A Few Tips for the Apartment Operator:
from
Dave Allard, VA2DV
on
June 27, 2003
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A few tips for the apartment operator
After more than 5 years of operation from apartments, I have some useful advice for hams in the same situation. My experience shows that not everything will work in every situation but I am sure operation still possible even from very "unfriendly" radio location. Don't give up and you might be able to ragchew and work DX from a rented place.
1 -- When you are in the process of renting a place, always choose the top floor if possible. That leaves you with better options (possible attic installation and useful elevation from ground). A balcony is also an important thing to seek. Many types of compact antennas can be installed on a balcony and disguised as furniture. Check for satellite TV dishes around the building. Ask the landlord if you can put a small antenna for TV/FM reception .You can even tell that it is for your work… (To receive some dispatch calls…) Even better, try to make it included on your leasing document. It might save you some problems later.
2 -- When you finally move in, don't put your antennas up the first day. Everyone will be looking at you and it's not a good idea to look like a CIA agent with your high-tech stuff. Begin with the smaller antennas: VHF/UHF. Many vertical models are real small and even a cheap discone can make the trick (BTW, if you don't use 6-meter FM, you can remove the top whip to make the antenna even smaller). A small 3 or 4 element beam can also easily be disguised as a FM broadcast antenna. A small roof tripod with some weight at the base can be useful if you don't have a structure to install the antennas. A short mast inserted in a medium sized flowerpot fill with concrete can also be a great solution. Try to make your balcony look as nice as you can. An antenna will be more unnoticed on a clean good-looking place than on a pile of junk. Flowers and small trees are a good way to hide your small antenna farm. If you have to make some holes for the coaxial cables, try to make them where it's easy to repair when you are going to leave. If you have many cables to run, consider a remote antenna switch. That can save you a lot of problems
3 -- Antennas for HF: I have tried almost every model of compact HF antennas. Half-wave verticals and remote-tuned mini-loops were about the best. Unless you have large space to install radials, try to find a half-wave design that uses a small counterpoise system. Some examples are: Cushcraft: R5, R7, R-6000, R-7000 and MA5V. Hy-gain: AV-620 and AV-640. There are many other models from company like Comet, Diamond and GAP but they are much bigger. Mobile HF antennas can perform relatively well but remember that they are quarter-wave designs; you will need an extensive ground system to make them work properly. Remote mini-loops like MFJ-1786 and AEA Isoloop are also great choices. If retuning several times when changing frequency does not bother you, they're perfect. You won't radiate like a KW in a beam but background noise will be low and the performance is rewarding. Isotrons are not to bad, but in my personal case, RF feedback on the feedline was a real problem. Tuning was unpredictable and unstable.
If you have some horizontal space, mini-dipoles using Hamsticks can be useful but remember that they are mono-band antennas. The best friend of the apartment operator is a good manual antenna tuner. It can be used with random wires and can also be used to extend the inherent narrow bandwidth of compact antennas
4 -- Mode and power: In the first weeks of operation, try to maintain your output power below 20 watts, 5 watts if possible. This way, you will be able to detect any interference to your own electronic equipment and prevent association of TV and stereo problems with the "new antenna" in the neighborhood. If no problems show up in the first month or two then increase your output to 25-50 watts. Just remember; there is no law forcing you to use 100 watts on every contact! 90% of my logbook is made with 50 watts and less. And I don't even use CW! (But it's a real good mode for this kind of setup) PSK-31 is also a great way to enhance low-power operation.
5 -- Knowledge and patience: Maybe the most important thing to do while operating from an apartment is improving your knowledge about antennas and propagation. Try to find a good edition of the ARRL Antenna Handbook. There are many great books about these subjects (I found mine for a few bucks on eBay.) You can also find numerous sites on the Internet about propagation and DX information. You may pass a little less time in front of the radio but at least, you will be on the air with a decent signal.
