removal of the dish. There are special situations in condo/apartment buildings, such as private-use areas vs. common areas, but usually these can be worked around. Also don't forget that OTARD also allows a TV antenna (as large as you desire) up to 12 feet above the peak of your roof, as long as you can meet the "missing channel" guidelines. This is not hard to prove with digital TV because local TV stations have so many extra channels riding on their carrier. -KR4WM
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by KB1QBZ on March 6, 2009
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Congratulations -- great job of dealing with the board and the HOAs.
A buddy of mine lives in a condo in Queens, NYC. 9th floor, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, a living room/dining room, a kitchen, and a 6' wide (maybe 4' deep) balcony. Very strict rules about antennas, wires, stuff hanging out the windows, etc.
He's WAS, WAS on 80, WAS on 40, WAS on 20, worked all continents, worked all continents on phone, worked all continents on CW, DXCC (multiple times), plus a few others that I don't remember. He operates 80-10, 6, 2, and 70cm.
Among his other antennas:
1. A couple of folded dipoles for the higher HF bands that he hangs from a bedroom window to the kitchen window (at night so that nobody can see them). He'll also mount them in the living room during the day and gets a decent signal.
2. An MP-1 antenna that he sets up on the balcony and uses for 40 meters. He painted the counterpoise wire to be about the same color as the brick of the building so that it's pretty much not noticeable when he throws it off the balcony lets it dangles down the side of the building. He recently added the 80 meter coil and a longer counterpoise.
3. Hamsticks for different bands that he's set up as verticals (with counterpoise).
4. A Tak-tenna that he uses for 40, 20, and 10. He operates it on a tripod on the balcony (during the day) or sticks it out over the edge of the balcony on a 4' 2x4 at night.
5. An Isotron 80 that he mounts on the balcony railing. A couple of neighbors think it's a bird-feeder, and another has commented about the fact that his wind-chime doesn't make too much noise and therefore isn't objectionable.
6. A J-Pole (not sure which one) for 2 and 70cm.
He says that all the antennas work and work pretty well. He's thinking of trying for some antenna-specific awards such as WAS on the MP-1 or WAS on the Tak-tenna. He's not sure that there are formal recognitions like that, but he likes the idea of setting up challenges for himself.
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by KT8K on March 6, 2009
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Hmmm ... antenna-specific awards. For commercially-made antennas the manufacturer should sponsor the award.
what I want to see is an award for WAS on a lawn chair ...
No .. WAS on a light bulb ...
No .. WAS on a wet noodle (differentiate between macaroni and spaghetti, though ... )
Best rx to all & 73 de kt8k - Tim
Hope to C y'all in the DX SSB contest this weekend!
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by K7PEH on March 6, 2009
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A condo "antenna" alternative.
I have heard discussed the idea of doing "remote" operation for those situations where local antennas are not possible. Of course, this idea is a stretch and does not work for everyone but it is a possibility. There are indeed ham operators who operate their stations remotely so that even though they are living in antenna restricted area, they can have antenna farms as elaborate as their budget allows.
So, say you are living in a condo in downtown SF. No room for antennas but you have 20 Mbps cable Internet so lots of bandwidth to spare. You have a friend with a farm located in rural eastern Oregon and this friend can supply space for antennas and power for equipment plus a weather-proof place to put them.
Of course, this solution requires all kinds of fitting circumstances to converge and likely costs money to deal with new problems and new needs. But, there are operators who do this.
Now, the next step would be for some enterprising person to buy 100 acres of cheap land that has access to power and high-speed Internet (even by satellite). Then, hosting a remote antenna and rig for some ham operators might be a reasonable side business to growing wheat or corn or turnips or whatever.
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by G0GQK on March 6, 2009
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Pleased for you that you were able to enforce the law which they were quite happily breaking. There seems to be a lot of this sort of attitude these days, you have to obey their laws but they feel that they can do just as they wish. Just imagine the expense for them if they had to have a TV man and his ladders moving the dishes to comply with the regulations. I like it !
