Amateur radio and HOAs

[rapidcharger]

In 25 years of living in one HOA or another I have never had these issues. I guess I am one of the lucky ones.

The best strategy, as I have described earlier, is to be a ghost.
I've made enemies. That never helps.

Then again, your time may come too. I lived with an HOA for 25 years too at one point and never had an issue also until one day, I had an issue.

Sued for getting too many UPS packadges, OINK OINK OINK. Egads neither the wife nor I drive so we do most of our shopping online. Our UPS driver makes a daily visit to our home. Goodness, goodness, goodness we don't live in a HOA. So how much do you pay them for the priviledge of making your life miserable?

That was in a condo, hence the reason it was noticed. The monthly maintenance was a lot.
I don't see any way around an HOA/condo assn in a building like that but I do see a way around if for single family detached residences.

 

[N8OHU]

I can completely understand the concerns of HOAs regarding towers over a certain height and stacked arrays of antennas on top of that; what I cannot fathom is why a pair of wires in a treeline and a length of coax running under the surface of the yard is objectionable.

 

[n5ims]

I can completely understand the concerns of HOAs regarding towers over a certain height and stacked arrays of antennas on top of that; what I cannot fathom is why a pair of wires in a treeline and a length of coax running under the surface of the yard is objectionable.

The reasoning is quite simple if you thing about it from their point of view. "If we let you get away with that almost invisible ventenna, the next person will put up a 1000 foot tower in their back yard, claiming it's for officer safety. Just like our ban on bus-like RVs. Once we let those in, our streets will be full of 'Partridge Family' busses."

 

[N8OHU]

The reasoning is quite simple if you thing about it from their point of view. "If we let you get away with that almost invisible ventenna, the next person will put up a 1000 foot tower in their back yard, claiming it's for officer safety."

That's the apparent viewpoint of the Community Association Institute, if you have ever read their opposition documents; the problem with that is that if it was going to happen anywhere other than in a place with no zoning regulations, it would have happened somewhere by now.

 

[N4DES]

There will still be a need for local permitting and the proposed bill does not remove the requirement for that even though it did in the OTARD rules where installations that are 20' under the roof line are currently unregulated.

Obviously there is the cost involved for a PE to sign and seal structural documents and to pull a permit which is what most amateurs won't want to do.

 

[cifd64]

I had a run in with my HOA on numerous occasions. The latest was before I started working again. In the same tone as the UPS issue above, they claimed i was running a business out of my condo (wasn't). I just buy a lot of radios and resell with programming. When I asked them to present proof of wrongdoing, they stated they had mail that belonged to me with statements in them. Lets just say I haven't had to pay an HOA fee in a few years.

The thing you have to remember is this. Most people who run an HOA (most) have an inferiority complex. They hate their regular jobs and use the little (yet effective) power they have on you. Just the sad business of HOA's. I doubt we will see the day when I can put a small stick on my roof for listening purposes (not a HAM, but maybe one day). But if you do it right, behave yourself and don't piss off the wrong people, there is a lot you can get away with.

I wish the rest of you good luck.

 

[rapidcharger]

I had a run in with my HOA on numerous occasions. The latest was before I started working again. In the same tone as the UPS issue above, they claimed i was running a business out of my condo (wasn't). I just buy a lot of radios and resell with programming. When I asked them to present proof of wrongdoing, they stated they had mail that belonged to me with statements in them. Lets just say I haven't had to pay an HOA fee in a few years.

The thing you have to remember is this. Most people who run an HOA (most) have an inferiority complex. They hate their regular jobs and use the little (yet effective) power they have on you. Just the sad business of HOA's. I doubt we will see the day when I can put a small stick on my roof for listening purposes (not a HAM, but maybe one day). But if you do it right, behave yourself and don't piss off the wrong people, there is a lot you can get away with.

I wish the rest of you good luck.

Not all people on the board are like that but all it takes is one, with an agenda.
What is most often the case is the people on the board are unqualified to make important decisions. There is little to no oversight and accountability is time consuming and expensive for the owner but it costs the board members nothing. They use a management company but do not pay any attention to what the managment company is doing.

 

[N8OHU]

There will still be a need for local permitting and the proposed bill does not remove the requirement for that even though it did in the OTARD rules where installations that are 20' under the roof line are currently unregulated.