Hope this will help, I have not covered specific information about rigs or antennas but feel free to email me with your questions.
Good luck!
Dave VA2DV
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A Few Tips for the Apartment Operator:
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by W8CAR on June 25, 2003
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Good advice. When I was living in an apartment we faced away from the parking lot and on a nice summer day my lovely wife assisted as I tossed a fishing line (using a rod and reel) over several trees that lined the back of the apartment lot (about 20 feet from the building) There were no power lines around (everything underground). I then pulled up a 130 foot piece of number #22 insulated wire (I think) and let it lay in the trees. The wire was basically invisible and no one ever commented on it.This came right into the second bedroom of the second floor apartment through a wood block placed in the window. It was fed with a homebrew antenna tuner on a block of wood. It would take power on 160-10 meters and worked very well for the two years we lived there. WHen the wire broke (and it did) I just pulled more throgh the trees using the available end. I rarely ran more than 50 watts and used mainly cw and had no RFI problems (that I was aware of!). Remember almost anything will radiate but the further you can get from the building and higher the better. W8CAR
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A Few Tips for the Apartment Operator:
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by AD7DB on June 27, 2003
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Ditch your callsign licence plates. Do everything in your power to keep anyone else in the building from knowing you are a ham operator. If they find out you're a ham, you will be blamed for all interference anywhere, whether you caused it or not.
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RE: A Few Tips for the Apartment Operator:
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by KI7G on June 27, 2003
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Having the top floor is a must.
My condo is the top two floors of a building with a high peaked roof...It's almost like having a couple of extra rooms. I can easily walk around up there. I have three full sized VH antennas up there (2m, 1.25m and 70 cm) and an Icom AH-4 auto-tuner. The auto tuner is connected to the shielding of some coax which snakes a few feet through a vent to about a hundred feet of rain gutter and a 40 foot attic mounted wire as a counterpoise ground. It produces an excellent signal, particularly to Asia and the pacific (I'm on the west coast and the gutter is also on the west side of the building.) I worked East Timor through a pile-up a couple of weeks ago. There was audible laughter on the other side when I said "Antenna is a rain gutter."
Nothing shows on the outside at all and I have never had any RFI complaints even at 100 watts. I have discovered that tuning 160 meters (It works at just under 2:1 but it's outside of the AH-4 Specs) causes the halogen lamps in my apartment to blink in synch to the code! Thus, I avoid that -- It's not good (hi).
The next challenge is an attic-mounted satellite system.
The bottom line is that a 100% stealth system CAN be created and still put out a good signal.
Good luck and 73 de Arden KI7G
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A Few Tips for the Apartment Operator:
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by N8XRV on June 27, 2003
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Good Tips! These can even work for thoes of us who live with communists, erm, I mean Homeowners Associations.
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RE: A Few Tips for the Apartment Operator:
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by KA5N on June 27, 2003
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I lived in a second story apartment for several years and operated QRP with an HW-8 and later an Argonaut 509 with never more than 10 watts with indoor antennas.
I made plenty of contacts and good DX on both CW and SSB. I often used a dipole for 20, 15 or 10 meters stretched across the living room into the kitchen with good results and even built a 10 meter ZL Special (two element beam) which did very well. Also used invisible (20 gage or smaller wire) dipoles outside with good results. It can be done and I think the don't ask, don't tell probably saves a lot of problems.
Some managers think that they rule the earth.
Allen KA5N
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A Few Tips for the Apartment Operator:
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by N7DMA on June 27, 2003
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Good article, Dave! I've lived in apartments for 23 of the 28 years I've been a ham. Mostly, I just ran a piece of #26 AWG magnet wire out the window, tacked some counterpoises along the baseboards, and kept the power below 20 watts. Never had any complaints, but then again I kept pretty quiet about my ham activities. I agree with Allen; don't ask, don't tell.