Mel G0GQK
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It CAN Be Done
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by WA1UFO on March 6, 2009
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Congrats on your success in dealing with these stupid and ignorant yuppie maggots! We need more people like you in the HOBBY who have the gots to stand up to these condo creeps. 73s!! de WA1UFO/Hans
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It CAN Be Done
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by KD5SFK on March 6, 2009
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I used the "don't ask, don't tell" method of antenna installation in two different houses that I "owned" in neighborhoods with deed restrictions banning antennas. I never asked if I could install an antenna, and I never told anyone that I did. I made every effort to hide the antennas and never got any complaints about them from neighbors nor HOAs. I didn't have a tower with an A-3, but I had G5RVs and verticals for HF, and a 6-ft dual band vertical for V/UHF mounted high enough for all repeaters in the metro area. Why fight city hall when you don't have to!?
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by KG4CLD on March 6, 2009
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Great job Lou!
Who cares if the FCC changed the laws a little. As I see it, its not your job to keep the condo-commandos aware of changes.
Isn't ignorance blissful? Their ignorance, Ha!
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It CAN Be Done
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by KA2DDX on March 7, 2009
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Glad you made it back to HF. Nice article, and I just wanted to add my 2 cents.
Before I owned my house, I was apartment bound for a good number of years. Same deal, no outside antennas. So, I snaked an amount of wire around the baseboard inside the apartment and hooked it to a small antenna tuner. I found it would resonate on 2 or 3 bands fairly well. 20 meters was one of those bands, and I worked a ton of dx with this arrangement. Because I was on the second floor, the height helped and I kept my power down to around 30 to 40 watts. No complaints from neighbors in adjoining apartments and the landlord never had a clue. For two meters I bought a magnetic mount mobile antenna and sat it on a cake pan by the window. Hit every repeater in town, no problem. I did this for 7 years before I bought my house.
Like you said, don't give up. Where there's a will, there's a way.
73's - Larry
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by N5YFC on March 7, 2009
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When I sold the big house and downsized, I sold the tower, beam and a great big windom. I made sure I would have room for an antenna. It turns out the antenna is now in the attic. I can operate 10 thru 40 with no problems. It's not a great place but it works. Best of all, the neighbors have no idea what I do.
N5YFC
Wayne
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by 2I0VFO on March 7, 2009
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http://www.iv3sbe.webfundis.net/ The Rybakov antenna might be an option for small lots.. ok its 9meters tall it can be ground mounted and no radials also a cobweb is only 8.5 feet square and will work a few feet above the ground but will work much better at 30 or 40 feet of course just a thought for those of us with no room .
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by WX7G on March 7, 2009
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I too live in a deed restricted neighborhood and ended up installing a Tarheel screwdriver antenna disquised as a birdhouse support. The antenna is inside a 5' length of 4" x 4" hollow vinyl fence post. A small bird house is mounted on the side at the top. I got the idea from a photo on the Tarheel website.
Great performance. For 80-15 meters I can run with the 6' whip. I attached the whip using a Hustler quick disconnnect when it's time to go on the air. For 1.5 dB more signal I use a 9' whip from MFJ. And for 1.5 dB more I put a 6' Hustler mobile mast on with one of the whips on top of that. For 160 meters a Hustler RM80S resonator and a DX Engineering top hat sit on top of the 6' mast extension. The screwdriver coil is used to fine tune it. I have worked Japan on 160 meters running 500 W.
Yes some power to a small antenna does tend to equalize things.
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by N0AH on March 7, 2009
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nice 5,897,490 article on the same chorus line- zzzz zzzzzz zzzzzz zzzzzz zzzzz
Maybe the next article can be on curing automitive RFI noise!
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by N6AJR on March 8, 2009
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I too had a fight with the city, and have to take down my 15 foot tall roof tower and all my push up masts with antennas on them and consolidate them to 1 55 foot tall rohn tower, ( and they grand fathered in my gap voyager too.) some times you loose and win at the same time
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by K3JVB on March 8, 2009
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Yes ...Very nice work !
I had to scuttle a 55 foot tower idea. But did manage to get up a Roof tower. Lost about 15 feet this way. But The Hex beam I use still plays very well.
Zoning here frowns on any structure that can fall on a neighbors property (75x150 lot) . So the roof tower was the way around the zoning board, and a costly variance.
Still have a 70 foot tree for the 40-75-160 meter inverted V. Not a killer station..but effective.
