How about these beans.

[Talk Host]

One of responsibilities of Amateur (Ham) radio operators is to assist with communications in Local, State and National emergencies. In order to do that, the Federal Government allows operators to construct necessary antennas and support systems for them.

Recently, a licensed ham who lives in a deed restricted community applied for a permit to erect a 50 foot tower for his antenna. His application was denied.

He erected the tower anyway. The governing body sought legal action to have him remove it. Turns out that local law ordinance or restriction never supercedes federal authority. It appears that hams have the federal authority to construct such towers as long as they don't exceed the guidelines set down by the FCC. Those guidlines only limit the height.

Think about it for a minute. What if there were a disaster in or around the Villages and the hams were not able to meet their obligation for assistance because they were forbidden to have such towers, unsightly as some think they are.

[SteveFromNY]

unsightly as some think they are.

Perhaps not being a ham, I don't appreciate their beauty, but are you implying some folks might find these antennas beautiful?
I never cared one way or the other about what people put on their cars or houses for communication, long as it wasn't on my house. That said, I'm not sure I'd like the look of a neighborhood where everybody had a large antenna on their home. Imagine a neighborhood full of those old 10' satellite dishes that some folks used to have, all on their front lawns.
But for the number of hams that seem to be out there, it's ok by me. What are we talking, 1 in 50 homes maybe?

[Talk Host]

Perhaps not being a ham, I don't appreciate their beauty, but are you implying some folks might find these antennas beautiful?
I never cared one way or the other about what people put on their cars or houses for communication, long as it wasn't on my house. That said, I'm not sure I'd like the look of a neighborhood where everybody had a large antenna on their home. Imagine a neighborhood full of those old 10' satellite dishes that some folks used to have, all on their front lawns.
But for the number of hams that seem to be out there, it's ok by me. What are we talking, 1 in 50 homes maybe?


How is it that my point was so completely missed? :o

[SteveFromNY]

How is it that my point was so completely missed? :o


Uh, what was your point? :dontknow:

[SteveFromNY]

Actually, I thought about it a minute, and think I see your point. It seems to really have nothing to do with antennas after all. But rather to do with the value amatuer radio enthusiasts add to disaster scenario.
Can you describe what kind of situations hams would help in? Are you talking post-disaster communications? Like for passing the word that the food trucks will be at such-and-such with water and food?
I'm not being a wise guy but seriously curious about where the hams would fit as part of the overall disaster response/follow-up.

[Boomer]

Actually, I thought about it a minute, and think I see your point. It seems to really have nothing to do with antennas after all. But rather to do with the value amatuer radio enthusiasts add to disaster scenario.
Can you describe what kind of situations hams would help in? Are you talking post-disaster communications? Like for passing the word that the food trucks will be at such-and-such with water and food?
I'm not being a wise guy but seriously curious about where the hams would fit as part of the overall disaster response/follow-up.


Hi Steve,

I know you asked Jan and I am sure he will follow up, but I thought I would throw in my limited knowledge.

In a disaster, hams can end up being the only ones who can communicate with the outside.

Boomer

[SteveFromNY]

BBB, thanks for the insight.

So in recent disasters, did hams play a part? Katrina, the 2007 tornado, 9/11? I am unaware of any involvement they had.
Again, not in any way being negative, just asking the question. It's very possible, even likely, these folks added significant value to one or more aspects of recovering from these disasters and I am just oblivious (as I am about so much).

[Talk Host]

In most of those disasters, hams were the only source of communication. They meet weekly and practice monthly in order to be ready for such situations. In the recent tornado outbreak in the Villages, local hams were instrumental in coordination with police, fire, the red cross and other resuce agencies. The ham licenses are issued, in part, to preserve that emergency readiness.

Regardless of all of that, my point was about local deed restrictions being called into question in several arenas. For example the recent discussion about political candidates being allowed to visit door to door.

[SteveFromNY]

OK, got it. :bigthumbsup:

[Boomer]

Hi Steve,

I just know what Mr. Boomer has told me. He is getting his ham license soon. He was the radio man on his Army SF team long, long ago. I think back in those days that was probably one big radio he carried on his back. When we were dating, I remember that he would tap out impolite messages on his car horn if someone misbehaved in traffic. So Morse code can come in pretty handy for that, too. - H-m-m-m-m, probably on Morse Blvd. Uh oh, there are enough old military guys in that place that there could end up being big knock-down-drag-out fights because those guys will understand the code.

Mr. Boomer is not home right now, but if he were I could tell you far more than you ever wanted to know about radios, sunspots, all kinds of stuff. He did flood rescue in the Philippines and some other stuff that maybe if he told me he would have to kill me so I don't know.

As I understand it during the tornado last year in TV, the hams were called in. Cell tower communication jams quickly in a disaster and land lines are often down.

