HOA's Take Aim at Our Hobby!

Just glad I live in the country, far away from the crazies.

 

I think ya got that backwards OM! If I can't get pizza in 30 minutes, or hell, an ambulance for that matter, it's too far from the freeway for my taste! Only someone crazy would live somewhere you can't get at least FIOS!

 

I have been an Amateur Radio Operator for over 45 years, and an very proud of the service. However, the reality is . Some of the members of our service isn't happy with any rules. We need to be very mindful of other peoples opinions. They are always just as important as ours. Firstly; if you're not a Tech Nerd. Ask one of the Elmers in your group. WE should pride ourselves in the fact that we should be able to overcome a Technical issue. Secondly; Most emergency traffic is handled on VHF or UHF, not on a BIG Gun system. With that sad, I don't really have a dog in this hunt, I live way out in the country ( For a Reason ).
73 KE5WM ( Wild Man)

 

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!


Gee, Seems that you might need to find a NEW street! Did you ever ask this guys neighbor's what they think...Bet not.
The new more disturbing trend is for acreage to have covenants just like a urban development.
Welcome to utopia.

 

Commercial-free TV. If ours were commercial-free, we'd be paying a licensing fee also.

 

I would. Seems to be a very well-installed tower, only about 100 feet high. I'd have no issues with that at all, nor would anyone in my neighborhood. My tower's only 55 feet and the neighbors use it as a landmark when giving directions to first time visitors...'Look for the big, tall antenna and we're four houses down from that.'

 

If you walk into a home-buying experience with your eyes open, you'll want to stay as far as you can away from HOAs or whatever they call them. Socialism by any other name is still oppressive. The only way the HOA craze will disappear is when people stop buying the product. Milquetoast "laws" and "exemptions" for amateur radio operators that nobody obeys aren't worth the paper. Our license is much more valuable and our time better spent avoiding the "it takes a village" types.

 

If you have that statue I'll put it up in my front yard (as long as it's 17feet tall.) That would look awesome!

 

Can't buy new family construction where I live without an HOA. City and County governments like it as they use HOAs to defer costs of roads and sidewalks. Covenants that ban all radio activity need addressed, which to my understanding is the intent of the ARRL initiative. But the definition of Reasonable Accommodation is the tricky part. I get both sides of the argument.

 

Important modification: your "real estate agent" is under no practical obligation to tell you anything. He/she is trying to sell you something. That's it. That's why anyone prudent gets a home inspection before buying, and a REAL ESTATE LAWYER.

Get a lawyer. And not just any lawyer. Get a REAL ESTATE lawyer familiar with and connected in the community. Please!

 

A VERY reasonable post! I personally consider that tower beautiful, but....

 

I have had the good fortune of never living in an HOA community, and I hope my good fortune continues. But, it's not easy. As I look for retirement properties that are not extremely expensive or isolated, the options seem to be diminishing.

I grew up in a very rural area that is great for ham radio, but not for too much else. I would not have been able to complete my education, practice my profession, obtain first-rate medical care, educate my child, or hold onto my wife in that setting. I myself left and "never looked back." If I were starting out in my career now, I would have to move around, and it is very unlikely that I could expect a ham-radio friendly environment at each stop - not with what my profession pays!

So, yeah, we have to make choices. But for a great many people those choices do not include outdoor HF antenna options.

 

Γεια σου ξένε! (I looked up your QRZ page, and saw your surname). Actually HOAs are not socialism, they are capitalism or libertarianism run wild: the abandonment and privatization of a government function. And IMHO they are not a craze, they are a fact of life. People WANT them - the market rules. So to fix this, we need a bit MORE government - Solon, as it were!

 

Please list the reasons why somebody would not have the choice. The way I see it, there is always a choice, but people are unwilling to look into all of the possibilities.

 

You are correct, strictly speaking. BUT, it's not that simple. I covered this in my own case in post #102 above. There may always be a choice, but sometimes the choices are all bad. YMMV, especially if you choose to live in places that a lot of other people would not select.

I can live without close neighbors, but most people choose not to. Like it or not, the country and the whole world are steadily becoming more urban. When people are living close together, there have to be some rules. These rules may be provided by gub'mint (e.g., nuisance laws, building codes, zoning, HB 1301, etc.) or by private entities with sufficient wealth and power (HOAs, gangs, the MAFIA, whoever). Take your choice or move - if you can.

Since so many people do not have a practical choice, it's bad for ham radio; and so I support 1301.