[South Florida DX Association] Re: [FLham] Re: [PBC ARES] RE:Palm Beach County antenna zoning

[Paul Toth-NA4AR]

Sherri....

This is important information for everyone in Florida as well as the rest of
the country.  DTV is bringing with it some exciting new options and
opportunities for the viewing public.  These new opportunities, though, also
come with some new challenges that Amateur radio operators are particularly
adept at addressing.

The February 17th cutover (that is 11:59 PM on 02/17/2009 for clarification)
is NOT an apples for apples proposition.  Nearly all TV broadcasters are
being forced to sacrifice up to eighty percent of their Effective Radiated
Power (ERP) when they go digital.  That will severely impact the users of
indoor antennas as well as rural TV viewers who currently live in "fringe
signal areas".  Outdoor antennas, often called Over The Air Receiving
Devices or OTARDs will be crucial for receiving DTV signals.  If you have
read PRB-1 or the matching State law, you will remember there is specific
language that defines what an OTARD is and how high one can be placed above
the roofline of any building, even if property deed restrictions are in
place. The HOA Nazis will find the OTARD provision most irritating.  But it
is the law!

Many TV viewers will also find it necessary to re-orient any outdoor
antennas currently in place because Channel XX's DTV transmitter is not
located at the same tower site as their analog transmitter is.  In the
TampaBay market, this is true for WMOR (32) currently located in Polk County
and WXPX (66) currently located in Manatee County.  Their respective DTV
transmitters (19 and 42) will operate from a tower in Riverview
(Hillsborough County) and both with lower ERPs than their analog stations.
We also have an existing DTV channel (24) operated by WTSP from SW Pasco
County that will move almost sixty miles to a site in Manatee County and
become WWSB-DT.

Check out this FCC webpage for detailed DTV information for stations in your
area http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/audio/tvq.html .

Finally, I would encourage you and everyone to make yourself and any
organized Amateur Radio group you may represent known to your local Society
of Broadcast Engineers Chapter in your area.  A list of chapters nationwide
can be found at http://www.sbe.org/Chapters_by_State.php.  Local SBE
Chapters and their members are at the heart of the DTV cutover.

73 de Paul-NA4AR

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sherri Brower" <w4stb at bellsouth.net>
To: "AI4WM" <de.ai4wm at gmail.com>
Cc: <wa4zlw at arrl.net>; "SFDXA" <SFDXA at mailman.qth.net>; "K1CE Rick Palm"
<k1ce at cfl.rr.com>; <brara at yahoogroups.com>; "ARRL SFL Section"
<memberlist at www.arrl.org>; "Dave Messinger" <dmessing at pbcgov.org>; "Pitts,
Allen W1AGP" <w1agp at arrl.org>; <pbcares at yahoogroups.com>; "Frank London"
<frankandina at hotmail.com>; "FLHam" <flham at mailman.qth.net>; "Victor Kieffer"
<vkieffer3 at bellsouth.net>; "Maurice Dake" <mldake at comcast.net>;
<soflahams at yahoo.com>; <jtrg at yahoogroups.com>; <list at k4fau.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2008 11:31 AM
Subject: Re: [South Florida DX Association] Re: [FLham] Re: [PBC ARES]
RE:Palm Beach County antenna zoning


