Hamvention: Answer Man Part Two:

eHam.net News — It seems to me that amateur radio operators, or Hams such as will shortly be attending the Hamvention, are largely unnoticed in their home communities – as they are around here. After all, Hams are just ordinary people living their ordinary lives like our other friends and neighbors. The difference is that they are involved in a well-disciplined hobby that may well have an impact on lotsa folks’ lives – because of Hams’ involvement in public service and safety. Okay, there are a couple of indicators a Ham may be living in your neighborhood. One is a parked vehicle displaying vanity license plates with an unusual combination of letters and numbers such as N8YGS or K8YDP which are “call signs” identifying an amateur radio operator. And check for one or more antennas that don’t look as if they came with the vehicle. Another clue might be mast or tower mounted arrangements of metal rods and perhaps some wires. One such assembly might look somewhat like a TV antenna, but others certainly don’t. Nope, these are amateur radio antennas. Such antennas have been the source of controversy in some cities and “covenant” communities which have levied such severe restrictions on amateur radio antennas as to effectively ban them – thus prohibiting Hams from exercising their federally-issued licenses. Fortunately for amateur radio, federal and state authorities have stepped in requiring “reasonable accommodation” for Hams’ antennas – citing the vital role amateur radio has in emergency and disaster situations. Oh, there are still restrictions and zoning requirements, but for the most part, these are reasonable.

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