Now I own my own second story condo, and am in the process of installing an antenna farm in the attic. So far I only have antennas for 2 meters up there, but next week, I'll get after it and install some HF antennas.
To me, the most important thing in ham radio isn't being the loudest signal on the band. Or chasing DX. Or top scorer in a contest. I just like to have a nice ragchew with someone else in a place I've never been. For me, it's all about the QSO.
Look for me on 40, 30, or 20 meter PSK31, MFSK16, or CW. The thousands of QSO's I've had over the years is proof enough to me that you don't need a monster antenna farm, or run a KW to have a decent contact. Clandestine radio really does work!
73, and good luck!
Karl
N7DMA
Tucson, AZ
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by KB1CJ on June 27, 2003
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Copper rain gutters work very well. Back in the early '80's, I lived on the top floor of a 5 story building in Boston. After many mediocre antenna efforts (helical wound dipole, etc.), I noticed the building had copper gutters. I fed the top of one of the downspouts and ran counterpoises in the apt. Worked Europe on CW and (low power!) SSB quite often. One caveat -- loose connections in the gutter can add to RFI problems, but happily, I happened to have a well built set of gutters at my disposal.
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A Few Tips for the Apartment Operator:
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by KG4OOA on June 27, 2003
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Here we go again! Another article on how to cowtow to our neighbors. Alright get in line and start kissing their hind ends.
I have lived in apartments and rentals all my adult life (I was licensed from 1961 until 1983 and relicensed in 2001) and never once hid the fact that I am a ham! You know back then, they didn't like antennas in apartment complexes any more than they do today!
I have done most of the tricks to get antennas up and get my station operating. I have plenty of DX and rag chewing. However I don't do contests.
The thing I never hear about you guys talking about these days is keeping a clean station. In other words after all is said and done no one EVER mentions using lowpass filters, etc. You have to understand, better than the guy with a fifty acre antenna farm, what your antenna tuner is doing how to use your antenna tuner. You have to get a good RF ground. Above all an understanding of antenna and transmitter theory is necessary to keep things clean.
The best anti-TVI fix I ever found is a TV set right next to my rig. If I get a complaint, I ask them over. I get into a QSO with the TV set on(using rabbit ears)and let them see no TVI. It works, guys! They usually walk out talking to themselves. And I don't go below 100 watts output. In a few months I hope to run about a KW.
On the negitive side, these new transmitters don't allow us to tune the front end of the transmitter or the final for that matter. We really don't have any idea if everything is working correctly or not. Well, that's what everyone wanted ... appliances, we might have to learn electronics! For shame! OK let the computer do it; it's smarter than you!
I think it is time for us to get some guts and some spine! I won't give up my callsign on my tags on my car either. I have a license from the FCC that allows me to operate from anywhere I live! If a neighbor has a problem and acts in a civilized manner, I will help him. If he don't, I have a good lawyer! Make my day!
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RE: A Few Tips for the Apartment Operator:
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by N6AJR on June 27, 2003
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Remember, any antenna is better than no antenna at all, and there are a ton of stealth books for antennas out there, as well as here. have fun and good dx tom N6AJR
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RE: A Few Tips for the Apartment Operator:
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by NG1J on June 27, 2003
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Another antenna to consider is the Force-12 Sigma GT-5, the "beefier" version of the Sigma 5. The tubing is strong enough to support hanging flower pots (make sure the handles are insulated).
Placed on a balcony, it would appear as a sturdy flower arrangement
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A Few Tips for the Apartment Operator:
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by K0TBT on June 27, 2003
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I guess I'm a lucky guy. I live in a three story apartment building about 15 blocks south of downtown Minneapolis. I wrote up a semi detailed proposal of what I wanted to do and submitted it to the building owner. After a couple of questions, he signed off on it. It didn't hurt that I increased my liability coverage on my renters insurance to one million dollars (cheap at $59 per year). Now I have a 40 by 70 foot horizontal loop eight feet above the roof. It's fed with coax to the roof into an SGC autotuner with balanced feedline to the loop. Sometimes it's amazing what you can get if you ask!
