Ham Talk Live! Episode 188 - Stealth Antennas and HOAs

I am always looking for good stealth info. Thanks for the post.

 

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ...

When we bought our first house, I had already been a ham - for about 12 years. Very experienced in the ways of HF, antennas, etc. What I was NOT experienced in was buying a house and reading contracts closely. I was a young suburbanite and ham radio was not in the forefront of my mind at the time - and moving into an area with HOAs was not that common for people of my monetary means. I missed completely in all of the mountains of fine print that I was moving into a Nazi-controlled zone (my mistake, absolutely!). We had no homeowner association fees, so it was a very ‘under the radar’ thing from that aspect. Shortly after we settled in, I started hearing the occasional complaint from other neighbors with respect to being regimented re: the height of their unmowed grass - or the old ‘40 Ford in my neighbor’s carport as he was painstakingly trying to restore it. This was about the time I was getting ready to erect my first HF antenna. Not good.

Fast forward to my solution: #28 steel tire cord. At a garage sale, I happened upon a spool which contained almost 5 miles of the stuff. It was absolutely invisible to the naked eye unless you were within 10 feet of it and the light was just right. For you purists out there, I’m quite sure it didn’t conduct as well as pure copper. (And it was certainly harder to successfully adhere a feedline to with solder). But I filled my logbook with QSOs from all over the world using an all but invisible, full sized 80 meter inverted vee made from the stuff with a 100 watt rig and a tuner. It.can.be.done.

- Matt, AA4MB

 

HOA’s are for the birds. Best to avoid them whenever possible. Certainly more trouble than their worth.

Personally, I think it’s the height of hypocrisy for an HOA to look the other way and permit (and even encourage) extensive solar panel arrays and yet not sanction a neatly installed HF yagi on a 50’ tower.

 

Although I live in an HOA community that prohibits antennas, I'm not sure that I agree. Our HOA does a wonderful job of keeping things attractive. RV owners might argue that they should be able to keep their rigs parked in their driveway in case of an emergency bug-out. Boat owners might argue the same because of the frequent flooding here in Houston. Amateur mechanics wold love to have vehicles up on blocks. There's always the folks that don't mow their lawns or want to paint their homes wacky colors. Should people be able to do everything they want when you live a few feet from your neighbor and "can't look away?" Curb appeal is key to selling/renting your home.

There's more to this debate than some will concede. I think this all boils down to what is reasonable. Most of us want to live in attractive communities. When your community has 100,000 people living in it in close quarters, some rules are necessary.

 

I agree with you, but that's one of the reasons why I find HOA restrictions so puzzling. Most antennas just aren't that ugly...at least in my view. A modest 2m / 440cm antenna on the roof or an end or center fed dipole in the yard is not an eyesore, unless your eyes simply WANT to be sore. Yet putting these antennas up is enough to get you in deep trouble with some HOAs. I just don't get it.

 

Methinks it stems from those that feel like their neighbors can look the other way when they decided to put up a tower with a massive antenna. I don't blame people for not wanting that. I wouldn't want a neighbor putting up a tower with a sculpture of something that he thought was beautiful on top of it. I get it.

I've had wire up for years. I have a 40 meter dipole on a 30' fiberglass mast that isn't visible from the street. I'm friendly with my neighbors and they know what I have in my back yard. We often talk over the fence. They don't care. I frequently ask if I'm coming through their computer speakers, toaster, etc. They always say that they never hear me. They'd tell me if they did and they know I'd take care of it.

 

Some of us didn’t get into the hobby until after moving into this situation. So, no easy fix.

 

Quote HOA Stats: " Since the 1970s, American neighborhoods have been increasingly governed by these associations. There are very few newly constructed neighborhoods without them, as local development planning processes typically mandate an HOA when approving a new community. Each year, as many as 8,000 more associations are formed. "

So Local Government Planing is mandating HOAs, there you go...

When I got my starter home in the late 1980s still in it after Daughter grew up. In my 20s I noticed that they had TV antenna towers up in the neighborhood and so I went ahead with it.

Later in my paper work, I found that the area had a Home Committee to approve things setup by the developer to make sure they could sell more home in the area without RVs in the driveway. I also found that if the HC folded and no longer existed , all was null and void. I wiped my brow and said, wow that could have been bad.

Well we have had a few boats in driveways, good looking ones BTW. And a few campers. And a few houses with Ham and CB antennas up on the TV towers since then. I don't mind boats in driveways, I love seeing 1950s Trucks being restored and I don't even mind a Pop-up camper sitting in a back yard. Our Suburban TWP allows such if licenses plates are on them.

New starter families moved in next to me and down a few in the last 1/2 decade. Most asked what was with the antennas and wires in my back postage stamp sized back yard [65x80 feet]. I told them what I did for message passing and SigInt and what I did as a hobby with them. They acted like , KEWL.

The wife of the next door neighbor asked why 3 wires were coming down from the 33 foot 40 meter antenna . I told her that was to keep it up in the air and not fall down in a wind storm. She said well that sounds like a good thing. Same ones I had an RFI issue later with a fish pump device and he was so nice about it.

K8XG

 

So you live in a HOA community that prohibits antennas, and you're supportive of HOAs, yet you admit that you have a 40m dipole on a 30-foot mast. Doesn't that make you a bit of a hypocrite?

 

Yes, I'm being hypocritical. I could make the standard ham argument that I have the antenna for "emergency communications" in the event of a disaster, but that would be baloney. I have it because I want to make daily contacts. I could attempt to invoke "white privilege" but I don't think that would get me very far. The mast and wire aren't attached to anything so it is not a permanent structure. It is 100% portable, so I might get by with that. I would comply and take it down if asked, so my conscience is clear knowing that there are limits to my hypocrisy. Thanks for asking!

 

Of course... you can always rent remote station time. No real equipment in your "shack". But great antennas, rigs and amps in good locations. Pretty much an expensive "cable" service linking you to a great station. But allows operators access to terrific capability at need, no matter where they live:

http://www.remotehamradio.com/

So... maybe a combination of compromise, nearly invisible stealth antennas at the HOA and a subscription to a pool of great remote stations? Yes.. it WILL cost - but if you REALLY love the hobby... THAT much? Go for it.

Also - so MANY rigs are "remoteable" today, maybe some hams across diverse locations could "pool" their resources and build on one hams already good location to improve its capability - and then share it.

Heck - with FT8, it's trivial to do with ANY station.

BUT - it requires thought and compromise/trust between operators. Perhaps hard to do in this rather esoteric community.

Nonetheless - remote operation offers an entirely new world of possibilities. And perhaps it IS the future of ham radio. Access to the best. Anywhere, anytime.

Hmmm... now how do we make this practical for everyone? Ideas, anyone? I mean, real, constructive ideas. It's EASY to be a critic. How about being part of the solution? That's difficult (and worthwhile).

BTW - Welcome to the 21st century

Brian - K6BRN

 

Lazy government employees love it when they can get someone else to do their work. HOAs are not governments, but they play at it.

 

Really. Wow. Did NOT know all government employees were so lazy.

So.... what do you do, again?

 

Back in the late 80's the Local Government at our main city, not my TWP , had a department called Nuisance Abatement. I was an IT guy putting in new TCP/IP as a side gov department consulting agency employee. Today being Pol Correct they call it department of neighborhoods, but its still getting rid of Nuisance. Yes I think the idea of Local Gov mandating HOAs on developers is to get others to do their jobs.

And don't forget my other post, Yellow hat wearing HOA members will try to run your hood when disaster strikes in a commune like manner .