Author Topic: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions  (Read 15383 times)

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WA4STO

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How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« on: February 19, 2012, 11:19:38 AM »
I have heard it stated that the vast majority of licensed radio amateurs live in homes with severe antenna restrictions built into Home Owners Association regulations, covenants, and even deeds.

There are LOTS of ways to overcome these difficulties.  Here's one:



Operators like this tend to enjoy VHF and UHF contesting from high spots, for obvious reasons.

Oh, and don't forget that the millions of frequencies that these antennas are resonant on are available to the ham radio beginner.  Remember, we give you all the questions, and all the answers to all the exams.  In advance!



idial1911

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2012, 12:44:43 PM »
The other option is buy a g5rv string it in the trees, and shut your mouth ;)
The more I learn, the less I know.

W.Lynn

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2012, 12:53:12 PM »
The photo is cool, but some neighborhoods are so lib (Austin) that people would be calling up DHS to see if they could get a reward for reporting a terrorist.  And they'd be mad at YOU for not being one, and no reward.

WA4STO

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2012, 01:47:46 PM »
The photo is cool, but some neighborhoods are so lib (Austin) that people would be calling up DHS to see if they could get a reward for reporting a terrorist.

One of the pertinent points of the posting was that an Amateur Radio beginner's license is your ticket to not being anywhere near a "neighborhood" in the first place if you like. Let the suckers call!  :)

As for Homeland Insecurity, it's worth noting that this guy's van is not only 'encouraged' by the federal government (there's that ham license thingee again...) but also the State Government, which issued his callsign license plates.

G.O.O.D applies to Austin as well as Dodge, methinks. 

austinrob

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2012, 09:32:41 PM »
Move north into williamson county.  We're more like the friendly Texas up here that you keep hearing about.  And WCARC has a pretty good showing every month.

austinrob

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2012, 09:44:06 PM »
For antenna, I just bought a string of 14ga stranded copper the same color as my roof tiles (a little darker) and built an offcenter fed dipole mostly on my roof, some of it strung back into the trees.  It's invisible.

Contemplating a vertical too, haven't decided yet.

DSB

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #6 on: February 22, 2012, 11:21:15 PM »
The photo is cool, but some neighborhoods are so lib (Austin) that people would be calling up DHS to see if they could get a reward for reporting a terrorist.  And they'd be mad at YOU for not being one, and no reward.

Yep, Austin is a country unto itself and bears much more resemblance to Berkley than it does to Texas.
DSB

W.Lynn

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #7 on: February 23, 2012, 10:29:36 AM »
rob, I'm in Williamson Co, out 29 near Jonah.

piccolo

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #8 on: March 11, 2012, 08:50:23 PM »
Funny you should ask. I'll try and find a copy of it somewhere but when a neighbor heard I was licensed she started raising hell about it. A gang of us on another website made an official watermark, invented an official sounding name (Anti-Piracy Task Force) and 'accidentally' let it fall into her hands.

Let's say she was holding her hand over her mouth when she read it.

The accompanying appendix had all sorts of stuff in it involving permission to posess automatic weapons, military gear, erect a 200' tower etc.

After the woman read the thing my neighbor told her if she let it be known she had read the 'highly classified orders" she'd 'disappear'.

As far as HOAs go, MOST (by no means all) are/were designed to keep things from turning into a shithouse and lowering property values. WHile a 200' steel tower is generally a no-go, a lot of HOAs will overlook a discreet Carolina Windom, long wire, dipole if it is a little stealthy.

Most of your problems come from nosy small minded people with nothing to do. The way to deal with them is be nice and let them in on your little secret. Explain to them the HOA is there to keep the place from looking like a shithouse. Explain that if there is an emergency you will help them.

If they won't play along with you then you tell them if they fall and can't get up they are going to be there for a while.

If they OK it and rat you out behind your back start being extra specially good to the local kids. Then when Halloween comes give them 5 gallons of Highway Yellow paint. ;) Be out of town that night.

Generally speaking MOST HOAs will leave you alone if what you have up isn't too obvious.

Stealth is your friend




 

idial1911

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #9 on: March 11, 2012, 09:02:22 PM »
Pic,

Your post is full of win!!
The more I learn, the less I know.

piccolo

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #10 on: March 11, 2012, 09:23:44 PM »
A lot of people act out of fear. HOAs were created to allay the fears of having a bunch of crackheads move in and drop real estate values.

If you can convince them that it is in their own interests to overlook a stealthy antenna because in an emergency you can let their darling daughter know they are OK, they will support you.

Another sneaky trick in dealing with older people (that want to rat you out) is to find out if they have kids out of the area. Get the kids' phone number and wait. When something happens, ANYTHING a dented fender, (or the highway yellow painting of their house on Halloween ;D) have a friend with a different area code than yours call them with a 'radiogram from a ham operator that lives near your parents' and assure them everything is well after their accident.

Of course, the kids will call home INSTANTLY and report that a local ham yada yada yada.

They will instantly go to the HOA and FIGHT to get you a variance to build a 200 foot tall tower and probably finance it.

The reason for most HOA rules is to protect real estate values.

If you can spin it and change ham radio from being an eyesore into a benefit to the community you are pretty much GTG.

WHen all else fails, put up a 200 foot steel tower, half bury a bathtub near it and put a lighted Virgin Mary statue  facing it and tell them it is a religious shrine protected under the First Amendment.

idial1911

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #11 on: March 11, 2012, 09:35:05 PM »
WHen all else fails, put up a 200 foot steel tower, half bury a bathtub near it and put a lighted Virgin Mary statue  facing it and tell them it is a religious shrine protected under the First Amendment.

Potentially the greatest sentence in the short history of this website!

"Fine if you want me to take down the tower, YOU go tell the Virgin Mary you want to disrespect her like that!"
The more I learn, the less I know.

spacecase0

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #12 on: March 12, 2012, 01:27:25 PM »
I have seen very good antennas installed in attics,
it is not that hard to do it
for HF,
a center fed dipole with the ends turned down inside the walls seems to work pretty well and is installable in most houses
for VHF / UHF
antennas in the attic work well, you can even put a antenna rotator on them and no one will see them at all.

Sky Pilot

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #13 on: June 06, 2012, 01:59:13 PM »
Different HOAs have different rules.
The Federales passed a steamroller rule that mashed HOA regulations into the dirt pertaining to satellite dishes.
HOAs have to allow them now.
Our HOA allows TV antennas, on a tripod mount, on the peak of the roof, if not over 4 foot above the peak.
Guess what.
There are ham antennas the layman can't distinguish from a TV antenna.
It can even have a rotor, and Rosy Longnose next door won't know the difference!
(Magnet wire is your friend.  Whether windom, dipole, delta loop, etc., magnet wire is invisible from a few feet away!)
Additional free advice available upon request

PLA

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Re: How to - Avoid Homeowner antenna restrictions
« Reply #14 on: June 06, 2012, 07:40:21 PM »
Pic,

Let me be the first to say you are Truley, a sick man. And a valuable asset here.

You definately came to the right place