73, Karl
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by PY2RN on June 27, 2003
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Good tips, thanks. I'm operating AO-40 stellite with the antennas in the balcony (4th floor - southern face) for almost 2 years now. I have a 60cm DSS modified dish for RX on 2.4GHz and 7 el yagi for TX on UHF. I tried a 18 turn helix for uplink on 23cm but too big. One ocasion when I was adjusting the helix in the balcony I noticed that one neighbour was watching me closely and at certain point he asked: whats this antenna for? I replied back saying that was for Dish Networks and he said: no the other one! Best answer found: oh that one? That's for the local channels (hihi). Other than that great DX fun on AO-40.
73 Ed W4/PY2RN
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by KC0KVU on June 28, 2003
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I consider myself fortunate that one of the managers' father is a ham, and she herself is attempting a tech license. My second floor apt boasts a 5 ele 2M yagi, 20M 1/2 wave bent dipole and a 10M 2ele 1/2wave beam for when the gettin's good. As long as I don't keep the 10M beam up for too long and the balcony tidy they don't mind. To appease the staff I'll occasionally bring a qsl card or two with me when I drop off the rent check. No hiding though; I'm across the street from the leasing office!
Adam, KCŘKVU
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by WA2JJH on June 28, 2003
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Good artical. I am in the similar boat. 5 story pre-WWII walk up.
I do have total roof rights. However Telco has unshilded twisted pair. The cable company has cut my wire radials for my vertical too many times. They do not mess with the vertical because it is all fibre glass. Has high voltage, and RF radiation hazard stickers on it.
I use 100W. However just got a 2KW amp on ebay. No TVI with 100W. Some telco RFI. The old nieghbors used cheap phones!. I have no telco RFI now.
Got all my nieghbors convinced I am a spook or a merc.
I never made any claim to that. I guess just the sight of NASA TECH BREIFS, and other ultra high tech magazines in the recycle box in the lobby did that.
I am glad you mentioed the DISCONE antenna. They do give you much bang in freq coverage in a small foot print for the buck.
The one from radio shack is OK. It does give a 1:2 or much better transmit SWR on 6M,2M,220,440 and 900MHZ. Use under 100W you will be FB on all those bands. The Radio shack one is $60. If you see the longer military version at a ham fest...BUY IT!!!!! It works well on 10 and 12M too!
For the lower bands, I find my 5/8wave(24 foot) 10 Meter antenna works ok down to 20M with a tuner of course.
Radio shack does have an ultra steathy tri bander.
2M,220,440. Three radiators,3 radials. $39. It is just about invisable!
My Big problem will be when I QRO to 2KW. Will the house wiring handle it?. I might run the amp at 1KW.
I guess when I QRO any TVI/RFI/TELCO/CABLE will pop up then!
73 de mike
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RE: A Few Tips for the Apartment Operator:
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by W4WB on June 29, 2003
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Hey Mike,
No problem about if QRO at 2 kW will be a problem for you ... Riley Hollingsworth of the FCC will explain it if you do. ;-)
Legal limit is 1500 W.
FWIW, unless you have 220 VAC service in your apartment, you may find it difficult to operate over 500-600 W with the standard 120 VAC service.
73,
Barry - W4WB
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by WA2JJH on June 29, 2003
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YUP. No way I can run 2KW input on 110VAC. I will happy with 600PEP max out.
Getting a 220VAC line put in a prewar building is a very tall order! The amp can be wired either way. So 110 it is. Got no problem letting those 3-500z's just slack along at half power.
I will keep this thread posted if TVI/TELCO appears at 600W PEP out. I do intend to use a low pass filter, and put clamp on ferrits where I deem needed.
Much TELCO RFI is due to el cheapo phones sold for under $10. One can put in a clamp on ferrit from Radio Shack on the crummy phone.
