HOA Friendly NVIS Options…

BMDaug

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Hey all, I’m looking for an effective solution that will allow me to operate NVIS in my HOA. I’m in a single story, single family dwelling with attic access. While I camp a lot and operate a variety of field expeditious antennas (mostly Chameleon), I need something reliable to connect to when I’m at home. Sure, I could put up the Chameleon in the yard and take it back down after the net, but with Mets occurring daily, this will quickly become annoying.

I’m looking for something effective on multiple bands without a tuner. I guess I could start off with basically copying the Chameleon design with less expensive materials (since it would be stationary and protected from the elements).

Anyway, I figured I’d put a line out and see if anyone can recommend something specific that works well for them!

Thanks for reading!!

-Brian
 

pandel

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As a long-time HOA board member, you might just be surprised if you approach your HOA board first and
1. Explain amateur radio and its purpose... not just the hobby aspect.
2. Show them that you respect them and their rules by providing a drawing or magazine articles to reinforce your arguments (made very nicely!) and how your proposed antenna will have little to no visual impact to the neighborhood.
3. If you are using wire, bring a sample, 6" or so and pass it around. Let the board understand exactly what you want to do.
4. Be ready to answer questions especially questions that have little or nothing to do with amateur radio. Just Smile.
5. Be ready for a possible no vote. Then think about attic antennas.
Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Here's an article I found a few years ago for a FAN DIPOLE that proves you can hide in plane sight.
They're not hard to build.... I built one with a friend for his station. Haven't heard a bad report from him yet.
 
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wwhitby

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Hi Brian,

Do you have a wooden privacy fence around your back yard? A friend of mine lives in a HOA-covered development. He ran a end-fed antenna along the inside of his privacy fence, held off the wood by electric fence insulators. He's worked around the world using that setup and no one has been the wiser.
 
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Hi Brian,

Do you have a wooden privacy fence around your back yard? A friend of mine lives in a HOA-covered development. He ran a end-fed antenna along the inside of his privacy fence, held off the wood by electric fence insulators. He's worked around the world using that setup and no one has been the wiser.
Similarly, I have an LNR Precision end-fed strung up along my privacy fence, not even in a great way. Probably averages around 5'10" off the ground, if that. I get out with 100 watts pretty well. Of course, I could make it better, but I'm lazy and the HOA here is extremely aggressive.
 

BMDaug

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Thanks everyone for the replies!

@pandel Thanks for this! The HOA is pretty restrictive… we have a right to dry law (clotheslines cannot be prohibited) in Colorado and they need reminding of that law with some frequency. But I’ll certainly ask, especially since I’m starting AFMARS training soon. Perhaps my patriotism will and support of our military will help too!

@wwhitby I wish I did! There’s only a wall at the back of the property and it’s topped with metal wrought iron with power lines directly overhead…

There is a pergola attached to the house and a short mast above that with wires running back to the eve of the house might work and since that side of the property faces away from the rest of the development, it wouldn’t be noticeable from the development…

Regards,
B.
 

tweiss3

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I know a guy that turned his wife's close drying line into a wire antenna. Works great for him.
 

merlin

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NVIS usually takes frequencies below 8 Mhz and that takes quite an antenna.
HOA ? not really a problem with a spinoff of a Rhombic or highly modified T2FD.
Basically, a butterfly antenna.
Learned from a buddy (KD7ZYR) who lived in an HOA townhouse.
He worked from 3Mhz to 55 Mhz and no visible antenna.
I am in a similar boat with "no holes or antenna farms on the roof.
Pictures ar worth 1000 words here, and you can search up "butterfly Ham anteeas"
for some technical stuff. Amazing how well these work.
 

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BMDaug

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NVIS usually takes frequencies below 8 Mhz and that takes quite an antenna.
HOA ? not really a problem with a spinoff of a Rhombic or highly modified T2FD.
Basically, a butterfly antenna.
Learned from a buddy (KD7ZYR) who lived in an HOA townhouse.
He worked from 3Mhz to 55 Mhz and no visible antenna.
I am in a similar boat with "no holes or antenna farms on the roof.
Pictures ar worth 1000 words here, and you can search up "butterfly Ham anteeas"
for some technical stuff. Amazing how well these work.
Thanks Merlin! I’m finding some great designs! I might need to go in-attic just to avoid some of the contours of the house.

Thanks again for posting these and some search terms!!

-B
 

prcguy

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Any horizontal HF antenna that is at or less than 1/4 wave off the ground will have NVIS properties. If you can fit 64ft of wire an EFHW will work 40, 20, 15 and 10m without a tuner. You can bend it some or it might work ok in the attic depending on the surroundings. PAR makes one as does MyAntennas or you can home brew one for very low $$.

I’ve compared a home made 64ft EFHW to a Chameleon with 60ft of wire and the EFHW is better on all bands.
 

merlin

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There is a chart somwehere showing an impedance curve with feed height.
If you do the math, these butterfly antennas would have impedance near 20 to 25 ohm, but in real life, these defy that. finding 400 to 600 ohm that the balun takes care of.
Tuner is not mandatory but can help.
 
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merlin

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Thanks Merlin! I’m finding some great designs! I might need to go in-attic just to avoid some of the contours of the house.

Thanks again for posting these and some search terms!!

