Brian, K3KO wrote: These things are great in concept. However, a large amount of the stealth is lost in the 6 months of site prep and erection of them. Thye would be fine if they just grew overnight.
------------------------------- True, however it's not "stealth" but "esthetics" the structures are designed to address. The idea is for them to become invisible in the environment. Yes, we need a lower-cost solution for Hams (perhaps a gigantic "fake Christmas tree"?). It would be entertaining to see a Ham take on a Homeowner's association saying that if he can't have his "tree" in the yard, the neighbors all need to remove their trees. I believe that argument has been successful with flagpole antennas in communities where many people have flagpoles. The old forest of poles, wires and TV antennas we used to live with years ago weren't pretty. It's good to see them gone. Now the challenge is to find suitable alternatives other than indoor antennas. My solution has been to live in nice close-knit communities, but only in those that do not have an association who dictates such things. Then I'm careful to erect antennas that are difficult to consider an eyesore. And here on the Oregon coast in tsunami and earthquake country and where we get pummeled by storms with 100+ MPH winds most winters, I've found that being involved in our community emergency response team (CERT) via RACES has cemented my value as the "neighborhood Ham". Me and my antenna are considered an important community asset. When I arrived here two years ago there was just myself and one other inactive licensee. Now, after working with my radios and meeting neighbors during our regular CERT training exercises, there are four of us active in our little community of about 150 homes. Isn't that how Amateur Radio has survived and thrived since it was first officially recognized? Ron AC7AC ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
