Episode 11: Can You Put Up An Antenna? The HOA Bill Fight, CQ Worldwide & IC-7300 Mark II

Published: November 6, 2025

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbKLH7xdk4Q

Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2438895/episodes/18131359

Summary

Celebrating 1,000 YouTube subscribers, the crew dives into the issue shaping the hobby's future: ARRL's grassroots push for the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act (HR 1094/S.459) and the fight for antenna rights in HOA-restricted neighborhoods. Plus CQ Worldwide contest lessons at high power, a measurement-based look at ham radio in an EV, and the IC-7300 Mark II's expected $1,499 price point.

In This Episode

• 1,000 subscriber milestone and what the community represents

• CQ Worldwide SSB recap: running 500 to 1,000 watts and what the filters revealed

• ARRL's grassroots campaign for HR 1094/S.459, the stakes, and the CAI opposition

• How to send a letter to your representatives in minutes

• EV mobile install in a Mach-E: clean VHF/UHF performance, measured not mythologized

• Winter station prep: matches, weatherproofing, and grounding

• IC-7300 Mark II at ~$1,499 vs. the Yaesu FT-DX10, and FCC certification delays from the government shutdown

• FlexRadio SmartSDR 4.0: noise reduction gains and early-release quirks

• Shoutout to Ben KB4LS for a big POTA month

Chapters

• 00:41 Welcome and 1,000 Subscriber Celebration

• 02:27 Big thank you to our community

• 03:58 CQ Worldwide SSB Contest recap

• 06:22 What's happening in the shacks

• 15:32 IC-7300 Mark II announcement breakdown

• 15:43 ARRL's grassroots campaign for HOA antenna rights

• 25:00 Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act explained

• 32:23 Why HOA restrictions matter to all hams

• 36:51 FCC shutdown delays and licensing impacts

• 41:29 FlexRadio SmartSDR 4.0 update

Mentioned in This Episode

• ARRL grassroots campaign for HR 1094/S.459: http://www.arrl.org/news/view/arrl-launches-nationwide-grassroots-campaign-to-pass-amateur-radio-emergency-preparedness-act

• Icom IC-7300 Mark II

• Yaesu FT-DX10

• FlexRadio SmartSDR 4.0

• CQ Worldwide SSB Contest

• Mach-E EV mobile install: https://youtu.be/xW-nnl2RGIs

• Ben KB4LS