[Boatanchors] Antenna Vandals Caught

Wed, 19 Mar 2003 19:59:56 -0500

Duane, I can ab-so-lutely understand in what you are caught up.  I only wish I had your
problem (the "L" shaped property).

    I happen to live in a row home (if you are looking for more money, or status, one
refers to them as "townhouses"); In other words, one house butts up against another on
either side, unless one is lucky enough to live at one or the other end of the row, in
which case one has a side yard, and a nice place to erect a tower.

Unfortunately, I live in the middle of the row, and had a TERRIBLE time attempting to get
an antenna up. We DO NOT have a neighborhood council, a residents association ("Village
Soviets") nor deed restrictions. That being said, when I put my GAP Titan up, I obtained
permission from the neighbor 2 doors down and up from my property to attach guy ropes to
existing old TV roof tripod mounts on their property. I also used the permission to
install an inverted Vee (what they don't know won't hurt them). I also made darn sure that
the counterpoise was supported and held elevated with additional dacron ties at each
corner, to make sure I didn't violate the neighbor's roof (LOL). I had written statements
from 3 roofing contractors, plus my lawyer that I was not trespassing, nor infringing on
their property, as, of course, the counterpoise is about 5' above roof level, and not much
crosses the line (I had to mount the pipe on the sewer vent stub). I also have, on the
vent stub for the kitchen, a 20' pipe with a Diamond Discone Omni for 6&2. All of these
antennas are used for both regular ham activity, as well as Navy-Marine Corps MARS.

    I would imagine you have figured out what happened, with all the shrill screams and
gnashing of teeth of the neighbor on the port side (LOL). I have been accused of
TVI/RFI/Kidnapping of the Lindbergh Baby/Kidnapping Elizabeth Smart/conspiring with Robert
Blake/littering/voter fraud/etc. etc.

    The most amusing aspect of the whole thing was a complaint that I was "violating her
phone" which I laugh at the mental picture of what the complaint infers. She also claimed
that my communications procedure consisted of "Greg Here, Greg Here, is Anyone Out There?"
repeated over and over. What a hoot!!! The best part is she had her husband call (no way
she would ever confront me, as I fear she believes that I am some sort of terrorist, being
a Federal Firearms Licence (FFL) holder as a "Collector of Curios and Relics", and I am
sure she thinks that I have a bunker with at least 16" Naval Guns hidden somewhere.  At
any rate, when I recieved the call, I couldn't do anything but laugh, and invite the
husband to see how I was interfering, considering all the coax connectors were
disconnected at the exterior surge arrestors, and it would be a pretty good trick to
transmit in this fashion.  Would you believe that this STILL wouldn't convince this
idjit??????? I even had some interference coordinators out, and recieved a clean bill of
health, from everyone, including the Power Company and Ma Bell ooooops Ma Verizon, who
were more interested in watching me work CW than anything else.
    Anyhow, the thing is a strained peace, and since all the "Visiting Firemen" showed up
(Yup, had them too. might as well have them check with their portable units--hi--.). There
is a grudging acceptance, and even a moderately friendly overture to send a MARSGRAM to a
relative "Somewhere across the world".
    I do hope you sue the heck out of the darn squatters, and get some recovery for the
damage they caused.
73  de Greg WA3IVX / NNN0BVN

WBob wrote:

> Duane..
>
> GET A LAWYER. NOW. The clock is running and the more you delay the harder it will be.
> Police are not the answer as they only will investigate a CRIME. The crime was fraud
> perpretrated by the realtor. Take all of the proof and go to the District Attorney
> along with your lawyer and file a complaint of fraud. The attorney will probably
> advise you to sue the home owner as they are the ones that did you damage. It is up to
> them to sue the realtor that did them damage.
>
> WBob
>
> Duane Fischer, W8DBF wrote:
> >
> > This is going to read like a Ripley Believe It Or Not, so take two aspirin and
> > get a coffee, tea or softdrink.
> >
> > When I sold my late parent's property in December 1998, I kept the back 360 feet
> > of the 660 feet total depth. My property intersects that land at a right angle.
> > Hence, my lot is a 'L'. On this property was a 12X14 shed on a poured concrete
> > slab. Beside it was a forty foot heavy duty TV tower sunk in concrete and side
> > mounted to the wooden shed. I owned the land from the shed twenty feet to the
> > west, after that it belonged to the new owners. Never a problem. Duly registered
> > and recorded with the County.
> >
> > They moved and sold the house. The new woman moved in last December.
> >
> > The realtor told her she owned the land with the woods and the shed. He gave her
> > a key to the shed. (The prior owners never had a key to my shed, so they could
> > not possibly have given one to the realtor.)
> >
> > On February 28, 2003 her 21 year old boyfriend pulled my antennas down with his
> > quadwheeler. I heard it happen, but you have to see it happen! Now is that
> > discrimination or what? I filed a police report, accusing nobody. Because there
> > were no suspects, a detective was never assigned. Basically, it died right
> > there.
> >
> > Today a friend was out back cutting tree branches out of the woods to put the
> > new antennas up. The woman approached him and asked what he was doing, so he
> > told her. She was quite shocked to learn she did not own the property!
> >
> > She admitted to me that her boyfriend had ripped the 'cables' down with his
> > quadwheeler. They were preparing to pull down my tower next! They had taken my
> > Allis Chalmers yard tractor already from the shed, gotten into the safe and so
> > forth. I showed her the deed, title and property description. Then I called the
> > police.
> >
> > The realtor cut my lock off the shed, replaced it and gave her a key. I showed
> > the police my keys, the battery for the yard tractor which was in the utility
> > room for the Winter and so forth. Now the police know me and it was not long
> > before an officer showed up here with photocopies of the property descriptions,
> > including the survey drawings when I divided the land in 1998. I had already
> > called the township office and got that arranged. I also had the original
> > realtor who sold the house for me here with copies of the bank work, survey
> > report and so forth. There was absolutely no question that I owned the property
> > and the shed!
> >
> > Now ten days after they bought the house, they claim the backpart of the roof
> > fell in. So they already had a lawsuit going against the realtor who sold them
> > the house. This is especially strange, as I replaced the roof in November 1998!
> > There is no way it should have fallen in. The people who sold the house I know,
> > and are totally honest folks. They knew who owned the shed and where the
> > property line was. That was part of the original deal when I sold them the
> > property. As I said, they never had a key to that shed.
> >
> > The police told me that I could do nothing about what the new owners had done,
> > because the realtor had deceived them. Hence they thought it was their property,
> > thus there was no criminal intent on their part. I had to sue the realtor for
> > damages.
> >
> > I told the police that a person is responsible to know their property boundries,
> > and it was not my problem if they could not read or understand a deed, title or
> > abstract. Which clearly showed it was not their land or their shed. Made no
> > difference. They still willfully or accidentally, broke into my shed, took my
> > personal property, destroyed my antenna systems and violated the heck out of my
> > privacy. Yet the police could do nothing about it. It was not even considered as
> > trespassing, as they thought they owned the land! The people are not liable to
> > pay for any damages and my only recourse is to file a lawsit against the realtor
> > who allegedly deceived them.
> >
> > As I was typing this, the original people I sold the house to called and
> > verified they never told the realtor the shed was on the property, they even
> > showed him where the stake was where the land ended. Even though I had the
> > property surveyed prior to selling it, the new owner did it again to be sure the
> > land ended at the right place, and it did. Twenty feet due west of the shed
> > where the tower is attached.
> >
> > Another wonderful example of how one can be totally innocent and get the royal
> > shaft. Well, at least I now know for absolute certain who destroyed my forty and
> > eighty meter antenna systems. Not that it is going to make any difference -
> >
> > Duane W8DBF
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > [email protected]
> > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/boatanchors
> >
> >
>
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