RUH ROH, BATTERY RESTRICTION

[W6GQ]

Your HT left home?

http://www.usatoday.com/travel....?csp=34 (http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-12-28-lithium-battery-ban_N.htm?csp=34)

A Snippet,

WASHINGTON (AP) — To help reduce the risk of fires, air travelers will no longer be able to pack loose lithium batteries in checked luggage beginning Jan. 1, the Transportation Department said Friday.

[N7RJD]

Personally I think some of the airport security people need more lithium, not less. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[WA9SVD]

How do they define "loose" batteries?

I take that to mean that the batteries can still be brought along in one's carry-on luggage, particularly if part of a laptop or H-T battery pack. Shouldn't be much of a problem for most people; I'd never put an H-T or laptop in checked luggage anyway. (Unless I was hoping they'd lose it and I'd get a new unit...)

[N2RJ]

Yeah, I knew it sounded familiar. (http://www.qrz.com/ib-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=17;t=179100)

Pretty soon we'll all be flying nekkid!

[ka0gkt]

Loose Lithium batteries can be a menace. #If , for instance (heaven forbid) one of the batteries causes a fire in the cargo hold of an aircraft, fire suppression equipment available in-the-air is totally inadequate to put out the flames.

Here's a link to an FAA article:FAA: Lithium Batteries (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0UBT/is_29_18/ai_n6280925)

You will notice that a pallet of Li Ion batteries was dropped on the tarmak at LAX in April of '99. #It spontaneously combusted even though there was no external source of ignition in the area.

It is suspected that a consignment of Li Ion watch batteries downed a South African Airways 747 in 1987.

Sheesh!

Doo a little research before you lump everything that out patently stupid (under any administration) government does as a load of hogwash. #This one actually makes sense...now gimme back my nail clippers!


73 DE KAØGKT/7

--Steve

{EDITED for TYPOS}

[N7RJD]

Quote[/b] (ka0gkt @ Dec. 30 2007,09:47)]Doo a little research before you lump everything that out........

{EDITED for TYPOS}
Missed one. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[KD8COO]

Well, for those that travel as small groups (starting at around 6-8 people or so), chartering your own flight (which isn't held to such tight requirements) can be quite reasonable... Not to mention that you can leave at a time of your choosing and can drop into much smaller airports (don't have to go to the big city, then still end up driving a couple hours to get where you're going... Small airports are all over the place).

And of course, if you don't care about being cost-effective, you can always get your own Pilot Certificate and airplane... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[NN3W]

Just remember, restricting all batteries would eliminate 1) laptops, 2) cell phones, 3) Blackberries, 4) MP3 players, etc.

They won't go that far...

[K8MHZ]

At Harding Energy, a battery manufacturer here in my home town, the testing of lithium ion batteries caused a fire and did enough damage to the plant to shut it down for a while.

[K8MHZ]

NTSB link for possible cause of concern:

http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2005/HZB0501.pdf

On Edit: Did any of you know this about lithium ion batteries?

Quote[/b] ]The electrolyte has two solvents, one of which, diethyl carbonate, is
considered a flammable liquid, with a flash point of 77° F.

[m0dcd]

It's the Lithium Thionyl Chloride ones that are the problems. They cause problems even "exporting" then to such DX locations as EI from G land.
You've got to do some pretty nasty treatment to them to get them to catch fire.
These are the ones usually used for memory backup and not the Lithium Ion ones used in those portable devices.
Use dry sand as a packing material, that's what some of the manufacturers recommend. If you set fire to the sand it's not your problem.

[w8znx]

new rules do not apply
to batteries inside equpment

and they will still let you
carry lithium batteries inside orignal packing

its the loose ones they are going after

and yes they can cause fires

this is one time they are right on the money

i think many of the rules are truly lame
but this one is NOT

mac

[KI4NGN]

A trully educational thread. I had no idea that those types of batteries were so dangerous! Yep, one of the few rules they have that actually make sense.

Mike

[n4cd]

Liithium batteries can cause problems several ways

If you break open a battery and get the insides wet - watch out. Remeber high school experiments where you dropped a tiny cube of lithium into water? It 'burns'.

The other way is if it discharges quick - something shorts it out....then it can 'burn'.

Lithium batteries have been the cause of several transporation accidents and many shipping accidents.

This is nothing new. The move to ban uncontained lithium batteries (spares) goes back 3-4 years.

Every year, you hear about certain types of batteries burning up. Sony and others have recalled millions of lithium batteries..not because they didn't work, but because dozens of them had self combusted...burning up PCs and other electronics in the process....and if it happened on a crowded airplane, a luggage rack, or worse in the hold of a plane (and the lithium is inear mpossible to put out)....you got major problems.

There are no more air shipments of lithium batteries..they all go by ship......