Knowing how discouraging it can be for hams living in the HOA/Covenant Restricted neighborhoods, I thought I'd share a very recent ray of hope which came my way. Basically, I asked my HOA for permission to hang a vertical wire loop antenna. After a site visit, the committeeman was clearly inclined to grant my request, but expressed concern about "setting precedent." No one in the twenty prior years of this neighborhood had asked for such a thing. I agreed that approval would create a precedent, but not a demand, given the long-standing previous absence of such requests, and, AFAIK, other hams in the subdivision. He concurred, realizing my request was unlikely to generate an "I've got to have one of THOSE" response amongst my neighbors.
I did read up on my covenant, and found that external antenna permits are, in my case, effectively "may issue." Thus, they are not strictly forbidden by MY HOA, and the language implied that permission might be obtained. So, after considering just hanging one and seeing what happened, I decided instead to ask.
Some context is relevant. The proposed location is in my side and rear yards, which are wooded. My adjacent neighbor had already given his OK (the HOA checked). The wire will not be visible from the street, and only from directly beneath it if you know to look. Timing appears to have been quite important. Had I made the same request during the brief tenure of an officious prior HOA chairman, I feel sure my request would have been dismissed out-of-hand. Our present HOA board composition represents a reaction against the hubris of that prior chairman. Folks really didn't cotton to being bullied, so he and his cohort got voted out and replaced by rather nice people. In addition, the individual doing the site review is a veteran, old enough to know about and appreciate the role of wireless communications, a fact I only learned when he came by. I showed him the actual wire I planned to hang, and he was relieved to see how small it was and that it had a low-gloss sheathing. He was imagining a fat coax or some such high-profile something, so seeing helped allay concerns.
In case you are wondering, our HOA has a bit of a well-earned rep for being rather persnickety, so I didn't assume my request would fly without a real review. But, in my case, the confluence of Location, Low Visual Impact, Personality of the HOA board, and Timing fell together. I don't wish to imply that many will enjoy such a response from their HOA. Some of you have unbelievably intrusive HOAs, which apparently know if you even think about antennas! Saying "please" doesn't help with those. But, unless you already know the end without doubt, looking (and probably waiting) for a less unfavorable if not actually favorable combination of factors may at least decrease the odds of an unconsidered denial, at least for some. Thin hope? Maybe, but I thought mine might be.
Anyway, the sun is shining for me, and now I get to figure out how to hang that full-wave 80M loop! My excuses for not operating have narrowed to things which at least are up to my initiative.
73, and here's hoping to catch some of you OTA before much longer.