(insert standard "I Am Not A Lawyer" disclaimer HERE)

On Jul 14, 4:18 pm, KC4UAI wrote:
On Jul 11, 8:45 pm, "KØHB" wrote:

I so wish that the FCC could be persuaded to reconsider us
hams in
their limited preemption of CC&R's and give us the same
standing as TV antennas and satellite dishes.

As K2ASP says, that action has to come from Congress.

IMHO, part of the problem is that CC&Rs are a different thing
than zoning ordinances and other govt. regs. Most anti-antenna
rules are essentially private contracts that you, the buyer, agreed
to when you bought the place. Asking for preemption means you
want out of that part of the deal. That's a tough sell!

It is my understanding that what drove the OTARD process for
satellite TV was that the satellite TV companies pushed the case,
and invested the sizable $$$ resources necessary to win. IIRC, their
argument was essentially that the no-TV-antennas CC&Rs effectively
created a cable-TV monopoly by making it impossible for some people to
choose satellite TV, since the dish has to have a clear view of the
sky where the satellite is. Regular broadcast TV was added to the mix
a bit later, basically on the same argument.

There was big money at stake because the satellite TV folks saw a huge
part of the TV market being off-limits to them because of
no-satellite-dish CC&Rs.

All I want is reasonable accommodation
here.

The problem is, who determines what's reasonable? In some places a
clothesline in the back yard is considered an eyesore!

As it stands I’m left to what ever I can cram into the attic
and nothing higher than the top of the roof on my single story
ranch.

Well, it's a buyer's market now....

---

Besides pushing Congress, one of the things I think we hams could do
to help the process is to never refer to amateur radio as "a hobby" or
even worse, "just a hobby". While most hams do radio simply as an
avocation, IMHO the word "hobby" carries with it a sort of meaning
that it's not a serious thing worthy of protection.

You'll never hear folks who do sports or art nonprofessionally refer
to those activities as "just a hobby". Nor will the term be used by
volunteers who donate their time and efforts to a variety of causes.

IOW, "hobbies" don't get the kind of respect we want amateur radio to
have. If we hams describe amateur radio as "just a hobby", the folks
who want to restrict us may think "well, if they say it's just a
hobby, what's the problem with a few restrictions?" and "there are all
sorts of hobbies that these homes don't accomodate, like raising
horses, target shooting, or pleasure boating with a boat that won't
fit in the garage. What's different about your radio hobby?"

You can be sure the satellite TV people pushing for the OTARD ruling
never, ever referred to watching TV as "a hobby", even though their
viewers don't get paid to watch TV.

73 de Jim, N2EY


If I could only put up a few supports and a 35’ vertical, what a
difference it would make.