I posted a message a couple of weeks ago regarding my successful completion
of the Foundation Course and a pass in the exam.
Thank you all for all your congratulations and kind words of advice.
I am now happy to say shat I have been issued with a call sign - so the next
step will be to choose a radio - apply for planning permission for an
antenna- get it installed if the application successful, and I'm away. In
the meantime I'm busy reading up on the "Intermediate" course.
Season's Greetings from Cornwall

M3IIV

John

Congrads John
Happy Holidays and many happy years of Hamming

--
Caveat Lecter



"Simon Smith" wrote in message
...
I posted a message a couple of weeks ago regarding my successful completion
of the Foundation Course and a pass in the exam.
Thank you all for all your congratulations and kind words of advice.
I am now happy to say shat I have been issued with a call sign - so the
next step will be to choose a radio - apply for planning permission for an
antenna- get it installed if the application successful, and I'm away. In
the meantime I'm busy reading up on the "Intermediate" course.
Season's Greetings from Cornwall

M3IIV

John

Congrats John, and welcome to the community of ham radio........

DE WB7FFI ---John

"Simon Smith" wrote in message
...
I posted a message a couple of weeks ago regarding my successful
completion
of the Foundation Course and a pass in the exam.
Thank you all for all your congratulations and kind words of advice.
I am now happy to say shat I have been issued with a call sign - so the
next
step will be to choose a radio - apply for planning permission for an
antenna- get it installed if the application successful, and I'm away. In
the meantime I'm busy reading up on the "Intermediate" course.
Season's Greetings from Cornwall

M3IIV

John


John, do not bother with planning application straight away...

Most antenna setups do not require planning permission unless there are some
special circumstances.

I have had a 12m Pump-up mast , several VHF verticals, HF wire antennas,
microwave dishes and an assortment of yagis on poles without any need for
planning permission.

Only ever had one visit from the planning officer, I told him all my
antennas are further than 2m's from my boarder and are all temporary and do
not require permission ... "so go away". And he did. That was over two years
ago.
Not heard a single peep out of him since.

Mark

Great job, John! Welcome to the world of recreational RF.

Russ
KG6TDX


"Simon Smith" wrote in message
...
I posted a message a couple of weeks ago regarding my successful
completion
of the Foundation Course and a pass in the exam.
Thank you all for all your congratulations and kind words of advice.
I am now happy to say shat I have been issued with a call sign - so the
next
step will be to choose a radio - apply for planning permission for an
antenna- get it installed if the application successful, and I'm away. In
the meantime I'm busy reading up on the "Intermediate" course.
Season's Greetings from Cornwall

M3IIV

John

Mark wrote:
"Simon Smith" wrote in message
...
I posted a message a couple of weeks ago regarding my successful
completion
of the Foundation Course and a pass in the exam.
Thank you all for all your congratulations and kind words of advice.
I am now happy to say shat I have been issued with a call sign - so the
next
step will be to choose a radio - apply for planning permission for an
antenna- get it installed if the application successful, and I'm away. In
the meantime I'm busy reading up on the "Intermediate" course.
Season's Greetings from Cornwall

M3IIV

John


John, do not bother with planning application straight away...

Most antenna setups do not require planning permission unless there are some
special circumstances.

I have had a 12m Pump-up mast , several VHF verticals, HF wire antennas,
microwave dishes and an assortment of yagis on poles without any need for
planning permission.

Only ever had one visit from the planning officer, I told him all my
antennas are further than 2m's from my boarder and are all temporary and do
not require permission ... "so go away". And he did. That was over two years
ago.
Not heard a single peep out of him since.

Keen-ness to enforce the UK national planning regulations varies a lot
between one local authority and the next. (This is a UK-only topic,
folks.)

I've heard stories from different parts of the UK, ranging all the way
from the amazingly easy-going - "Put up what you like, and if anyone
complains, then we'll have to give you retrospective permission" - all
the way through to the totally over-zealous little Hitlers.

The best approach is to make an appointment to go along to the local
planning office for an informal chat. Starting right from the initial
phone call, it is absolutely vital to emphasise that the antenna is for
amateur radio, and not mobile phones or any other commercial purpose...
if at any stage you have the slightest suspicion that they might not
have grasped that fact, say it over and over again until they do!

Take along some rough sketches of what you're proposing, drawn on
full-page printouts of digital photographs. These are not enough for a
formal planning application, but it gives the Planning Officers the best
possible idea of what they're dealing with. They are particularly
interested in questions like whether the antenna/mast goes above the
existing roof-line, and if so by how much. Try to include a mock-up
picture of what it will look like from the road, and also from the
neighbours' viewpoint (take a picture from a neighbour's garden if you
can, and draw on that).

In my particular case, the proposal was for a 35ft telescopic mast
mounted on the back wall of the house, with VHF yagis which would only
be above roof level when cranked up. I took along four pictures:
simulated front and back views with the antenna cranked up; and the same
cranked down.

The Planning Officer responsible for our local area produced a big
ring-binder, which seemed to be something like "How To Become A Planning
Officer In 24 Monthly Parts." I would imagine it is a standard guide for
local authorities. One of the chapters was about amateur antennas, and
included examples of applications that had been passed, either at once
or after an appeal... and some of those looked pretty enormous, which
put my modest proposals nicely into perspective.

To cut a long story short, he was persuaded that the proposal was too
small to require an application for Planning Permission. They do have
the power to make such decisions, though they don't exactly advertise
that fact. The magic words you're looking for are "de minimis"... and if
you're sucessful in getting them to decide that, be sure to have it
confirmed in writing!

If that won't work, then you will have to make a formal application for
Planning Permission. It isn't difficult, but there are a few special
traps to beware of, such as not specifying the type of antenna in too
much detail because you will no doubt want to change them. A
comprehensive guide is downloadable from the members-only section of the
RSGB website, and the RSGB has a team of people around the country who
can help you through the process.

The key is to do the whole thing at the lowest and least confrontational
level possible... while at the same time showing that you know you're
going to win.


--
73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

On Mon, 20 Dec 2004 15:54:21 +0000 (UTC), "Simon Smith"
wrote:

I posted a message a couple of weeks ago regarding my successful completion
of the Foundation Course and a pass in the exam.
Thank you all for all your congratulations and kind words of advice.
I am now happy to say shat I have been issued with a call sign - so the next
step will be to choose a radio - apply for planning permission for an
antenna- get it installed if the application successful, and I'm away. In
the meantime I'm busy reading up on the "Intermediate" course.
Season's Greetings from Cornwall

M3IIV

John



I look forward to our first QSO John ... and dont worry (bother)
about planning permission :-)

73
Peter, G3PHO

good luck to you hope to here you some day on the air