[TowerTalk] Re: Tower legal battles

[KG4QDZ]

Well, one of the reasons for looking to move is the antenna regs here. As
someone else mentioned about getting sucked into cell tower regs, they did
that here. It talks about commercial towers and antennas and how to permit
it, then goes on to say NO towers greater than 25 ft and NO transmitting
antennas otherwise.

Had the local ARRL atty (and asst. sec. mgr for legal here ) look at it and
he said "yup, you can't put anything up - I'll make a few calls". He made A
call and said he thought he knew the city atty here... yada yada....
Anyway, I then tried to tell him what kind of thing I wanted (it was
modest - maybe a 40' tower, house bracketed, etc, and my roofline is at 25')
and that I didn't want to make a big fight, he said he thought it was
do-able and then disappeared....

I had the ARRL SM check on it and ask if he would rather someone else handle
it and he said no, he'd do it. It's been many months, maybe even a year or
more, and still no answer after multiple attempts to contact him.

Now, why not take on city hall? I don't have the $$$, the neighbors had
already voiced their ignorance and objections to such things before I became
a ham, and I have push up poles stretching the limits now on the deck. I'm
gonna have to stay below anyone's radar, lest they decide to pull my
'tranmitting antennas'. I know when the odds are against me....

I understand the concerns about a list of 'good places' for hams. All better
thought out than my original. Perhaps we develop a list of really bad places
only..... And we publicize it, and we point out all the good things that ham
radio does during emergencies.... and then suggest that if an area doesn't
want our expertice and skill, don't expect it when things go bad!!

There are a lot of outside agencies and groups that make use of us - red
cross, city parades, marathons, disaster agencies, National Weather Service,
etc. They all have a mostly non-ham membership, but between all of them,
they probably cut through a majority of the population, or at least a very
big number. Why don't we (ARRL included) enlist them in a formal way to
support OUR NEEDS? If the Red Cross, Salvation Army, the local Fire Dept,
NWS, this club and that club (maybe even the mayor is in one of them) that
use us show up and support changes to allow antennas, they might
listen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone from ARRL here??? How about this grass-roots campaign??? It would
certainly support the work at the national level.... How about including it
in the DOU with each org that's signed??? How about getting each SM on it???

Sorry for the rant, BP must be up now :-(

73, Skip