I will be QRO in 2 days.
I love the idea of another poster of having a TV with Rabbit ears near the rig. I will have an el cheapo phone next to a good phone side by side as well.
I have heard of HAMS being blamed for everything from power outages to mental disorders in house pets!
73 de MIKE
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by WA2JJH on June 29, 2003
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YUP. No way I can run 2KW input on 110VAC. I will happy with 600PEP max out.
Getting a 220VAC line put in a prewar building is a very tall order! The amp can be wired either way. So 110 it is. Got no problem letting those 3-500z's just slack along at half power.
I will keep this thread posted if TVI/TELCO appears at 600W PEP out. I do intend to use a low pass filter, and put clamp on ferrits where I deem needed.
Much TELCO RFI is due to el cheapo phones sold for under $10. One can put in a clamp on ferrit from Radio Shack on the crummy phone.
I will be QRO in 2 days.
I love the idea of another poster of having a TV with Rabbit ears near the rig. I will have an el cheapo phone next to a good phone side by side as well.
I have heard of HAMS being blamed for everything from power outages to mental disorders in house pets!
73 de MIKE
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by WA2KWP on June 29, 2003
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Greetings to all.
I live in an Apartment House in midtown Manhattan. My solution, after many years of frustration, was to couple two hamsticks together as a dipole, on my outdoor terrace. Lakewood even makes the center adaptor!!
The setup is very "stealthy", as the black antennas cannot be seen easily from ground level. I could never obtain legal permission to operate from my landlord. He will not allow small satellite dishes or any other similar things. (I am on the 10th floor, approximately 75' above ground). Works great so far on 40 meters. The tuner in my 746PRO can get to 1:1 SWR on any part of the band. This is the best compromise I have found to date.
I have lived here in Manhattan for over twenty years, and I have never hidden the fact that I am a ham. Even in this congested environment, I have never been accused of causing TVI or BCI. Even though we have more than our share of angry, neurotic and crazy people they have never focused their anger on me for causing any interference to their electronics. We have more than our share of other sources, including the fire department across the street, and several medical offices nearby, along with the main Con Edison electrical generating facility only a block away!!
I have, however, been approached by several younger people and several "not so young" people about becoming hams. How can we get people to come into Amateur radio unless we identify ourselves publicly, to answer their questions an help as much as we can to get them to obtain a ticket?
Anyway, my solution may not be yours, but it works very well for me.
David
WA2KWP
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by N6AJR on June 29, 2003
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Folks, it is not just apartment dwellers that have to put up with tvi from neighbors. The one person in the entire neighbor with out cable/satalite TV live ditrectly behind me.
He uses a glorified set of rabit ears in his attic for tv reception. I point my 4 ele 2 meter beam @ 5 watts towards his house and the phone rings.. I find he goes to bed at 9 PM so I do my qro work after that. As long as I point it some other direction it is ok. And any time I get over 300 or so watts on hf, shis speakers start talking, so I gave him some Rat Shack snap on ferrites to settle that.
I find that most time 300 watts is enought to get above the noise level and let you be heard. My "big amp" is now a solid state 500 watt rig and I have sold off all my 3000 watt, 1500 watt, and 1200 watt amps. I find I was just not using them, so I got rid of them and bought better radios. I enjoy buying and selling gear as much as I do using it.
By the way, he knows the rf infiltration is really his problem, but he does appreciate the efforts I make. I think it is a good compromise. 73 tom N6AJR
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by VE3TMT on June 30, 2003
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And then you have operators in my predicament. I live on the ground floor of a 2 level (3 with basement) apartment, who landlords will not allow any kind of antenna whatsoever. I wanted the top floor, my wife wanted the backyard! Even satellite dishes are banned, I'm in Canada, so no comments about the FCC please. I sent a proposal to the property manager outlining my proposal, explaining what hams can do regarding emergency communications in the event of disaster. We did provide just such a service during the huge ice storm of 1998. She flat out said "NO". I have tried dipoles on the upper floor but the noise level is too high. The main power for the building enters in the basement of the apartment beside me. I doubt very much if they would allow flagpoles either. I tried a homebrew vertical but the noise is too high and I cause interference on the computers. Horizontal dipoles work but I have no high support structures that I could use and not be seen. I will be installing an Icom 706 in the car this week, as mobile HF might be the only way I can operate.
