[50mhz] Radios in carry on luggage

Tue Feb 22 20:35:13 EST 2011

Well I carry a lot in my hand cases. In fact the main thing is the SPE 
Expert 1K-FA amplifier. They just do the swab test and then I am on my way. 
I do check all the rest and sometimes TSA opens it up and some times they 
don't.  I told one TSA person at Atlanta as I was arriving back fro South 
Africa and going through the same type of checking or screening just to go 
recheck in for the flight to Houston he should go back to work for Burger 
King.

Charles F. Frost
Frosty K5LBU
frosty1 at pdq.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Boone" <Cboone at earthlink.net>
To: <50mhz at mailman.qth.net>; <6meter at yahoogroups.com>; 
<vhf at w6yx.stanford.edu>; <Kenwood at yahoogroups.com>; <yaesu at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 6:57 PM
Subject: Re: [50mhz] Radios in carry on luggage

> The idiots at the TSA vary from airport to airport....(gotta tell this 
> with
> a little humor in it...and further below, what happened BEFORE 9/11 with
> LOTS of radio gear in bags)
>
> Last flight I did to Colorado in May 09, I flew through IAH 
> Houston......in
> my laptop bag, they would not let me take a Leatherman clone (the multi 
> tool
> tool...pliers, knife, skinner, can opener, etc..comes in handy with wire
> antennas or radio work!)....even though it HAD made it through earlier
> flights....IF I had the bag checked, it would have gone ok,,,I could have
> had them MAIL it back to me..for $15?? It only cost me $14 so I let them
> keep it; yet they let me go with 2!!!  6in long screwdrivers..one Phillips
> that I use to unscrew radio covers on a regular basis!..checked 2 days 
> later
> when I came back..the clone was gone (I bet the TSA agent took it 
> home)....
>
> NOW, flying  back from Denver with the same setup minus the Leatherman
> clone?? (which I had used on MANY antenna installs including 6m ones!!) 
> They
> wanted to check not my PC  bag but my other one..???? Turns out I had a 
> 6oz
> tube of tooth paste...that was a nono....only 3 oz allowed!!....SOOO I 
> took
> the tube, opened it, hit it with my palm on the shelf and out came 3 
> oz....I
> looked at the TSA person and said "any problems"??? She called a 
> supervisor
> over and said I was being a pain (well my plane left in 10 mins!!!) The 
> supv
> looked at me, I asked for their cell phone and told them to call
> 202-456-1414......the supv looked at me with a raised eyebrow....hmmm
> something about that number...they dialed it...."White House
> switchboard"...The supv hung up and looked at me with open eyes...I said 
> if
> they wanted to hold me, I was going to talk with my "uncle 
> Charlie"....they
> let me go....one of the other folks boarding with me came over as we ran 
> to
> the gate...asked if I really had an "uncle Charlie" at the White
> House..NOPE!! never said that!! Just gave them the WH number and then said 
> I
> would talk with my "uncle Charlie" who happens to be a distant cousin and
> works in a non government job ...but it never failed yet!! He was laughing
> all the way to the plane! Find a copy of the 70s song Sugarloaf's "Don't
> Call Us, We'll call you"...the last number in DTMF in the song? That's 
> it...
> (missing the leading 1!) Tnx to Casey Kasem for that one!
>
> BEFORE 9/11 I walked through DFW AND Boston Logan with two shoulder bags
> full of ham and broadcast radio gear (had a live broadcast at Sam Adams 
> old
> brewery in Boston TWO weeks before 9/11)...got the wand and HEAVY 
> inspection
> at DFW but a hand wave and "have a nice flight" at Logan (I can understand
> why the terrorists chose that airport...I could have had C4 or something
> else in bag!!! They didn't wand or anything!!)
>
> However, in todays world, for a DXpedition??? Better to check your bags to
> be sure....Otherwise, they MAY require you to power it up if possible
> (sure...let me find a 12V car battery handy!! :)  You can get HTs through
> without an issue..but anything else is hit or miss..
>
> Be sure to let us know where you are headed!!
>
> Chris
> WB5ITT
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> I am planning a couple of grid expeditions that will involve commercial
>> flights, and wonder what experiences others have had with taking radios 
>> in
>> their carry on luggage. Does TSA get very involved in this?  Did you have
> to
>> take it out of the case?  Demonstrate it?  Was it a bunch of hoops to 
>> jump
>> through, or very smooth sailing?
>>
>> 73s John AA5JG
>
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