I'm afraid I have to side with K3AIR. Homeowners associations are not good
for amateur radio. His case is one that helps prove the point. If you don't
want the HOA to ban your activity you better be on the HOA board. If I
liked sitting through meetings and telling other people what they could or
couldn't do I might like to spend my time on an HOA board. However, I like
to contest, work DX, build antennas & towers, engage in public service
activities and just sit and talk to folks on the radio. Luckily I bought a
home over 20 years ago in about the last place in town without deed
restrictions and CC&R's. If I move again, I know it will have to be into
the country where I can build towers if I want. Even if I have to start my
own development. Only CC&R there would be "no homeowners association"! The
last ting I want or need is someone telling my what color to paint my house
or telling me I have to park my car in the garage or , as someone
mentioned, NO POWER TOOLS. How could a self respecting DIY ham submit to that?
No I don't think Nazis is an appropriate term, but I can't think of another
term near strong enough to describe these people. So I vote to let it stand.
>I have done my homework ... after all, I am vice-president of
>the homeowners' association for the community in which I live.
>All I'm saying is that K3AIR's painting of all homeowners'
>associations as "Nazis" is offensive and wrong.
>
>I happen to agree that the FCC should have preempted antenna
>restrictions for amateur radio just as they did for direct
>broadcast (satellite) television. In fact, I believe that the
>ARRL screwed up when they asked the Commission to extend the
>preemption rather than picking an easy test case and going to
>the courts using the existing preemption. I also believe that
>Congress should legislate the pre-emption since the Commission
>seems to lack the balls to do their job right.
>
>That said, there are many homeowners' associations that have
>ceased to function, no longer enforce the CC&Rs, or which can
>not enforce the CC&Rs because they have failed to enforce them
>consistently. That some associations have gone overboard does
>not make all HOAs bad any more than all amateur towers are bad
>simply because some amateurs overload or fail to install them
>properly.
>
>73,
>
> ... Joe, K4IK
Jim Rhodes K0XU
jim@rhodesend.net
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