[TowerTalk] High VSWR

[jimlux]

On 9/3/19 10:42 AM, Doug Ronald wrote:
> People would show up at every hearing, and there were four hearings, and say things like: "I don't want ANYTHING manmade in my view shed!".  Another couple some 2.5 miles away line-of-sight, would show up and demand that the county not allow anything like this to be permitted. From my site, the county required that I fly a helium filled weather balloon at 100 feet after which we all went around to the various "neighbors" locations to see how visible the balloon was. The clowns 2.5 miles away had no chance of even seeing the antenna ever.


Viewshed protection is a big deal in California, particularly along the 
coasts.   There were lessons learned from the 70s and 80s when 
development occurred everywhere right up and over ridgelines and such. 
There were some egregious failures in planning and so, in the usual way, 
the pendulum swings way towards the other end.  A lot depends on land 
values, of course - I suspect it's easier (but still a pain) to get 
permitted in more obscure locations (central coast, south of Big Sur, 
perhaps) than in popular areas (you're not going to be able to build a 
big house on a visible ridgeline or mountaintop in Malibu).

After all, not everyone can be like Hearst back in the late 1800s, and 
just buy all the land within sight of your house (or campsite, back then)


California, Oregon, Washington and Maine all have laws requiring 
municipalities and counties to consider these kinds of things in coastal 
areas.  Many cities (including Paris France) have building height limits.


So, while that mountain top site overlooking the Pacific Ocean may be 
attractive for working JA (or P5<grin>) building a big tower may not be 
possible.