[R-390] Flying with boatanchors

Bob Camp ham at cq.nu
Mon Apr 11 21:21:10 EDT 2005 

Hi

It's not just the airlines. I went down to UPS today with a "few" boxes 
to ship. This is the way it went:

Haul up the 400 pounds of boxes to the counter, print out the stick on 
labels. Begin the interrogation process from the counter person:

Question: Anything electrical in the boxes?

Answer: (stupid me, they are not electrical, they are electronic) ... 
yes, radios.

Question: Radios?

(several inane questions and answers back and forth - communication 
obviously is not taking place)

problem is bucked up to higher authority.

Supervisor: Radios?

Answer: Tube type military radios

Supervisor: What kind?

Answer: SP-600's and R-390's

(Heavens open up, bright light begins to shine, trumpets sound in the 
distance ...)

Supervisor: PRC-77's were what I used to work on, R390's were pretty 
much gone by my time. You pack them good?

Answer: Yup, pink construction foam on all sides ...

Supervisor: If they survived the military for 30 years that should work 
fine....

Ok, so how many UPS sites are run by ex-military radio technicians? It 
might be a good idea to phone ahead and check before you go down to 
ship anything in the future. The only alternative if he had not shown 
up probably would have been to haul the 400 pounds of boxes back to the 
car and drive down the street to Fed Ex.

	Enjoy!

		Bob Camp
		KB8TQ






On Apr 11, 2005, at 6:28 PM, Barry Hauser wrote:

> I don't recommend flying with a boatanchor as checked (or unchecked) 
> baggage.  The airlines are tightening restrictions -- or more firmly 
> applying existing ones -- regarding number and weight of bags -- 
> individual and overall.
>
> We go to trade shows with a check-able display packed into two 4 ft 
> high by 1 ft square cases with handles and wheels.  They weight about 
> 55-65 lbs each.  Last time they were about to give us some trouble 
> with them or try to charge us extra.  Next time  -- in a few weeks, 
> who knows?
>
> Coming back from a vacation via Heathrow some years ago, British 
> Airways told us we were overweight (yeah, put on a few lbs. too.) -- 
> we bought a lot of stuff, adding up to nearly 90 lbs for the three of 
> us.  Charged us air freight to the tune of something like $2 and 
> change per pound.  Stuff wasn't much of a bargain with that included.
>
> Another problem -- radiation and chemical detectors.  They open up 
> those display cases and swab all the surfaces with some kind of cloth 
> swatch thing and put it in an analyzer.  The concoction of chemicals 
> in the typical boatanchor would probably shut the air terminal down 
> and abort all flights ;-)
>
> Then, I read somewhere that in some countries, they get concerned 
> about the word "receiver".  The writer warned travelers and shippers 
> to call the thing a "radio".  (So take the tags off.)
>
> Sound paranoid -- I just overheard a few mins ago on CNN something 
> about a "man in black" with two suitcases at the Capitol building.  
> They dragged him away and blew up one of his suitcases as a 
> precaution.  The x-ray showed what appeared to be wires and a battery. 
>  It was his CD player.  If I didn't know many boatanchors inside and 
> out -- particularly the R-390's -- I might suspect a portable nuclear 
> device.  Two meters, with some trace radiation, lots of round knob 
> things, gears, cylinders -- including a big one in the meter, and yes 
> ... a coundown timer -- doesn't look like a radio dial.
>
> If you want to risk it, call the airlines first -- all the ones you're 
> taking.  Also, take out the power supply and maybe another module and 
> pack separately to keep the individual weight down.  Carry one change 
> of clothes in a carry on bag -- or ship your clothes back.
>
> They're nailing things down on weight to conserve fuel -- even talking 
> about surcharges for overweight passengers.  Also -- if everyone 
> packed max allowable weight and then some, the planes wouldn't get off 
> the ground. That's another thing -- they may refuse to put it on board 
> if the flight is full and "heavy".  They might offer to put it on a 
> following flight -- for the freight charge - or direct you to a 
> freight company which might be difficult to arrange and still make 
> your original flight.
>
> Parting thought -- how about those baggage handling systems and, uh 
> methods?
>
> Barry
>
>
> Mark wrote:
>
>> Seriously, I have been in the international terminal
>> at LAX waiting for a flight to Asia and saw people
>> with carts stacked with televisions, VCRs, microwaves,
>> kitchen sinks etc. waiting to check this through as
>> baggage. Has anybody ever tried transporting a boat
>> anchor this way and was it worth it, assuming you had
>> to be in the country anyway for other reasons.
>>
>> --- Dan Arney <hankarn at pacbell.net> wrote:
>>> First this unit crated ships at 215 pounds so to
>>> heavy for UPS.
>
>
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