73
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by W6WBJ on March 9, 2009
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What strikes me as weird about this article is that you signed the CC&Rs when you moved in, even though you apparently had no intention of abiding by them, and then you immediately started seeking an exemption. What ever happened to the idea of keeping your agreements?
If I were you, I wouldn't be bragging about the way you breached the contract with the seller of your condo and with your neighbors. Your conduct is really disgraceful!
Please tell us why you had to move out of your home. Did your wife divorce you because all you cared about was ham radio?? And look how the all the other stupid hams seem to approve of what you did. This is just another example of how far the hobby has sunk.
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by WI7B on March 9, 2009
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"Please tell us why you had to move out of your home. Did your wife divorce you because all you cared about was ham radio?? And look how the all the other stupid hams seem to approve of what you did. This is just another example of how far the hobby has sunk." - W6WBJ
Actually, I think those personal questions are none of your business OM. Your commentary is truly representative of a certain ilk of ham who finds fault with their fellows. Here is a fine exmaple of a work-around tha this ham found to continue his hobby in economically trying times.
Specifically, if the condo board apporves its, it is probably not in violation of any CC&R. Most CC&Rs allow association boards to modify or exempt aspects of covenants.
73,
---* Ken
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by KI4SDY on March 10, 2009
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Having previously been involved in property management for more than a decade, I can tell you that the biggest violators of the rules are the assoc. boards. What you want to do is walk around and photograph, with the date and time showing, each and every violation. File violation complaints on all the board members with the manager and get copies.
Then, go to the board and make your antenna or other request. If they say no it violates the rules, then you show them their violations and you tell them that the "latches rule" has nullified all the regulations, because they have not been enforcing them evenly or at all.
Set up your antennas as quickly as you can. They will be "grandfathered in" before the board can rectify the violations and officially reinstall the rules. If they give you a hard time, get a good condo attorney who will sue them for their insurance money and you can retire on your ranch with 100 acres to build an antenna farm.
Of course, it is always better to hide the antennas, if you can, to avoid a confrontation. If that doesn't work, go back to the first paragraph and follow the instructions.
Note: This not meant to be legal advice. You might want to call a condo attorney first! However, from personal experience I know this does work, just as it did for the original poster.
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by KB2FCV on March 10, 2009
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Great story and perhaps an inspiration to others not to give up on their antenna restrictions. Right now we live in a townhouse (hoping to move in 1-2 years). Outdoors antennas are pretty much out of the question. While nobody around here cares... the one side with accessible trees is our bedroom side (out of the question) and the other side has nothing but electrical power lines all over the place (also out of the question). Up in my attic I now have a loop for HF, a 6m dipole and a 4el 2m yagi with a rotator for 2m ssb/cw work. Hey, it may not be optimal but it gets out. QSL cards from Africa, Europe, South America, etc to prove that! There is ALWAYS a way to get on the air..
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by N2EY on March 11, 2009
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W6WBJ writes: "What strikes me as weird about this article is that you signed the CC&Rs when you moved in, even though you apparently had no intention of abiding by them, and then you immediately started seeking an exemption. What ever happened to the idea of keeping your agreements?"
CC&Rs and other restrictions are not always presented up-front to the buyer; it depends on state law and such things.
For example, my home has a page and a half of deed restrictions. In order to find them, my attorney had to go to the county seat and specifically request them from their archives. Had I not done that, I would not have seen them until the closing, if ever. Fortunately, there are no anti-antenna restrictions on my property.
W6WBJ: "If I were you, I wouldn't be bragging about the way you breached the contract with the seller of your condo and with your neighbors. Your conduct is really disgraceful!"
Why is it disgraceful? And he didn't breach the contract; the board OK'd his antenna, didn't they?
Where he lives there were numerous satellite-TV antennas on the FRONT of various homes already. Very visible to everyone. He wanted a simple wire antenna in the BACK of his place, and the board said no. Why should the TV dishes be allowed and not his G5RV? What's the big difference that makes their dishes OK but not his wire?
W6WBJ: "Please tell us why you had to move out of your home. Did your wife divorce you because all you cared about was ham radio??"
Maybe. But why do you assume something bad like that? What about something like:
- A job change required relocating, and the only available place he could afford was the condo.
- He or a family member had an illness, job loss, or other needs (school district, proximity to family members needing care) that forced a move, and the only available place he could afford was the condo.
