Sun City tunes out ham radio operator's request for 8-foot antenna

Eric Glasscott wants to putan eight-foot radio antenna on his Sun City Hilton Head home so he can help his neighbors if Mother Nature ever starts knocking things down.

But the modifications committee in February denied his application to install a high-frequency antenna.

"It would enable me to respond to requests to listen on VHF for any distress calls that I'm capable of picking up if the Coast Guard watch station fails," said Glasscott, adding he plans to appeal.

Sun City bylaws prohibit such antennae, according to Martin Smith, director of public relations and communications for the community.

"The board recognizes the value of contributions from ham radio operators," Smith said. "The challenge is that residents in this community came here based on a set of building codes and standards, of which those standards do exclude these type of antennae. If you make this type of exception, then what comes of the rest of the community standards?"

Glasscott -- a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, a volunteer civilian force that provides support to the Coast Guard during emergencies -- said the value of ham operators was demonstrated in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when New Orleans' 911 emergency system was overloaded with calls for help. Ham radio operators proved instrumental in getting a group of 15 stranded residents to safety by communicating with emergency responders, according to news accounts.

Nonetheless, amateur radio users in private communities across the country face similar restrictions, according to Dan Henderson, regulatory information manager for the American Radio Relay League, the national organization that represents amateur radio operators.

"We're not asking for the codes and regulations to be extended so that the ham can do anything they want to," he said. "All we're looking for is that the rules reasonably accommodate their ability to pursue their licensed hobby and be set up to provide emergency services."

Last year, the U.S. Senate passed a bill directing the Department of Homeland Security to study existing restrictions against such antennae. A similar bill is before the House of Representatives.

But studying the issue alone won't end restrictions in privately managed communities, Henderson said.

However, Glasscott said ham operators add to a community, as do the related antennae.

"Our own view is that they do not detract from the sale of homes," he added. "If there's a cell overload or communications failure, it's essential to have some sort of system that provides back up."