But I do have a lovely flower garden hihi!
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by N4NSS on June 30, 2003
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I use an old broken fishing pole with a plastic reel loaded with #28 wire. I drop the wire down to the ground from my third floor appartment. With a tuner and my FT-817 I have worked contests using CW and SSB with great results. My only problem is the QRN from the local power company.
http://www.qrz.com/n4nss
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by NJ6F on July 1, 2003
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Make mine a short dipole or Echolink
Here are some ideas. I don't live in a apartment but if I did....
Try a Spider dipole... 8 feet total length and you have 6meters and all HF bands...or use just the end loaded resonators that you work.. so you can effortlessly just switch bands and have all pretuned bands on one dipole.... no changing any poles or having to plug a plug somewhere.... no I don't work for the company... just like them...www.spiderantennas.com or a Force 12 vertical dipole.
Yes ham sticks work but they are 16 feet across vs 8 feet...which attracts attention or which fits BETTER on a balcony..... or is more portable.
The bottom line is use a short dipole...not a noisey problem vertical that causes TVI etc...
Yes dipoles can be vertical.....
My Spider dipole tunes everywhere with up to 250 watts.
You don't need a lot of power....I work everywhere with just 100 watts....or if you have to talk with Europe...do it on PSK31 or go to echolink for a quality no noise contact.... The bottom line guys is talking to other hams...other people...who cares how you accomplish this. I questioned myself after using Echolink...its the people you meet, not the mode in which you get to those people. Having a noise free quality conversation is a hell of a lot better whether on HF or Echolink. I do not care how I get there... just so I get there.
Remember skinny wires can cause wind noise when it blows and then they will know, and the birds run into them also...you wouldn't want a dead bird on your hands would you hi.... what would the wife say...bird killer... I was a landlord in the past...and the first thing on my mind is not wanting whatever ugly metal crap is up there attracting lightning to my place of income. Loading the rain gutters...go for it...if you can find metal ones these days.... hey why not the metal fire escape while your at it...
Why not just use 2 or 440 to link to a repeater where you can remotely do HF off the handheld....now there is a clean idea.
Regards, Rich.... my view only.
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by ON4BDS on July 2, 2003
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One other hint that might work against false RFI complaints from neighbours: install your antennas, but don't cable them up yet. When I first installed my tower, within 2 days I had several complaints from neighbours about TVI. It helped to walk up to the tower with them and asking them just how they thought the antennas were connected (wireless? hi). After that, the ones that have irrational complaint will usually feel so silly about themselves that they will never complain again. (I even had a good laugh with the neighbour who called bird watch to catch the owl that had been sitting in the tower for over two days hi!)
I have always been upfront about my ham activities. Show people what you are doing, and they will come to appreciate it (or at least tolerate it). If there is any interference, try to solve it. A phone line filter that I homebrewed for a neighbour's modem once cost me 10$, but earned ten times its cost in goodwill from that neighbour! Be proud to be a ham, advertise it, and try to clean up any mess you make. If you can't, try to come to an agreement. If I operate 80m QRO, it will kill my neighbour's modem. So I only operate 80m QRO during occasional contests, and let him know in advance that he won't be able to acces the net on that day. Works just fine for both of us.
David ON4BDS.
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by WA2JJH on July 3, 2003
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Just another tip. I am also of the school of not whimping out to my kniebors.