-B
Odd with these is contours don't seem to affect performance or even stringing along metal rain gutters.
I haven't checked NVIS very well, but can say for reception, they seem to work as good as any antenna. Gain is more toward the terminator and found that near 3 Db and no 'dead' azimuth.
 

BMDaug

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Ok, so I’m looking at something similar to this (whether I buy or build my own):


This is almost perfect for me, though it would make one 90 degree bend, as no wall in my house is quite long enough. I’m needing this for afmars work, so primarily NVIS. This would be under the eve so around 9’-10’ off the ground. I do have a tuner but the antenna is already good for 3.5MHz. I’m just starting my mars training and while I have a number of field deployable long wires suitable for this work, I just need something for convenience and reliability in poor weather.

Not encircling the entire house is huge for me, as I can easily get something up in the back half of the house, I just want to avoid crossing the front of the house, especially the porch, since hiding something would be very difficult given the architecture.

@pandel Im still gonna go to the HOA and show them what I’m thinking, but this doesn’t change the notion of being stealthy. I think that will just add to the appeal!

Thanks everyone, for the great ideas!!

-Brian
 

GlobalNorth

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Having watched the institutional irrationality that pervades some HOAs and HOA officials, I'd rather beg forgiveness after the fact than to ask permission prior.
 

BMDaug

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Having watched the institutional irrationality that pervades some HOAs and HOA officials, I'd rather beg forgiveness after the fact than to ask permission prior.
I feel the same way! It’s not like I’m putting up a tower or even anything that blocks anyone’s view… but again, these people sometimes need reminded that Colorado law says they can’t stop me from installing a clothesline… in my own backyard.

-B
 
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Any horizontal HF antenna that is at or less than 1/4 wave off the ground will have NVIS properties. If you can fit 64ft of wire an EFHW will work 40, 20, 15 and 10m without a tuner. You can bend it some or it might work ok in the attic depending on the surroundings. PAR makes one as does MyAntennas or you can home brew one for very low $$.

I’ve compared a home made 64ft EFHW to a Chameleon with 60ft of wire and the EFHW is better on all bands.
I use the PAR EF Quad and it works pretty good at 6ft on my privacy fence. Good SWR on 10, 15, 20, and 40.
 

prcguy

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Ok, so I’m looking at something similar to this (whether I buy or build my own):


This is almost perfect for me, though it would make one 90 degree bend, as no wall in my house is quite long enough. I’m needing this for afmars work, so primarily NVIS. This would be under the eve so around 9’-10’ off the ground. I do have a tuner but the antenna is already good for 3.5MHz. I’m just starting my mars training and while I have a number of field deployable long wires suitable for this work, I just need something for convenience and reliability in poor weather.

Not encircling the entire house is huge for me, as I can easily get something up in the back half of the house, I just want to avoid crossing the front of the house, especially the porch, since hiding something would be very difficult given the architecture.

@pandel Im still gonna go to the HOA and show them what I’m thinking, but this doesn’t change the notion of being stealthy. I think that will just add to the appeal!

Thanks everyone, for the great ideas!!

-Brian
There are potential problems associate with circling the house with an antenna. It will at some point come close to internal house wiring, plumbing, rain gutters, metal HVAC ducting in the attic, etc. If you can get a wire headed out away from the house wtihout being seen you will have less noise and a more predictable radiation pattern.
 

BMDaug

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I use the PAR EF Quad and it works pretty good at 6ft on my privacy fence. Good SWR on 10, 15, 20, and 40.
I was looking at the 8010 (PEZ-EF-8010-JRKW). I like that there are some coils that can be easily altered to raise the resonant frequency… I’m mostly going to be operating just out of band as far as standard ham bands go. Perhaps I can take a wind off and raise the resonant freq perfectly for my use.

@prcguy Unfortunately, that’s not happening… at least not at the lengths necessary for solid HF work. The back wall is only 40’ from the house and that wall is directly below 3ph power poles. I am astonished by how little the rain gutter thing seems to matter based on reviews and installation guides I’ve been reading… I mean, look at the pictures on that page I linked for that IMD-107! It’s all up in the gutter/downspout.

Interestingly, the images @merlin posted are the same pictures that the mars group commander sent me… so obviously, lots of people are having success, at least to some degree. I just can’t really get something all the way around and still be even remotely inconspicuous…

This may be the ticket since I could get it installed pretty much on the back of the house, with one turn down the side of the house, with the feed point ending up right through the wall from the shack…


-B
 

mastr

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FWIW- When you restrict your options to "without a tuner" the choices become very limited.
 

BMDaug

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FWIW- When you restrict your options to "without a tuner" the choices become very limited.
It’s not my restriction. I have a tuner, but ALE and hopping don’t like tuners much, unless they are very smart and fast tuners.

The funny part is that it doesn’t seem like we will use either of those things on a regular basis… but I’m just starting out and could be mistaken. I just know that a broadband base station antenna “covering 2-30MHz without a tuner” is a requirement for membership” as I understand it.

I’m big into field ops and I have a couple of antennas, like the Chameleon TD 2.0 that cover this range without a tuner, but I need something I can leave up permanently that will go unnoticed by anyone not specifically looking for it.

If you have a great recommendation that does require a tuner, please let me know!!

Thanks,
Brian
 
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