There is a ham that lives a few miles from us. Mr. Boomer will drive out of his way to drive past and admire all the antennas this guy has in his yard. It has to be a fortune. It is an antenna farm. But this guy has acreage. Even though Mr. Boomer is my favorite person in the whole wide world, we will not be having a big ol' antenna in our yard. (Sometimes women just ruin things. Don't they?)

[Peggy D]

It just shows an abuse of power and ignorance by some individuals.

Know the law before you set restrictions.

Glad the ham operator won

[bimmertl]

"In most of those disasters, hams were the only source of communication".

Hard to believe. I assume you can back that statement up with some news reports from somewhere. I don't recall ever hearing or reading that anywhere.

[tony]

I can back that up from personal experience.

I was one of three volunteer members of a jump team that went into St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., the day after Hurricane Hugo. I had colleagues who were waiting to go into Charleston.

Within 45 minutes of landing, or an airplane we had to privately charter, my team established the only communications the islands had for quite some time. We worked for the Red Cross, but served almost exclusively for the Virgin Islands Territory Emergency Management Agency, the counterpart to what we know as FEMA on the mainland.

We communicated on a high frequency band with all parts of the mainland at various times of the day as the band allowed, seeking emergency supplies and communications equipment. We also communicated via data connections through our ham radios. One higher frequencies we passed traffic from St. Thomas to Puerto Rico.

All our communicationing was done on our own equipment, none supplied by the Red Cross or VITEMA.

The island people were very appreciative, and it was quite rewarding for my two teammates and me. I heard the same from hands who volunteered in other areas in the Hugo disaster and also in later disasters.

I could go on for pages on our activities, but that is why we were there, to do what needed to be done.

For information on other disaster relief by hams, check arrl.org and hunt around that site. Also, you an ask the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) to set up a speaker for one of your groups meetings. One things hams like to do is talk. :)

Here's one link I could find quickly.
http://www.arrl.org/pio/press_releases/2007/0926b.html

[Boomer]

"In most of those disasters, hams were the only source of communication".

Hard to believe. I assume you can back that statement up with some news reports from somewhere. I don't recall ever hearing or reading that anywhere.




This is for our doubting bimmertl,

http://www.ares.org/

Oh no....I think I'm giving homework again. I really must stop.

Boomer

[villages07]

I can appreciate the value that ham operators can bring to an emergency situation. But, I would also not want to be looking out my lanai at a large ugly antenna tower. Seems like there could and should be a happy middle ground here....why can't the anntenna/towers be located in unobtrusive public/common areas? why should a ham operator want to and be allowed to erect an antenna on their property within a deed restricted community?

[Russ_Boston]

I think V07 gets to the point of Jan's question.

Can TV realistically expect its restrictions to be upheld over the the benefit of having a ham or two within TV?

My opinion would be that in today's world and the advent of wireless phones that we could feel relatively confident that we could do without the security blanket of hams within a community like TV. Now if we had some disaster like the television series Jericho (nukes in USA) then all bets are off except hams. But I'll take my chances that this never happens.

Sorry Jan - my opinion only.
Russ

[redwitch]

Semi-off point. Jan, did you ever get your arrow flying for your antennae?

[Boomer]

--Remember the old days of getting that "all circuits are busy" message on your land line phones? Cell phones jam, too. My guess is in a disaster they would jam pretty quickly because everybody has one, usually at all times. There are a lot of people sharing the same radio frequencies. Hams have access to different frequencies.

And I really would not worry about big antennas and towers suddenly appearing in yards in TV. The TV hams, I am sure, had you covered during the tornado last year. There are setups in place for emergencies.

crap

And please do not worry if Mr. Boomer and I end up moving in next door to you. In a post above I talked about the antenna farm that he so admires when he drives past. The guy even has a ham shack. (I bet his wife makes him live in it.) You should see these antennas. He must be trying to contact ET. But we would never erect an antenna, not here, not there. Hams are resourceful types. They figure it out.

I have been wondering if the TV hams ever take their golf carts out on fox hunts.

[Talk Host]

Semi-off point. Jan, did you ever get your arrow flying for your antennae?


No, but I did build a giant slinghot that works perfectly. ;D ;D

[tony]

Russ,

Cell phones are the first technology to fail in a widespread emergency. In fact, I am not sure, but I think they can be shut down and allowed to serve only those chosen. Maybe. Somebody who knows more has to inform us here.

The "party line" flavor of ham radio also helps; each point does not have to be contacted individually. One call can go out to all to see who can help. That worked wonders for us in St. Thomas.

There are ways to make antennas and towers inconspicuous, or at least as inobtrusive as possible.

[Russ_Boston]

Tony - Nice to know. I always thought of it as more of a hobby but i can see the use in an emergency.

[tony]

Ohhhhh. Make no mistake. It is a fun, wonderful, geeky hobby. It's like kinda keeping the radio warm between emergencies.

That's when we make fantastic friends from all over the world, and learn a lot about geography.

A buddy of mine turned into best friends with a middle eastern king, including visits back and forth to stay at each other's place.