"....and then my wife said it was either her or ham radio....can you
imagine that, OVER."

Nahhh, just kidding...XYL here is a ham and she doesn't mind at all.

Dino KL0S


In article ,
Jim Higgins wrote:

On 30 Mar 2007 21:11:24 -0700, "AndyS" wrote:

Use of thin wire or wire, maybe with suitably colored insulation or
spray paint, should help hide it. If they don't see you install it it
may take weeks for them to notice it. That failure to notice
immediately would go a long way toward countering how big an eyesore
it really is.


Andy adds:
Well, I don't have neighbors but I have a wife who does not see the
existence of outside antennae as an art form.

A few of the hams I know have equally selfish wives. Some let
themselves get run over and some don't.

Jim Higgins wrote:
A few of the hams I know have equally selfish wives. Some let
themselves get run over and some don't.

Are you advocating running over selfish wives? :-)
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com

On Mar 31, 12:11 am, "AndyS" wrote:
Use of thin wire or wire, maybe with suitably colored insulation or
spray paint, should help hide it. If they don't see you install it it
may take weeks for them to notice it. That failure to notice
immediately would go a long way toward countering how big an eyesore
it really is.

Andy adds:
Well, I don't have neighbors but I have a wife who does not see the
existence of outside antennae as an art form. We just moved into
a new house 2 years ago, and recently I decided to get all the ham
gear working again......
I put the dipoles, and a 2 meter gnd plane, in my attic near the
top
of the roofline on the inside.
They work just fine, low SWR, and receive and transmit well......
Being
under a half inch of plywood doesn't alter the characteristics
significantly.
If your roof line will accommodate this, it is a thought....

Also, rather than dipoles, a loaded flagpole or TV antenna mast
would
be another option.....

No way your neighbors could possibly be as picky as my wife.......

I realize that there may be a difference of opinion about mounting
an
antenna in the attic versus on top of the roof, but I've never been
able
to tell any difference in performance for dipoles and gnd planes....
The measure I use is : " When the H F antenna is connected to the
receiver
input, if the ambient noise level rises appreciably, the antenna is
working
just fine ( noise level is due to the cosmos and not receiver
generated) "

Andy W4OAH

fortunately my wife holds a ticket too.

On Mar 31, 1:24 am, "Sal M. Onella"
wrote:
"garlicman" None wrote in message

. ..

I moved here about seven months ago. There is not HOA, but some neighbors
are rather sensitive to how others keep their property in our modest
street
of 34 homes on lots about 70 x 120. I just upgraded to General. So far,
I've
got a 40m dipole that is just strung across the back of the roof, but I
plan
to string it between a tree and the chimney when I get a chance.

I would appreciate your ideas on how to calm down neighbors that might be
worried about RF interference, appearance, and property value.

Reverse psychology. You make sure they're glad you're a ham.

You help one neighbor correctly wire an outside GFCI receptacle because you
know how and he doesn't (and he's already tripped the branch breaker six
times with his attempts); you give another neighbor your old CB antenna for
his boat (and you were done with it, anyway); you put an F-series connector
on a piece of RG-6 so the next neighbor can hook up her cable modem in a new
room (and she's a babe, too); you reflow the solder pads on a PC-mount RCA
jack because your neighbor's kid keeps pushing the plug of his video game
into the TV too hard (three times so far -- last time I gave it back with
two short pigtail jumpers so he wouldn't do it again.).

Four neighbors, four stories, all true and there are more. Heck, I could
put an air-search radar antenna on my roof and they wouldn't say anything!

Pretty much the same story here. occasionally. I get the new neighbor
that says something but the rest will put 'em straight. A little guilt
goes a long way too. I was accused of causing interference on their
TVs but I knew it wasn'.t me because I was on-the -air when they were
having problems. It turned out the guy that was complaining the
loudest had an antenna pre-amp on his tv that was breaking into
oscillation. i fed him a little humble pie but not too much. Since
then no problem.

Jimmie

On 2007-03-30, garlicman wrote:

got a 40m dipole that is just strung across the back of the roof, but I plan
to string it between a tree and the chimney when I get a chance.

I would appreciate your ideas on how to calm down neighbors that might be
worried about RF interference, appearance, and property value.

Wires are generally not noticeable at all and your neighbors probably will
not even know, even if strung in the front yard, especially if feed lines
are not hanging down too obtrusively.

I live in a neighborhood with no restrictions and have a 284' delta loop of
#16 copper clad steel line between three trees (one tree in my front yard is
my neighbor's with his permission), and unless you look you wouldn't know it
was there. When a neighbor two houses away said she thought she heard my
voice on the answering machine, I explained the situation (cheaply made, no
filter answering machines) and promptly ordered her a telephone line filter
which worked perfectly. She wanted to pay for it and I refused, believing
the $30 bought a lot of good will. (I actually have been here longer than
any of them and not the oldest by far.) Your offer to help sort out any
problems goes a long way, but no need to go around asking.

I wouldn't worry at all about a wire and if anyone complains of RFI
problems, help sort it out and eliminate it. After all, you may be their
only contact to the outside some day in an emergency.

....Edwin, KD5ZLB
--
__________________________________________________ __________
"Once you have flown, you will walk the earth with your eyes
turned skyward, for there you have been, there you long to
return."-da Vinci http://bellsouthpwp2.net/e/d/edwinljohnson

On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 13:15:17 -0700, "garlicman" None wrote:

I moved here about seven months ago. There is not HOA, but some neighbors
are rather sensitive to how others keep their property in our modest street
of 34 homes on lots about 70 x 120. I just upgraded to General. So far, I've
got a 40m dipole that is just strung across the back of the roof, but I plan
to string it between a tree and the chimney when I get a chance.

I would appreciate your ideas on how to calm down neighbors that might be
worried about RF interference, appearance, and property value.

GM


How will they know what it is?

If you're sensitive to appearance, I personally use The Wireman's #18
AWG stranded wire with black insulation for an 80 meter dipole hung
from 3 trees. A screen door spring at each end inserts enough give to
keep the swaying trees from snapping the wire.

The whole setup is pretty hard to see, unless you're looking for it.

The Wireman also sells a #26 stranded, if you're really looking to be
invisible.

Bob
k5qwg

"garlicman" None wrote in message
. ..
I moved here about seven months ago. There is not HOA, but some neighbors
are rather sensitive to how others keep their property in our modest street
of 34 homes on lots about 70 x 120. I just upgraded to General. So far,
I've got a 40m dipole that is just strung across the back of the roof, but
I plan to string it between a tree and the chimney when I get a chance.

I would appreciate your ideas on how to calm down neighbors that might be
worried about RF interference, appearance, and property value.

GM


Dont fasten the antenna to your chimney, Chimneys arent made to handle a lot
of lateral force.

Jimmie