HamRadioNow: It Ain't Parity Until WE Say It's Parity

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You might have read the text of the arguments against HR-555, the Amateur Radio Parity Act. Either way, I think you'll be interested in hearing it from two of the principles themselves: Fred Hopengarten K1VT and Jim Talens N3JT. In some areas, this discussion will take you deeper and farther than the text.

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Fred's callsign is K1VR. Please note correction.

 

Links to related documents:

http://www.kkn.net/~n6tv/Just_Say_No_to_S.1534_v4.pdf

http://cqnewsroom.blogspot.com/2017/08/cq-white-paper-pros-and-cons-of-amateur.html

http://lists.contesting.com/pipermail/sccc/2017-August/009600.html

 

I guess now there will have to be a parity act for those in HOA communities for everyone who wants to justify their own collective agendas for circumventing HOA's CC&Rs that THEY ORIGINALLY AND LEGALLY AGREED TO, DURING THE PURCHASE AND CLOSING ON THEIR PROPERTIES!!! And, spare your rebuttals and particularly those that surround that of "emergency preparedness" and/or community service! The state of the aforementioned is quite pitiful in my state! Anything to the contrary regarding actual participation WOULD BE A LIE!!!

You whiny cry-babies who knowingly decided to move into deed restricted communities make me SICK! Your neighbors MUST ALSO ABIDE by THE SAME DEED CC&Rs....WHY THE HELL SHOULDN'T HAM RADIO OPERATORS?!?! You know darn well you can be prepared...WITHOUT BREAKING YOUR ORIGINAL AGREEMENT AND WORD TO YOUR DECISION TO EXACTLY WHERE >>>YOU<<<CHOSE TO LIVE!!!!

OR...is just breaking your word to EVERYTHING just "the American way" in this 21st century so so typical, it no longer makes a difference to what you signed "the bottom line" to?!?!

NOT IN MY WORLD!!!!

 

What is even worse is that the League is pushing legislation that harms people who didn't buy "no antenna" properties at all. These were people who did their homework and bought properties that preserved their right to put up antennas, such as the ones that Fred described that only have HOAs for roads and drainage. These were the honorable hams, yet the League is giving away the rights of these hams in order to appease others.

I can't believe we're even talking about that as a possibility, regardless how remote that possibility might be.

 

That's sort of my line of thought but I do feel sorry for the new ham in a CCR community that wants to put up an antenna. Ideally there could be some sort of accommodation that could preserve the community facade while letting a ham put up some sort of antenna much like the satellite dish accommodation.

 

I thought the original Parity Act was pretty decent. It was basically just a paragraph that said that the FCC would apply PRB-1 to CC&R. And that was it. In theory, it would have even helped people in apartments and condos.

 

I think some fail to realize that you might have bought a house before you got interested in HAM Radio. Try to buy a new house in any city with a surrounding population of 1+ million people and I know you will have restrictions. In fact, my house has a restriction that your can't put up an external TV antenna - even though that was addressed by PRB-1, but apparently all lawyers didn't read PRB-1, they just copy and paste deed restrictions like that have done for the past 30+ years.

If you live in a location with the ability to put up whatever you want (with a permit of course), I feel great for you, but you need to expand your thought process to realize everyone isn't in that situation.

Frankly, I don't think this will ever happen.

 

Parity, No Parity
I have my little hidden antenna.
It amazes me that all the Dish Networks were given the chance to put up "dishes"
as directed by Congress in Section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
I have seen some of the Condo's and Apartments around me that have up to three of these things per unit.
AND, apparently these companies are not required to remove these once the owner/tenant vacates as per my
complaint to Dish Network concerning surrounding units.

 

If the present ARPA bill becomes law, your 'hidden antenna' can be a basis for formal criminal complaint of breaking federal law.

IOW your neighbor can press charges for a federal crime.

 

Please note that it isn't hams living in HOA communities who are advocating for this legislation. Most of the folks in my HOA and presumably in others have 'half a brain' and willingly choose to live where they do accepting limitations as part of the choice. We can live anywhere we want and choose here because big, obtrusive antennas aren't a major life priority.

Rather, it is a small, somewhat fanatical minority of hams, most who don't live in HOAs, pushing this for some rather dubious reasons.

 

Is that anything like the federal law requiring the label to remain attached to your mattress?

 

I might captain obvious, don't live in CCNR's or HOA's, real simple, put them out of business!

 

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Guess what? Not all of us can afford to live in a single family home without an HOA. For example, in my town and any town within 50 miles away are 90% HOA.

So save your insults and condescension. You should support your fellow hams and not post such an insulting, patronizing post. You are a disgrace to the hobby.

And, by the way, CAPS MEANS YOU'RE SHOUTING.