when I first heard the terminology of the “HAM SHACK” I envisioned these ham radio operators out in some shack where they do their radio craft. OK, I get it. It could be an office in the basement, a desk area in the bedroom, a shed in the back yard, even on the kitchen table. Whatever configuration we setup our communications center, I still don’t have what I could call even close to a shack.
When I bought the house, I wasn’t a Ham. I had no idea I would someday need a space for antenna’s in the yard (I am in a highly covenanted neighborhood) or some some space to hang maps and setup computers, transceivers, power supplies, antenna tuners, amplifiers etc etc. You just can’t setup anywhere especially if the better half has her ideas of decorating. The other thing to consider is where are you going to put your cables, grounding, and holes in the floor/ceiling/wall to get your equipment to the proper antenna that propagates your signal to the Ukraine.
I did operate for awhile in the garage. In the spring and fall that was fine but my garage is uninsulated. The winters and summers are too extreme to comfortably operate without heat or air conditioning.
I also don’t have a window that faces the backyard, only french doors windows to the deck from the dining area. I have been cultivating some bushes on the side of the house and have purchased a feed through panel. My computer system is in an armoire in the kitchen, necessitated by my moving out of my office to accommodate my son that moved back in with us. Hopefully the evergreen bushes will cover the mess of wires coming out to various temporary antenna’s I may setup. (Remember the covenanted neighborhood. Thank heaven for flag poles! And now you know the rest of the story.)
