[Elecraft] Flying with K2

Tue Jun 28 09:46:25 EDT 2011

Fred is correct about a lot of things below.  Li-Ion and Li-Poly
batteries are generally not allowed to be transported en masse (as
cargo) aboard passenger aircraft.  This is true at least in the US,
but I'm not sure about other countries.  If it's true in the US, the
more safey-conscious Europeans almost certainly have a similar
restriction.

I work in consumer products.  We are allowed to transport large
quantities of our GPS receivers using Li-Ion batteries, as long as
they're not fully charged, aboard cargo aircraft only.  Single units
may be carried aboard and transported in passenger aircraft.

Unless your Li-based battery catches fire on a planet with a
non-oxygen atmosphere, the only way to extinguish it is to deprive the
fire of oxygen.  Lithium combines with oxygen quite readily,
producting a highly exothermic reaction with a lot of nasty gaseous
products you want no part of.

I suspect the same restriction applies to SLA batteries of different
chemistries, in particular bulk storage (large battery banks).  I
doubt it has a thing to do with RoHS, it's probably a safety issue.
RoHS applies only to consumer products that are user-accessible (the
Cadmium in NiCD and lead in lead-acid are not accessible under normal
circumstances).

During a unit teardown in 2007, I damaged the battery pack in a Garmin
PND (one of our competitors), and it caught fire in the lab next to my
office.  I breathed a lot of the products as I tried to put the fire
out.  Finally, I used a sheet of rubberized plastic, which burned
clear through quickly,  to smother the fire.  As Fred said, nothing
else worked to kill the fire.  We came this close to clearing the
building, and only venting the lab kept a major hazmat thing from
occuring.  I had to go to the local hospital for observation and
toxicity checks.  I got lucky, no issues.

We also handle labeling for our products.  The label for a pallet of
GPS receivers indicates no passenger aircraft transport is allowed. I
confirmed that this IS a TSA restriction.   However, I've shown dozens
of single units to TSA guys and they never ask what type of battery
pack is inside.  I suspect it's mostly a matter of "what you see is
what's real".  If a Li-Poly pack were outside the unit, the question
might be asked.  If it's NiCD or NiMH they won't care, but might see
the Lithium on their list of no-nos.  

73,
matt zilmer W6NIA
[Magellan Navigation]

On Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:51:15 -0700, you wrote:

>David, I find the results of your research strange. Lithium batteries are
>several orders of magnitude more dangerous than SLA. They catch fire and
>water and ordinary fire extinguishers don't work on Lithium! Please see
>http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/li_battery_restrictions.html for TSA
>restrictions and comments on lithium batteries. Of course things always
>appear different when viewed from the western side of the pond.
>I am wondering if the restrictions on SLA batteries are based upon ROHS
>restrictions on the importation of lead. Seems like lead is still ok for car
>batteries but not for car wheel balancing. Which is the greater hazard?
>
>One bonus of lithium is its much greater energy per pound/kg than lead.
>Something you really appreciate when racing through airports. 
>
>73,
>de  Fred, AE6QL
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>[mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Thomas Horsten
>Sent: Saturday, June 25, 2011 2:14 PM
>To: david at violinman.co.uk
>Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Flying with K2
>
>Hi David,
>
>I am flying to Denmark with my FT-817 next week, and I contacted EasyJet to
>figure out what I was going to do.
>
>The SLA battery is a no-no. It took 4 emails and escalating the issue to
>find out for sure that these are not allowed on EasyJet no matter what, and
>probably the same applies to other European airlines.
>
>Regarding the radio itself you can carry it in your hand baggage no problem,
>as long as you stay within the allowance of your airline. In EasyJet's case
>that means certain dimensions but no limit on the weight, so if you pack
>tightly you might be able to fit laptop as well as your rig into a suitable
>backpack. You can also pack it in the hold baggage, either is allowed.
>
>I bought a 8Ah Lithium Polymer battery from uttings.co.uk to replace my 12Ah
>SLA battery, which I wasn't allowed to bring. It's this one:
>http://www.deben.com/lithium-ion/12v-8ah-lithium-ion-battery-pack-with-fuel-
>gauge.html
>
>A datasheet for the battery can be found here:
>http://www.tracerpower.com/user/pdf/Li-Poly_Data_Sheet.pdf
>
>This works exceedingly well with my FT-817, I don't have a K2 to try it on
>but be aware that the voltage is somewhat lower than a SLA, with about 12.8
>volts when fully charged and dropping to about 9.5V when it's flat. So this
>might be an issue for the K2 - the FT-817 puts out the full 5W at well under
>9V.
>
>Hope it helps!
>
>73, Thomas M0TRN
>K3 #4208
>
>On 25 June 2011 18:21, David Andrews <david at violinman.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Advice please - I'm flying within Europe shortly with a K2. Do I pack 
>> it in suitcase (hold) or carry-on? Any problem with the SLA battery? 
>> What about paperwork? Is it likely to cause concern at the airports?
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>>
>>
>> David G4CWB
>>
>>
>>
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