[TowerTalk] TowerTalk is old enough to drink!

[Dick's]

Just a comment about “Up The Tower” by Steve- I am so glad I bought that book before my tower installation. Besides all the advice he gave, he also gave the pros and cons about getting a permit from the local government before construction. I decided to go ahead and obtain a permit, so no neighbors in my subdivision would have a future valid complaint about it. 

The process of getting the permit took months because I was initially denied the permit. They said that the County didn’t have any rules concerning ham radio towers (legally known as “antenna support structures”). I told them that (1) since it wasn’t addressed, they had no right to deny me as I was not violating any written rule, and that (2) the County was violating both Federal and State guidelines where they could not unreasonably deny me a permit for a structure less than 90’ high. They still refused to budge.

It was at this time I sought the pro-bono help of a local attorney who had volunteered through ARRL. It took a couple of additional months, but that attorney convinced the County’s attorney of how embarrassing it would become if they were taken to court, just like a recent case he won against an adjacent county.

Bottom line- I was the only ham in my County who ever had applied for a permit to put up a tower and now it has paved the way for others.

Dick, K0CAT