Years ago, when I worked at an FM radio station (and this was long before
PRB-1, incidentally), a local amateur had a problem getting his tower zoned.
(Actually, he had been issued a permit, and then it got pulled on him, but
that's another story).
The local club put out the word, and a lot of us showed up at the first
zoning hearing in support of his appeal.
Unfortunately, there was a ham (very inactive) on the zoning board. This
ham declared that a wire dipole or a simple vertical was all you needed to
work people, and he didn't see the need for a tower or a beam.
To make a long story short, the appeal was ultimately denied.
So... the enemies of many external antenna systems are many, their reasons
are diverse, and some of them are amongst us.
While I see Rob's point, sometimes circumstances are such that a "sneak"
antenna may be the only way to go to avoid these kinds of hassles. And I
don't like it much either, but such is life when some people feel that they
have to micromanage other's lives for them.
All that being said... I wonder why no one has marketed a flag pole antenna,
using a hollow fiberglass pole, a solid copper wire in the center, and the
equivalent of a screwdriver antenna (the rotating inductor) safely hidden
internally at the base. You'd think there'd be a market for this. But that
is probably a discussion for an antenna related forum... and I thank you for
permitting the distraction here...
73, ron w3wn
-----Original Message-----
From: tentec-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com]
On Behalf Of Rob Atkinson
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2010 2:54 PM
To: tentec@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TenTec] OT: Indoor antenna
I think it is a real shame that things have reached the point where we
hams have to put up these sneak antennas, as if we are doing something
illegal, or operating spy stations in enemy terretory.
The ham magazines just about every month run articles about hams who
are so happy with their hidden stealth antennas which I believe only
gives lawyers more evidence to use in court when they are going after
some poor ham who has dared to put up a decent antenna and his town is
going after him to get it down.
If you have a high profile dipole way up in the air and you are happy
and you wind up in court and the other side lays out all these
magazine articles about how this or that ham got WAS with his secret
night time telescoping antenna or hidden wire under his eaves, or
closet slinky and how he's just delighted working everything he can
hear, he's going to have a hard time convincing a non-technical judge
that those antennas are unsatisfactory and his high dipole, or quad,
or beam are really needed.
If a ham has to get by with a stealth antenna okay, but the magazines
(CQ, QST and Electric Radio as far as I know) ought not to portray
these antennas as highly satisfying.
my opinion and worth what you paid for it.
Rob
K5UJ
_______________________________________________
TenTec mailing list
TenTec@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
_______________________________________________
TenTec mailing list
TenTec@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
|