First, in a good many areas the portion of all housing that is not subject to CC&Rs is shrinking smaller and smaller.  Second, the percentage of all new housing (if that is what you are after) that is not subject to CC&Rs is tiny in many areas.  Third, ssometimes someone in the household decides to become a ham only years after the house purchase is made. 

My parents bought their house in 1952.  In 1965, I told my dad I wanted to join the high school amateur radio club and also build a station at home.  He helped me put up dipoles in my Novice year and a yagi when I qualified for General.  In a community with CC&Rs, that never would have happened. 

You are, of course, going to guy this 40-foot tower of Rohn 20?

The 10 meter dipole should have a low enough SWR on the band portion you regularly use so that a tuner is unnecessary.  If not, your attic is severly interacting with your dipole. 

I am not.  As I near retirement, I discover that much of what I learned in high school and as a liberal arts college student was wrong or at least incomplete.  The "change" in Ohm's law is just a tiny part.  My geology course never mentioned tectonic plates.  My astonomy survey course never mentioned dark matter.  The Freudian psychology I studied is now commonly regarded as quaint at best.  "Nanook of the North" is now regarded as a poorly made almost fraudulent film rather than a fine sociological study.  Margaret Mead is often now seen as a deceived and naive woman rather than as a great anthropologist. 

I suppose my frequent and deliberate on-the-air references to condensers, megacycles and the Class A phone bands are a reaction to this. 

I like the old photographs of Amateur stations with the large, diploma-form Department of Commerce operator license hanging on the wall.  I wish we had them today. 

In my experience, most times when a substantial elevated vertical can be erected, a small 10/15/20 yagi can be erected without very much additional expense or complication (if you can spend $3,500 on the radio, you can put a few hundred into the antenna).  Add a 40/80 doublet and you have a good station.

I fully understand the joy of buying a current, high-grade transceiver like the IC7600--there's a lot of pride of ownership.  However, with identical operator skill (moderate), a $500 used transceiver with a standard, 3-element yagi will beat a $3,500 transceiver with a dipole or vertical to any given level of DX achievement. 

Two thoughts:

Why shoot for 15wpm?  Most QSOs are at 18-22 wpm.

Don't just study from code practice.  Get on the air - the fun way to upgrade your cw skills.

The only question I missed on my Novice test in 1965 was "The Mho is the unit of _________________."

First, in the states in which I have recently lived (Colorado and Florida), the vast majority of new housing continues to be built in HOA-controlled development.  As each year goes by, the percentage of the housing stock without restrictive covenants continues to shrink.

Second, when I was in high school, a friend showed me his Heathkit novice station.  I went to my father and told him I wanted to get a license, buy a transmitter and receiver, and throw up some dipoles.  He said "sure."  I wonder how frequently this happens today but the parents say "sorry, we can't put up antennas."

144 and 440 MHz FM are so underutilized in most places that any development that stirs up some interest is welcome. 

At hamfests over the years, people have often told me that I priced an item ridiculously high, only to sell the item at the asking price a half hour later. 

At the ARRL Members Forum at last weekend's Dayton Hamvention, League officials reminded attendees that they are currently seeking Representatives and Senators to sponsor legislation requiring reasonable accommodation of Amateur Radio stations in connection with the enforcement of property deed covenants.  While they appeared well aware of the problem, they did not seem particularly optimistic over the near-term chances for passing such legislation. 

When I learned Ohm's Law (around 1961), it was E=IR.  Now it's V=IR.  When did that happen?

1.  Short (15-25 minute) sessions daily are better than long sessions infrequently.

2.  Over the long haul, continuing motivation is the key to success.  Most people don't find code programs motivating more than short term.  Over-the-air reception (W1AW code practice and bulletins) and slow-speed QSOs are much more motivating.  They don't speed you up quickly, but they do so surely.  In the prime Novice days of the 50s and 60s, must of us made hundreds of QSOs and virtually automatically got comfortable at 13 wpm+ before the year was out.