[SFDX] Navigating an HOA and Returning to Amateur Radio and Field Day! - from The ARRL Letter

[Bill]

<https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zNjcwMzYyJnA9MSZ1PTUyNTQ3MzY2NCZsaT00MzcwMTc0Nw/index.html> 


*Navigating an HOA and Returning to Amateur Radio and Field Day!*

<https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zNjcwMzYyJnA9MSZ1PTUyNTQ3MzY2NCZsaT00MzcwMTc0OA/index.html>

Fred Johnson, K6FRD, is an amateur radio operator in Riverside, 
California. Like many hams, he lives in an HOA-controlled neighborhood. 
For Johnson, finding practical, low-visibility, antenna solutions has 
become part of the fun over the years.

“For years I struggled to enjoy HF because, like many amateurs in an 
HOA, towers and conventional outdoor antennas simply aren't an option,” 
said Johnson. “I tried several radios over the years, but without an 
effective antenna I rarely heard much activity and had very limited 
success making contacts. A few weeks ago, I decided to stop chasing 
radios and instead focus on building the best stealth antenna I could.”

Johnson said that after returning to HF last year, he enjoyed 
experimenting with antennas, portable operating, FT8, and station design 
to see what's possible from a suburban backyard.

“The result is a simple 145-foot horizontal loop made from 14 AWG THHN 
wire, mounted on stainless cup hooks around the top of my backyard 
fences about six feet above the ground. The wire is insulated from the 
hooks with short pieces of clear vinyl tubing and is fed with a 4:1 
current balun and approximately 25 feet of RG-8X coax. I also added 
ferrite chokes at both the antenna and radio ends of the feed line to 
help minimize common-mode current and noise.”

“The results have honestly exceeded my expectations,” he said. “My noise 
floor is typically only S1 to S2, allowing me to hear stations I would 
have completely missed before.”

ARRL Field Day 2026 gave Johnson a chance to operate entirely on battery 
power using his IC-7300 and his new antenna, making contacts on 10, 15, 
and 20 meters. Since installing the loop, he has worked 39 states, 24 
countries, and stations throughout Japan, Hawaii, Samoa, Puerto Rico, 
the U.S. Virgin Islands, South America, and across North America—all 
from his HOA backyard!

Johnson went on to say he hopes that sharing his successes, and the 
occasional lessons learned along the way, encourages other operators, 
especially those with HOA restrictions, to get on the air and enjoy this 
amazing hobby.

Johnson has created a Google photo album with all of the photos of his 
antenna design: *photos.app.goo.gl/qeF1eToA4q7cAj5PA 
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