Thanks for sharing Bob,

This is a great idea and a situation I’ve imagined I may face one day.

If they were smart, they’ve formalized their sharing in some way so that eventually they can pass their share onto their heirs or sell it to another ham.

I see one engineering mistake in the pictures.  I would have recommend they face the racks the other way around.  Ideally they want the gear to draw cold air from the HVAC split system on the wall in the front and vent it out the back of the racks where it will rise and find its way back to the HVAC system return intake.  In a space with this much extra room and half-height 19” racks, this isn’t as much of a concern as it would be in a smaller space with taller racks.  I’m not sure I would have butted that left-hand rack up to the wall like that.  It’s just insulating the gear in that rack and if there are ever any roof our wall leaks, water may run down the wall.  There is sure to be more tech than we can see in the pictures but personally I’d want an out-of-band (non internet) way of controlling certain things.

With high-speed internet, I’d have at least one and maybe 3 cameras in there so I could have eye-on the gear when there was any question or doubt.  They might want to consider some form of fire suppression too at some point.

Bob KE2D

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Robert Pantazes
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2025 10:57 AM
To: SJDXA-LIST
Subject: [SJDXA] Ham radio with an HOA

Don, KC0DE who sat through too many hurricanes in FL moved to St Louis MO into a HOA.

He got together with 2 other ham in HOAs and purchased a lot 10 miles out of town. They placed a large Garden Shed on the lot, had power and internet run to the shed, finished the inside and installed a HVAC split unit. Set up their own remote HF rigs. Each person installed an antenna or tower. All of the rigs are Flex so they will not interfere with each other.

Don tells me that everything is on the air. It is good to be back on HF.

73,

Bob, W2ARP
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A. Robert Pantazes, SBE CBT, Retired Broadcast Engineer from Broadcast Science.
E-mail address is [email protected] or [email protected]

Our new address as of March 1, 2024 is,

5505 Greenlee Road

Greensboro, NC 27410

Cell phone (609) 338-7038

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Amateur Radio Call is W2ARP, ARRL, W4VEC and Laurel certified Volunteer Examiner for Amateur Radio testing (Extra Class). Member of the Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club, the South Jersey DX Association as Treasurer. Past President of Southern Counties Amateur Radio Association (SCARA), Member of:ARRL, 10-10 Int, Chaverim of Delaware Valley, NAQCC,  Southern Counties Radio Association . Member of the Quarter Century Wireless Association, the Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club, the Greensboro Amateur Radio Association, the High Point Amateur Radio Club, Raleigh Amateur Radio Society, Guilford Amateur Society,QCWA Treasurer, QCWA Secretary of chapter 196 and member of Chapter 196.