- The old neighborhood went downhill to the point that it was dangerous to remain and the only available place he could afford was the condo.
- The cost of keeping up the old place exceeded his resources and the only available place he could afford was the condo.
Now you may say that there's always another option, such as buying a place way out in the country. That works in some parts of the USA but not others, because of commuting time and cost. There can be considerations such as having to be close to a job, healthcare facility, or family members that limit where someone can live.
Why assume it was something he did?
W6WBJ: "And look how the all the other stupid hams seem to approve of what you did."
Why is that wrong? The anti-antenna rules were clearly unreasonable and unevenly applied. How is his G5RV harming anyone?
I think unreasonable anti-antenna restrictions are stupid.
W6WBJ: "This is just another example of how far the hobby has sunk."
What would you consider the high road?
In the old days, anti-antenna restrictions were very rare, even in *rental* properties. Everybody knew that radios and TVs needed antennas in order to work, and most roofs had one or more.
But then came cable TV. The cable TV folks worked out a nice deal with developers: Put no-antenna restrictions in the deeds, and we'll wire your development for cable TV for little or nothing while it's being built. Then you can advertise them as prewired for cable, and we get lots of customers and save big on installation cost.
Win-win for the developers and cable TV folks, lose-lose for hams and people who don't want to pay a cable TV bill.
Anti-antenna restrictions became so common after the 1970s that they're considered standard boilerplate and their history is almost forgotten.
Should amateur radio be restricted to only certain neighborhoods?
What is the right thing for a ham to do?
73 de Jim, N2EY
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by NV2A on March 11, 2009
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KB2DHG, congratulations to you! You're the kind of stock this country was founded by. It's okay to queston authority and play hardball for good cause.
If it's necessary to live in a condo for personal reasons you will have a hard time finding one that isn't overly restrictive.
A friend of mine notice a lemon tree growing near her trash can just outside Buffalo, NY frozen tundra. Her board wanted her to cut it down at about 5 feet. She resisted saying it was like a miracle to her that one would grow up here and then they wanted to cut it down. They cut it down while she was at work and she was crushed. I guess we all know how unsightly trees are don't we?
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by NV2A on March 11, 2009
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KB2DHG, congratulations to you! You're the kind of stock this country was founded by. It's okay to queston authority and play hardball for good cause.
If it's necessary to live in a condo for personal reasons you will have a hard time finding one that isn't overly restrictive.
A friend of mine notice a lemon tree growing near her trash can just outside Buffalo, NY frozen tundra. Her board wanted her to cut it down at about 5 feet. She resisted saying it was like a miracle to her that one would grow up here and then they wanted to cut it down. They cut it down while she was at work and she was crushed. I guess we all know how unsightly trees are don't we?
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by KG4YMC on March 11, 2009
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Great to hear that you won, congraduations. I don't live in a condo,but did stay at a holiday inn once. Anyway, thought of something. when my in laws lived in port orange fla ,uppity neighborhood , noticed that they all had these screen enclosurs over back porches and pools .The braceing was turn buckles and looked like it could make an inverted v or antenna. didn't try it tho , but like you said there is always a way . if kids swing set was metal try loading it up. also at wall mart I noticed a gazebo kit that the top part looks like it could hide an antennna. got to be a way stealth on .. best solution , move kg4ymc
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by KG4YMC on March 11, 2009
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horrors, someone is shocked and appaled by break of trust and contract. try telling obama about no earmarks ..
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by KG4YMC on March 11, 2009
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p.s. better check and make sure your grass is the same heigh as your neighbors. thank God you beat the ccr nazies. Have friends in Ga . condomi;um true about grass heigh , color of house, ect. coulldn't live like that .. kg4ymc by the way aren't you glad or forfarthers broke the contract with england? its called the american revolution, sorry don't get me started 73 kg4ymc
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by KG4YMC on March 11, 2009
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w6wbj guess you don't get much offers for marrage advice, you want to tell all of eham why you have a divorce also ? Liveing in ca. I thought you would be into liberty and privacy and personal rights . get the board out your owne eye before you try and take the speck of sandout of someone eles... kg4ymc married l8 years plus two kids, car thats paid for , no mortgage and work for a liveing ham. kg4ymc
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Two Things
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by N2EY on March 11, 2009
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Thing 1: I just reread the article, and have one small comment:
While I'm glad the author got permission to put up a reasonable antenna, I have to take issue with things like "It CAN Be Done" and "There's Always A Way".
