Politico Article Raises Concerns of Amateur Radio Parity Act

I don’t need to justify my position about the Amateur Radio Parity Act to any chatroom or QRZ negative nabob – except to say I support the ARRL’s position. That is the right to use your Federally granted amateur privileges at your private residence.

BTW an OTARD antenna would make a great log periodic for VHF/UHF.

 

Right now they say NO.





Without ARPA Most just say NO!


With ARPA::::

We have a Seat at the Table.

 

^ This.

^ And this.

That said, I really would like to try a unicorn antenna when they become available at HRO.

 

Then produce numbers showing how many is "most." Not an estimate, not a guesstimate, not conjecture -- real, counted, verified and verifiable numbers showing that most HOAs tell amateurs that antennas are prohibited.

Otherwise, you're fibbing, amigo.

 

Not quite. More accurately stated - with ARPA, we have to seek permission to obtain approval to sit at the table.

That's worse than what presently exists.

 

I suspect those 42000 amateurs in florida could have a hell of a lot of influence to vote out opposition...or better yet...start their own "ME TOO" MOVEMENT...

 

You really have no idea do you. Nah, you dont. Many areas you can not commute with any reasonable time. Right now, from where I live, it takes an average of 1 hr 25 min to get to the middle of town during weekday mornings and even longer outbound. Many many people can not afford that kind of commute. 3 to 31/2 hour a day commutes are not uncommon. You do that. HOAs are over reaching, overbearing monsters of the neighborhoods. Most are completely out of control. Why should your right to no antenna trump my right to an antenna. I dont like the bushes in your ugly yard, change them. I dont like the type of grass in your yard, change it. I dont like the car you drive in the neighborhood, get another. I dont want you on ham radio, toss your rigs in the dumpster. I HAVE A RIGHT TO THIS because I say I do. Guess what, lots of folks really dont care what you think. Nope, they dont.

 

What does it tell you that we haven't or likely won't?

 

Nope, they must work to put up a usable amateur radio antenna. I assume you do know what the amateur radio bands are. That is the governing issue. You can not be limited to a particular band. It is not in the proposed legislation. Just as many HOAs got kicked in the teeth regarding Dish/Direct/Hughes net style dish antennas. HOAs attempted to restrict them to unseen locations and size restrictions that were too small.. HOAs got kicked in the teeth on that one. FCC regs state that you can put it in an area that gives best reception. If that's in your front yard, that's where it went. Many HOAs restricted the antenna to 3 feet in diameter. FCC says 1.3 meters. HOA got kicked in the teeth on that one.

 

Out of control? We elect the HOA Board, we vote them out if we dislike their practices. That's local control. As to rights, you have a right to live anywhere you want but not to tell us how or under what circumstances we chose. You also have a right to tell me you dislike "the type of my grass" but only if I gave you that right.
Last I checked, you have only a right to express your opinion regardless of how uninformed it may. Be.

 

On VHF. That's the current state of "reasonable accommodation" in the law, as decided by the courts.

Yes, you can, and even ARRL knows that is the case, as described on their own website. Apart from all of the zoning and permitting issues in that case, the court specifically considered the requirements of "reasonable accommodation," and found that leaving the amateur with only a small VHF+ antenna on his roof did meet the FCC's standard. No other court, nor the FCC, has since overturned nor vacated that ruling.

Under a completely different rule that has completely different requirements of all parties. ARPA is not OTARD. OTARD does require that you be able to receive specific services that are provided on specific bands. ARPA does not.

 

Home owners or buyers really don't have a say-so about CC&R's unless they vote to change them.
CC&R's are put into place by the DEVELOPER when they get a loan. CC&R's in their modern form were designed to protect the investment while the homes are being sold. Then its up to the HOA to enforce them once the developer completes the subdivision.

So as a home buyer, its a take or or leave it proposition. Its also worth noting that almost all new built housing since the mid 1980's have these burdensome CC&R's in place. So cities in the south and west have vast stretches of housing that are "no outside antennas". Because of all the problems CB'ers caused and developers were more than happy to take pay-offs from cable operators to keep satellite dish competition out, it was easier just to say "no outside antennas" and so that because the de-facto boilerplate legal language for CC&R's.

 

Then produce numbers showing how many is "almost all..." Not an estimate, not a guesstimate, not conjecture -- but real, counted, verified and verifiable numbers showing that "almost all" new housing has CC&R that limit amateur radio antennas.

Otherwise, you are fibbing, amigo.

 

Don't stoop to calling me a liar.

About HOA-USA

There are over 351,000 homeowner associations in the United States. Collectively, this represents over 40 million households or 53% of the owner occupied households in the America.

https://hoa-usa.com/about.aspx

 

I asked you to produce real numbers showing that...

...which you did not do, even in your reply. The link you provided claims that 53% of all owner occupied households are in an HOA. That says nothing about CC&R, nor does it address the rate of restrictions on new housing, nor does it say anything about how that applies to antennas. According to the little data you provided, it could still be possible that 5% of new housing is under CC&R, and only 2% of those have antenna restrictions.

So I'm still waiting for you to back up your claim.