Building an antenna
Planning, building and obtaining authorisation for antennas — types of antennas, construction, legal framework and tools.
Your own antenna is the heart of every amateur radio station. Whether it’s a modest wire antenna or a full-scale beam on a mast — a good antenna is the key to successful local operation and global communication.
Planning application and authorisation
In Switzerland, a planning permission from the local authority is required for most outdoor antennas. The procedure involves ensuring the antenna fits in with local planning regulations and providing evidence of compliance with the NISV limit values (Ordinance on Non-Ionising Radiation) by means of an emissions declaration. No authorisation is required for temporary installations, indoor aerials and inconspicuous aerials with an ERP of less than 6 watts.
USKA support for members’ antenna projects
The USKA Antenna Commission supports its members in all matters relating to antennas:
- in evaluating a suitable antenna and in preparing the necessary authorisations (in particular planning applications and NISV calculations)
- in legal disputes arising from the official authorisation process
- through contacts in the political sphere and with the authorities, with the aim of improving the legal framework for the installation of amateur radio antennas.
Antenna Commission
Contact person for the USKA Antenna Commission regarding technical, legal and regulatory issues relating to amateur radio antennas.
Overall responsibility
German
French
Italian
hb9edg@uska.ch
Downloads: Documents and presentations
Below you will find documents and presentations from the USKA Antenna Commission.
Swiss-NIS-Calculator (Windows 11) (macOS) (Linux)
More information for USKA members
In the members’ area, you’ll find comprehensive documentation and tools for your antenna project:
- The antenna project: choice of antennas, antenna legislation in Switzerland
- Emission calculation tools (NISV): calculation tools, determining OKA
- Planning applications for antennas: procedure, documents, forms, examples
- Contacts: Antenna Commission
Further information for local authorities and cantons:
It is not easy for planning authorities to understand and correctly classify the wide variety of antenna types.
Furthermore, the national Telecommunications Act (FMG) also contains a provision on antennas (Art. 37a) relating to amateur radio antennas.
Further information on the subject of antenna regulations in building by-laws is available here.