"Dave Heil" wrote

So far I've read much about the radio amateur who buys a place with
restriction and then tries to circumvent them. I've seen almost no
comments about someone already living in such a place and who then
develops an interest in amateur radio.

I was living in a townhouse development (adjoining units side by side, each
with their own flat roof) in southern Arizona when I resurrected my
interest. I went up on the roof, installed a 7' length of 1" pvc tubing for
the support for an inverted-V, and ran ladder line inside the tubing. The
tubing was supported by tv mast clamps attached to a parapet wall that
separated my unit from one of my neighbors'. The tubing and antenna wires
were visible from many directions from the street, and no one ever said
anything. It was up there for six years. The CC&R's did prohibit antennas,
but it may have said "no antennas without permission." I never asked for
permission.

Same thing in the place I moved to across town, this time in a single family
home, with CC&R's stating "no antennas without permission." I put up a
2m/440 antenna on the flat roof (same arrangement as above), and on a 5 foot
mast in my small back yard I erected an MFJ Hi-Q loop, vertically oriented.
It was very visible from the street! Although I referred to it as my "yard
sculpture," I told neighbor friends what it was, and no one ever said
anything.

I did not live in one of the ridiculously restrictive developments. So while
just about any new housing (except for custom homes on land you buy) are
developments that come with CC&R's that almost always say "no antennas," you
can find developments that are not overly restrictive and operate more
loosely. Just don't expect to put up a serious structure. The MFJ Hi-Q Loop
works very, very well, and doesn't look like an antenna. Many other
low-profile options are available for use in such developments.

Howard N7SO