Agreed.

Obviously there is the cost involved for a PE to sign and seal structural documents and to pull a permit which is what most amateurs won't want to do.

I don't agree that hams won't do it; I think a lot of it is that there are many hams that are used to being able to put up towers without having to get permission, but I'm sure that if they knew it's not something that's specific to hams (other sorts of property modifications need permits too) they will do the right thing and get any required permits or provide required plans to the proper people.

 

[Buster0911]

Photos of stealthy antennas?

Does anyone have photos of stealthy antennas that are likely to go unnoticed by hostile HOA leaders?
Without going into the attic, my solution is to mount an antenna on a junk floor lamp which I set in the back yard whenever I'm scanning. The rest of the time, it'll go inside the house.

 

[rapidcharger]

Does anyone have photos of stealthy antennas that are likely to go unnoticed by hostile HOA leaders?)))

The answer to that would be most of them.
The "HOA leaders" (calling them leaders is way too generous) or more accurately the board of directors isn't usually the folks going around looking for violations.

In a neighborhood of single family detached homes, that is typically done by a property manager who is driving through the neighborhood in their car. They spend about 20 seconds in front of each house looking for violations before moving on the next one. They're trained to look for problems but don't usually go snooping around your backyard or inspecting everything utility-looking thing on your roof or house.

So the answer to your question would be most of them.
The mast is more likely to get attention and if it can't be seen from the street and can't really be seen from too many other houses, it's unlikely you'll ever hear about it.

(Without going into the attic, my solution is to mount an antenna on a junk floor lamp which I set in the back yard whenever I'm scanning. The rest of the time, it'll go inside the house.

It's not so much the antenna than the mast. And if you keep junk in your yard and others can see it, that is more likely to get a complaint. Mount it high up on your roof or wall. I've seen antennas painted to match the color of the roof shingles. If it looks like a vent pipe, nobody is going to notice and AS LONG AS NOBODY KNOWS YOU'RE A HAM, (that's important) then nobody is going to assume it's an antenna if it looks like a vent for your plumbing or something like that.

 

[wbswetnam]

In a neighborhood of single family detached homes, that is typically done by a property manager who is driving through the neighborhood in their car. They spend about 20 seconds in front of each house looking for violations before moving on the next one.

(ruefully shaking my head side-to-side) Sheeeeesh... I'm so glad I don't have to put up with an HOA Gestapo. I have my folded dipole 40' up in the trees in my back yard and nobody complained a bit. One neighbor asked me right after I put it up... "What's that thing?" he asked. "I'm a ham radio operator and that's my antenna to talk around the world" I said. "Oh", he replied. And that was it.

 

[rapidcharger]

(ruefully shaking my head side-to-side) Sheeeeesh... I'm so glad I don't have to put up with an HOA Gestapo. I have my folded dipole 40' up in the trees in my back yard and nobody complained a bit. One neighbor asked me right after I put it up... "What's that thing?" he asked. "I'm a ham radio operator and that's my antenna to talk around the world" I said. "Oh", he replied. And that was it.

And I would have said I dunno man...
It was here when I moved in! I think it's a bird feeder! [emoji1]

See even if antennas are not expressly prohibited, there's usually a clause about pursuit of hobbies that would pose a nuisance or eye sore.

Maybe it's for the garden... To grow climbing roses in the tree... Get creative but never tell anyone you're a ham. That's HOA 101

sent via tapatalk on a mobile device.

 

[AK9R]

Does anyone have photos of stealthy antennas that are likely to go unnoticed by hostile HOA leaders?

If I showed you photos of stealthy antennas, they wouldn't be so stealthy, would they?

What bands do you plan to operate on? For the lower HF bands, wire antennas can be made to be pretty stealthy. For higher HF bands, verticals are good, especially if you construct them so they can be folded over when not in use. For VHF/UHF, a simple 1/4-wave ground plane antenna can be stealthy.

Take advantage of the house's roof line, trees, fences, patio arbors, whatever you can come up with to hide or disguise your antenna. As RC describes, the key is low visibility from the street. If you have neighbors who can clearly see your backyard, hopefully they are friendly neighbors and will turn a blind eye to your nefarious ways.