> Florida has had a law that mirrors PRB-1 since 1991.
>
> I believe we were one of the first states to have one.
> See below
>
> 125.561  Amateur radio antennas; construction in conformance with
> federal requirements.--
>
> (1)  No county shall enact or enforce any ordinance or regulation which
> fails to conform to the limited preemption entitled "Amateur Radio
> Preemption, 101 FCC 2d 952 (1985)" as issued by the Federal
> Communications Commission. Any ordinance or regulation adopted by a
> county with respect to amateur radio antennas shall conform to the
> above-cited limited preemption, which states that local regulations
> which involve placement, screening, or height of antennas based on
> health, safety, or aesthetic considerations must be crafted to
> reasonably accommodate amateur communications, and to represent the
> minimum practicable regulation to accomplish the local authority's
> legitimate purpose.
>
> (2)  Nothing in this section shall affect any applicable provisions of
> chapter 333.
>
> History.--s. 1, ch. 91-28.
>
> Note.--Former s. 125.0185.
>
> 166.0435  Amateur radio antennas; construction in conformance with
> federal requirements.--
>
> (1)  No municipality shall enact or enforce any ordinance or regulation
> which fails to conform to the limited preemption entitled "Amateur Radio
> Preemption, 101 FCC 2d 952 (1985)" as issued by the Federal
> Communications Commission. Any ordinance or regulation adopted by a
> municipality with respect to amateur radio antennas shall conform to the
> above cited limited preemption, which states that local regulations
> which involve placement, screening, or height of antennas based on
> health, safety, or aesthetic considerations must be crafted to
> reasonably accommodate amateur communications, and to represent the
> minimum practicable regulation to accomplish the local authority's
> legitimate purpose.
>
> (2)  Nothing in this section shall effect any applicable provisions of
> chapter 333.
>
> History.--s. 2, ch. 91-28.
>
> Sherri Brower, W4STB
> ARRL Southern FL Section Manager
>
>
> AI4WM wrote:
> > The problem is that PRB-1 has no teeth.  Never did and probably never
> > will.  What FL needs is a statute like PA just passed or what VA has
> > had.  Their statutes dictate what  CAN be done.  We hams need to work
> > more with our state legislators and get better legislation rather than
> > the vagueness from PRB-1.
> >
> > Besides all this should come from the FCC who should be, but usually
> > has been shirking their responsibilities, responsible for radio law
> > enforcement.
> >
> > 73,
> > Bill
> > AI4WM
> >
> > On Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at 11:45 AM, Leon D. Zetekoff
> > <wa4zlw at backwoodswireless.net> wrote:
> >
> >> Warren...check with the folks at league HQ and get their reaction. I
used to
> >> live in Boca, I feel your pain.
> >>
> >> 73 Leon wa4zlw
> >>
> >> Warren Rothberg wrote:
> >>
> >>> Yes, I have done all that. Today I spoke with a Principle Planner in
the
> >>> Code Division. Based on input they received from a "group of hams"
when they
> >>> were wording the code, installation of ANY Amateur antenna on a
multi-family
> >>> dwelling (HOA, COA, Townhouse, Apartment Building, High Rise, etc.) is
NOT
> >>> permitted under any circumstances. The only way to change this is
through
> >>> the County Commissioners during the once per year code review. Under
the
> >>> best of circumstances, this change in the ordinance could not take
effect
> >>> until late next year. And only if the County Commissioners care enough
about
> >>> it to put it on their agenda at all.
> >>>
> >>> I asked about PRB-1 and the Florida Statute Title XII, Chapter 166
> >>> (166.0435) which is a Florida Statute that is basically a word for
word
> >>> repeat of PRB-1. She said that they have provided "reasonable
accommodation"
> >>> in allowing antennas on single-family detached dwellings. And
"reasonable
> >>> accommodation" is a matter of THEIR interpretation.
> >>>
> >>> So all you folks out there who have put up antennas on multi-family
> >>> dwellings should be gratified to know that your installation is
illegal.
> >>> This appears to be the end of my tale.
> >>>
> >>> Warren, W4WR
> >>>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> *From:* Victor Kieffer [mailto:vkieffer3 at bellsouth.net]
> >>> *Sent:* Monday, December 08, 2008 10:28 AM
> >>> *To:* w4wr at bellsouth.net
> >>> *Subject:* Palm Beach County antenna zoning
> >>>
> >>> Warren:
> >>>
> >>> The best way to do this is to get on the Internet and go to
> >>> www.pbcgov.com/pzb/ <http://www.pbcgov.com/pzb/> .
> >>>
> >>> [snip]
> >>>
> >>> 73,
> >>>
> >>> Victor Kieffer
> >>>
> >>> __._,_.___
> >>>
> >>> -----
> >>> This message is from the e-mail list for:
> >>> Palm Beach County, Florida
> >>> Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) &
> >>> Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES)
> >>>
> >>> Web Site: http://www.pbcares.org
> >>>
> >>> (To unsubscribe send an email to:
> >>> pbcares-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
> >>> Change settings via the Web
> >>>
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pbcares/join;_ylc=X3oDMTJmZjVuNnFjBF9TAzk3NDc
2NTkwBGdycElkAzM2MDE0ODAEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDYzMTA4BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA3N0bmdzBHN
0aW1lAzEyMjg3NTE5MjQ->
> >>> (Yahoo! ID required)
> >>> Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest
> >>>
<mailto:pbcares-digest at yahoogroups.com?subject=Email%20Delivery:%20Digest> |
> >>> Switch to Fully Featured
> >>>
<mailto:pbcares-fullfeatured at yahoogroups.com?subject=Change%20Delivery%20For
mat:%20Fully%20Featured>
> >>> Visit Your Group
> >>>
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pbcares;_ylc=X3oDMTJkcGduN25rBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkw
BGdycElkAzM2MDE0ODAEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDYzMTA4BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA2hwZgRzdGltZQMx
MjI4NzUxOTI0>
> >>> | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> |
> >>> Unsubscribe
<mailto:pbcares-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>
> >>>
> >>> __,_._,___
> >>>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> FLham mailing list
> >> FLham at mailman.qth.net
> >> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/flham
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> FLham mailing list
> FLham at mailman.qth.net
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/flham