Protest petition over radio ham's mast
Residents say that when the King's Stanley householder is chatting on the airwaves his 20ft aerial interferes with their TVs as well as their lives.
But Mr Dodson, 59, blames his neighbours' outdated TVs and videos for their problems and said his hobby was fully licensed and regulated by radio authorities.
Stroud District Council has, however, refused planning permission for the mast and will be defending its stance at a public inquiry on July 29.
Linda Blackwell lives next door to Mr Dodson in Daffodil Leaze, Middleyard.
She said a 40-name petition against the mast had been sent to the planning inspectorate, which will conduct the hearing at Ebley Mill.
"I object to the overbearing sight of the mast and the sound it makes when the wind whistles through the antenna," she said.
"This is annoying when trying to have a peaceful afternoon in the garden and is particularly annoying on a windy night."
Mrs Blackwell said residents had experienced TV interference.
She said: "One elderly couple had to go to the expense of having satellite TV installed and another disabled lady has interference when she calls a family member in Australia on the phone."
Mr Dodson said the mast, which can extent to 60ft, was mounted on a trailer which did not make it a permanent development which could be controlled by the council.
"The real issue is that they can't watch their TVs if I leave my transmitter on but I can watch my, more modern, TV," he said. "I've had Ofcom out here to test all my equipment. It is my neighbours' equipment that doesn't meet the standard."
Mr Dodson , a lifelong radio ham, enjoys chatting to fellow enthusiasts across the globe.
A Stroud District Council spokeswoman said: "Officers have visited the site and assessed that the mast is detrimental to the local area and an inappropriate development for such a residential setting."
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