Sometimes there isn't a reasonable alternative. The HOA/CC&Rs can be sewn up so tight that you don't really have an alternative. Some years back, an HOA over in NJ went after a retired veteran for putting up an unapproved flagpole and flying Old Glory. That he had a son and a daughter on active duty in Iraq made no difference to the HOA, the flagpole was against the rules. Cost him a pretty penny to fight them and IIRC he eventually moved.
Point is, it's not always possible to deal with the HOS folks.
Thing 2: Keep an eye on your license expiration date; it can sneak up on ya. According to qrz.com, W6WBJ's has been expired for a year!
73 de Jim, N2EY
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RE: It CAN Be Done
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by G6NJR on March 14, 2009
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KG4YMC attempted to be funny with (aren't you glad or forfarthers broke the contract with england? its called the american revolution)
Well i cant wait to dump you over there like the so much dead weight you are it is your DUMB ideas that have caused the problems we are all in now fancy hading out mortages to any joe bloggs walking in off the street and then expecting the rest of the world to pick up the pieces
But on the antenna side nice one hit em where it hurts
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RE: It CAN Be Done
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by KE5CYB on March 14, 2009
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According to the FCC ULS database:
W6WBJ 03/02/2007 Offlined for Enforcement Bureau Action
http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/applAdmin.jsp?applID=3860365#
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It CAN Be Done
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by N0EE on March 15, 2009
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W6WBJ no longer holds a valid Amateur Radio license. The FCC declined to renew it, it expired March 12, 2009. He no longer has a license because of his actions, no one else is to blame. I wouldn't pay much attention to his trolling comments.
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RE: It CAN Be Done
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by N2EY on March 15, 2009
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G6NJR writes: "it is your DUMB ideas that have caused the problems we are all in now fancy hading out mortages to any joe bloggs walking in off the street and then expecting the rest of the world to pick up the pieces"
These two chaps explained it all quite well - more than a year ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzJmTCYmo9g
73 de Jim, N2EY
"I'll buy anything if it's enhanced"
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RE: It CAN Be Done
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by W3TTT on March 16, 2009
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Isn't there a clause in the FCC rules that require any CCRs to accomadate "reasonable" antennas for the hobby? Would someone who is knowledgable please bring us up to speed on this?
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RE: It CAN Be Done
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by N2EY on March 16, 2009
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N3IQA asks: "Isn't there a clause in the FCC rules that require any CCRs to accomadate "reasonable" antennas for the hobby?"
No.
What you're thinking of is PRB-1, which states that *governments* must make "reasonable accomodation" for amateur radio antennas.
This means your township, county or state can't have ordinances that flat-out prohibit antennas or towers. They can, of course, have requirements for things like good engineering, permits, etc., same as for any other structure.
CC&Rs are a completely different issue. In most cases, they are restrictions attached to the property deed/title which restrict its use. They are actually private contracts that the buyer agrees to at the time of purchase. Usually they are worded in such a way that each buyer agrees to pass them on to the next.
Since they are private contracts, they are very hard to get around.
For example, one of the restrictions on my house is that I cannot further subdivide the lot, nor raise horses, cows or pigs. This may seem silly considering the size of the lot, but there was no zoning in effect when the house was built, and the land was formerly a farm, so they wanted to be sure people understood what the neighborhood was intended to be.
73 de Jim, N2EY
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It CAN Be Done
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by W6IEZKEN on March 16, 2009
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I have restrictions at my house so I put up an inverted "V" and ran both legs of a dipole from the TV mast so the dipole looks like guy wires for the TV mast.When I first used loading coils on a short dipole before going to a G5RVjr.,I told them the loading coils were turnbuckles for adjusting tension on the guy wires.In two years nobody has questioned it.
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It CAN Be Done
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by W5VPU on March 20, 2009
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The total thread shows two principles:
(1) Easier to get forgiveness than permission
(2) Lots of people become "uptight" over "contracts" written by politically engineered entities which usually are negotiable once other issues are raised. Politics are politics. We all have to learn how to use them.
Raymond
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