HOA's Take Aim at Our Hobby!

All
My son who lives in FL received the e-mail below from his Home Owners Association. Since some of you may belong to an HOA, and others may be thinking of retiring to a community who has one, I think this matter is a very relevant issue if you plan to take this hobby with you. I took the time to voice my concerns to this company, and I would hope many of you can do the same. I am including the three e-mail contacts to which your comments should be sent to. PLEASE share this info with your fellow hams, your local radio clubs, social media and any radio related web sites.

mfigueroa@sentrymgt.com
rmiller@sentrymgt.com
rspencer@sentrymgt.com

Company Web Site
http://www.sentrymgt.com/hoa-condo-management-kissimmee-orlando-lakeland-fl



House Bill 1301/Senate Bill 1685 - HAM Radio Towers and Antennas


Dear Board Members:

The above mentioned bills are currently under consideration in both the House of Representatives and in the Senate. These are Federal bills that affect where HAM radio operators may erect towers and antennas. While the current version of the bill(s) may change, the current language of these bills pre-empts community association's architectural guidelines and rules related to installation of HAM radio towers and antennas. If the legislation passes (and it is moving forward in a way that is threatening), community associations would not be able to require prior approval for 70' HAM radio towers and antennas, nor would community associations have the ability to create reasonable processes and aesthetic guidelines. In other words, similar types of restriction on regulation of satellite dishes and certain types of aerial antennas by Associations could be applied to HAM radio if these bills are approved.

HAM radio enthusiasts indicate this legislation is needed so they may respond to and assist in communication during disasters. The truth is HAM radio enthusiasts who aid the public interest often do so at the site of a local disaster with portable equipment. They are not required to have permanent equipment, such as towers and antennas, at their residence in order to assist in communications during a disaster, especially when such towers and antennas may pose a health and safety risk to their neighbors during the same disasters.

The vast majority of community associations allow HAM radio operators to pursue their hobby if they follow community guidelines. This legislation, quite simply, is about taking that power to regulate their own associations away from the owners in their community and placing that power with the federal government.

This HAM Radio legislation currently has 86 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives (HR 1301). If you don't want tall towers in your community, it is recommended that you contact your members of Congress today and ask them to oppose H.R. 1301 (in the House) and S 1685 (in the Senate). Contact your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators today and ask them to oppose all legislation prohibiting community association review or approval of HAM radio towers and large, fixed antennas by going to:

http://www.capwiz.com/advocacycenter/issues/alert/?alertid=64272626&type=CO.

This link is supported by Community Associations Institute (CAI) Government Affairs department. (Please hold the Ctrl* button while clicking to get to the link).

For your information.


Judith Duncan
Director of Association Development

 

thanx, I was wondering why radio silence from HOA's, until now. I will NEVER buy into another HOA property either way, NEVAAAHHH.... de Jim AG6IF

 

If we hams follow the imbe died link, there is an editable, pre composed letter and page to send Support letters to our reps. Be sure to proof read your edits BEFORE you forward to your elected reps. Might be a good idea to first send it t,o yourself..?just to be sure that the ham friendly edit took correctly.

Chuck w5ttp

 

The question really is:
Why on earth would freedom loving Americans sign away their property rights in the first place?

NOBODY twisted your arms, people. Use the gray matter God gave 'ya.
JUST SAY NO to living in an HOA - if you call that living...

 

I reworded the OPPOSE letter to our SUPPORT letter (House version stated here):

I am asking that you support H.R. 1301. This legislation, introduced by Rep. Adam Kinzinger, prevents neighborhood architectural standards from imposing unreasonable restrictions to amateur radio operations, both recreational and emergency-related, in communities across the country. This bill serves to protect the over 700,000 American amateur radio operators, many of whom live in community associations - condominiums, homeowners associations, and housing cooperatives with severely restrictive covenants and rules.

H.R. 1301 is absolutely necessary to ensure the vitality of amateur radio, which has a history dating back more than 100 years, and has a future of continued growth.

Many amateur radio enthusiasts who aid the public interest during a local disaster do so with home-based amateur radio equipment.

Although my community is capable of working with neighbors to make sure we each can enjoy our homes, many HOAs impose unreasonable rules that severely restrict property rights of common-interest community amateur radio operators.

 

I support the bills and think they are a greatly needed change. I would never ever for any reason live in an HOA community to start with but if your dumb enough to move to one knowing the rules and how they treat radio operators then you deserve everything you get.
Phil N4LNE

 

Well said! I have always referred to HOAs as Hilters Of America! Many hams have XYLs and with any home purchase decision one must way the pro's and con's of HOA life. My personal view is that HOAs have gone nuts on all their rules and my next home purchase WON'T be in a HOA. Owning in a HOA did NOT protect me from the housing price crash and has only brought one more level of quasi government rules. For Amateur Radio Operations AND the antenna manufacturers, surely their is a better way to manufacture an antenna that would work well in deed restricted communities! Otherwise, my home out west will continue to use a flag pole as my 'in your face' radiator or a bazooka laying on top of the concrete tile roof.

 

There are some who purchased their homes before getting their ham ticket. So, in this case, are those who have found in this circumstance supposed to sell their home so they can work HF from their property? I think there is room for compromise here. Without the bill being passed, there is no reason to compromise. Wait for the next hurricane to knock out power for a week including the cell phones, have a neighbor have a need for communications, and then see if it alright to erect an antenna.

 

Some people do not have a choice

 

Our HOA allows wire and vertical antennas up to 35 ft which is better than nothing and my Hustler 8BTV is doing quite well. Dipole antennas are coming when the trees get bigger.

 

I did Chuck

 

Ever been to a HOA meeting ?
Go ! BEFORE you ever consider buying into an HOA property !

Petty, egotist, little Hitlers every member without exception.

I leased a condo for a year many years ago.
After attending a meeting or two, then and there I vowed to Never buy into one.

Happily retired in my Non HOA track home with Aluminum on the roof.

 

BS and you know it. You have to make CHOICES in life and as the song goes, "you can't always get what you want." When you find out that you can't, you don't push unconstitutional legislation to infringe the rights of private groups who don't want any antennas. That's just irresponsible and disrespectful.

Find a way to get what you want instead of forcing people around you to GIVE it to you. Jesus.

And stop using crappy excuses like emcomm. You know that whole thing is 99% BS too since official services are far better equipped for emergencies than we are. If you want to feel authoritative then go join a mall cop brigade instead of slapping an amber lightbar on your car and blocking real emergency vehicles.

 

Each end of the extreme is a power crazy HOA on one end and the porcupine house ham, the home junk yard, the rainbow pride colored house, the impenetrable yard, and the herd of brats family on the other. A good HOA makes an area nice to live in and takes the onus off the homeowner to be the bad guy with scummy neighbors. On the other hand the letter above statement about "..if you don't want tall towers" shows how our history imbues hysteria in neighbors.

A pole or tower not to exceed the roof line with a UHF/VHF vertical on it or small yagi is reasonable. A dipole in your trees is reasonable. A ground mounted vertical in your back yard disguised as a flagpole is reasonable. This is NOT reasonable:



This is what a HOA thinks of when we talk about antennas. This guy seriously needs to move to the country and I would not want him on my street!