
Amateur Radio Parity Act Passes in the US House of Representatives - AstroJetson
http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-parity-act-passes-in-the-us-house-of-representatives
======
AstroJetson
This is to give hams some leverage over HOA/COA to be allowed to put up
antennas. This will also help with some communities that have not allowed
antennas, even with the FCC coverage. It's a huge expense / pain to go to lots
of zoning hearings.

Lots of hams put up HF towers and beams now days. On the other hand lots of
hams also use hidden antennas or something like a vertical that's not as
obtrusive. The ability to put up something that's small or not obtrusive is a
big win for people living in HOA's.

The existing ham base is excited for two reason, one it gives new hams the
chance to put antennas up. The other is as hams move into retirement
communities that have a HOA/COA they can still be part of the hobby.

The ARRL is amazing, it's not "just a hobby" to them. They have been working
on this for years and they have been very diligent about keeping on top of
this. As a ham, I've helped by sending letters to my congress people.

Someone mentioned frequency assignments, the ARRL guards ours like a mother
bear watching cubs. They have successfully fought off multiple attempts across
decades. We have also gotten some new band access, those efforts have been
appreciated.

While the vote passed by a voice vote in the House, the Senate isn't a done
deal. It would be possible for an amendment to be added that will kill it off.
If you are a ham send a letter/email to your Senator, we can still use all the
help we can muster.

------
jMyles
Is there a Ham radio comeback happening right now? I'm hearing about it more
and more. Can anyone recommend a post or series of posts about the process of
obtaining the license?

~~~
wepple
I'm actually also very intrigued as to how ARRL seem to wield so much
influence. Don't get me wrong, I'm currently studying to get my technician
license and think it's great, but the privileges and allowances given to hams
seems to be fairly out of sync with the benefits in many ways.

Coming into it as a newbie, I noticed there was a bit of a reputation for it
being predominantly old white guys having a bit of a chat and a fair bit of a
whinge on the airwaves. I'd like to say I haven't seen that myself, but can't.

~~~
superuser2
The allowances made for hackers and amateurs in both radio and aviation are
pretty incredible. If either of those things were invented today, there's no
way the amateur radio or private pilot licensing programs would exist.

Food for thought. We have these programs because the hacker/maker/tinkerer
community was at one point pretty good at lobbying. We'll lose them if we
don't keep up.

------
mtreis86
If I am reading the bill correctly, this effectively prevents HOA's from
forcing antennas to be taken down?

~~~
themartorana
I've always found those restrictions interesting. No satellite dishes, no
antennas, etc. If these antennas get a pass, does the satellite TV industry
immediately lobby for similar treatment?

~~~
techsupporter
Mini dish satellite systems (and OTA antennas) already have that rule:
[https://www.fcc.gov/media/over-air-reception-devices-
rule](https://www.fcc.gov/media/over-air-reception-devices-rule)

------
Tempest1981
The proposed law still says "non-intrusive antennas" \-- I wonder who defines
that. (I didn't read the bill.)

It passed the House by a voice vote. Does that imply smooth sailing through
the Senate?

------
hyperpallium
> Hurricane Sandy brought down the power grid, and “we saw all the advanced
> communications we take for granted…completely fall by the wayside.” Ham
> radio volunteers provided real-time communication in the storm’s wake

This will sound so alarmist, but ham radio would also be useful if someone
took down the internet
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12491084](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12491084)

------
Animats
Hams already had the right to put up antennae despite local ordnances. Federal
law preempts local law on this. This new bill just extends that to planned
unit developments with private covenants and restrictions.

But really, who puts up HF towers and beams any more?

~~~
jimhefferon
> who puts up HF towers and beams any more?

Physics doesn't change. If you want to hear better, and to be better heard, a
high-quality antenna is your first go-to.

------
Overtonwindow
Finally!!! I support this.