I do avoid over 50 watts on 10 meters. The 2nd harmonic even with a low pass filter will find its way into Broadcast channel 2 (54-60 mhz). The TV with rabbit ears tells the story. I also avoid more than 35 watts on 6 meters. Again broadcast channel 2.
However 80-15 meters, it is 400-600 watts. Got a nice little Dentron GLA-1000 on ebay for $300.
Got no complaints. My el cheapo TV shoes no RFI. My telco lines are not bothered by 500 watts out with 6db of RF speech processing.
Like another poster stated anybody that thinks I am interfering can cxome up to my shack. I show them the TV and a good vs cheapo phone.
After the demo, I tell them about all the public service work Hams do. The 9/11 stories makes them leave my apt in shame for accusing me of any type of RFI. Case closed!
73 de MIKE WA2JJH
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Smoke alarm allied with the dark side
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by TG9AKH on February 16, 2005
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Not so long ago I had to operate under condo boot camp. No external antennas possible... So I built a very unconventional indoor antenna for HF. Having used very robust sheets of metal (yes, sheets, not cable) in constructing the antenna. The antenna had no coils nor any "delicate" devices--it was made of raw, thick, strong and uncompromising metal.
So, I thought the antenna could easily take some 600W or even more. I decided that I would test how much power the antenna could take...the urge to find out was just too strong!!! The antenna did take 600W, but not the unun that I had placed at the antenna feed point--it melted and produced lots of smoke! My wife wasn't happy and the smoke alarm swore revenge.
Fortunately, the antenna itself was still intact. I replaced the unun and kept max power to under 300W, to avoid further incidents and also to keep exposure to an acceptable level...
And no further incidents occurred until one day the building's smoke alarm again went off, although for no apparent reason. It did the same thing for several days at about the same time--coincidentally, or so I thought, whenever I started operating. Nevertheless, after repeating the pattern for so many days, I finally worked out that somehow my TX caused the smoke alarm to go off.
I'm not sure why the smoke alarm did not respond to the electromagnetic field at first, but only after several weeks. The only solution as it turned out, was for me to keep power under 20W. Anything much above 20W and the smoke alarm would go as nuts as my aunt Carmela.
There you have it. The antenna as well as the rest of the station set up turned out to be very effective, with great RX and decent TX. And yet, we were handicapped on the TX side by a neurotic smoke alarm. Maybe the bloody smoke alarm got upset with me 'cause the unun melted and made lots of smoke. Maybe the alarm was smoking plenty of illegal stuff. I don't know. It just seemed to hate me.
Eventually, I changed employers and moved countries. Happily, I have not encountered any other alarms in serious need of triple Prozac or drug rehab or something like that.
Advice to others: stay away from buildings with smoke alarms possessed by dark forces bent on making your life a living hell.
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RE: A Few Tips for the Apartment Operator:
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by KE6PID on April 6, 2006
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Mail this to a friend!
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A view from the other side.
Being an apartment building owner and landlord I have allowed ham radio antennas at the property, but with one caveat, I don't want to hear any RFI complaints from my tenants. My residence is not at the apartment building-so I can only go on what I am told.
Before the antenna is installed we discuss where the antenna is to go (I have a spot complete with a roof penetration and maximum distance from the CATV antenna) and what type(s) will be used. I insist that the installation be neat and substantial (no leaning verticals). We also discuss operating habits and philosophy (no more than 100 watts of power)
I put an addendum to the lease outlining my standards and my "code of conduct", i.e. if there is RFI and you don't eliminate it to my other tenants satisfaction in a reasonable time, operating shall cease and the antenna removed.|
I require in increase in renters liability.
Another factor is the candor of the individual requesting the antenna, don't try to hoodwink me by saying you want to put up an FM receive when you really want to put up a 2 Meter beam. I'll direct you to the buildings CATV system-which works gangbusters on TV and FM. If you want to put up a 2 meter beam just say so and you'll be able to do so.
John
KE6PID
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