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Flying with Ham Radio Gear.

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by KK6USY, Oct 14, 2021.

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  1. K0TWA

    K0TWA Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    I’m not flying anywhere, anytime.
    I will not submit to intrusive searches or questioning by Schutzstaffel operatives.
     
    K0UO, W5ARM and K5MO like this.
  2. N4PLR

    N4PLR Ham Member QRZ Page

    I fly routinely for business both domestically and internationally. I always have ham gear with me in some form or fashion. I have never been stopped or asked to remove anything from my luggage or carry on bags. Why do people think this is going to be an issue? Don't be an a$$hole to the security or airline people and you don't have problems. It's a pretty simple concept.
     
    N6HCM and KL7KN like this.
  3. KR6RG

    KR6RG Ham Member QRZ Page

    I only had one problem but it was an expensive one. While leaving Panama, their TSA would not let me carry my Icom 706 in my carry on luggage. I had already checked in my hold baggage and the airlines would not let be place any thing in by bags. I had to pay $225 dollars to air freight it on my flight.
     
  4. W6MCN

    W6MCN Ham Member QRZ Page

    I have flown many times with several HT's in my carry on and only had problems once when I forgot to pull my tablet out of the bag. That time they opened up the bag and saw the tablet and took it out and passed the bag back through the scanner. They never checked the radios. I always have a copy of my license and ARRL membership card available if needed.
     
  5. N6HCM

    N6HCM Ham Member QRZ Page

    I don't blame them!
     
  6. HB9EPC

    HB9EPC Ham Member QRZ Page

    je me déplace avec ma station sur GMC de la WW2 dans divers pays et jusque à maintenant j'ai rencontré plus de passions que de soucis... Hi
     
  7. G8FXC

    G8FXC XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    Oh, things changed so much on 9/11... In the early eighties, I was conducting a long-distance relationship with my Spanish girlfriend. One day, before I was due to return home, we dallied a bit too long saying goodbye ( :)) and I arrived at the airport late. I ran in waving my passport and ticket, but the plane had already left the terminal and was on the taxi-way. Without a second thought - and without looking at my passport or luggage - they stopped the plane, shoved a ladder up against the side, opened the door and pushed me in!

    Martin (G8FXC)
     
    KC1OCA and K0UO like this.
  8. W4KDN

    W4KDN Ham Member QRZ Page

    I have a friend who was going to operate HF in a foreign country and took an IC-706MKII-G along. I loaned him my BuddiStick antenna complete with the nylon carry case. When he got to his destination, he opened the BuddiStick case and there was a hand written note apparently from the baggage screener....."Good DX".
     
    KC1OCA, KA0USE, K0UO and 1 other person like this.
  9. NH7L

    NH7L XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    One TSA genius insisted my carry-on-bagged FT-817 was a "nebulizer." And that he had to rub a sticky thing all over it to ensure there was no explosives residue on it. OK, I said, whatever. Later learned that a nebulizer is a gizmo for people who suffer from sleep apnea. And that it looks more like a hair dryer than a radio.
     
  10. W7SJP

    W7SJP Ham Member QRZ Page

    I’ve flown with my gear many times, in and out of the country. I carry my IC-706MKIIG and or my FT-817 in my carry on, and my self-built 100w collapsible mag loop and a random-length end-fed in my check-in bags. One thing I haven’t done is carry my
    Lipo batteries. Mine are 10AH, 13v batteries and very much better than anything else for my gear. Does anyone know how to get away with carrying them either on board or in my checked ?
     
    KC1OCA likes this.
  11. W4JDY

    W4JDY XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    Not a true Navy vet as this Mustang Naval Aviation Officer was. Land of the free means no fear, not homeboy esp. for a real sailor!!!
     
  12. W4JDY

    W4JDY XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    My experience moving my equipment to Italy, was the American DHS inspectors tore my packaging up and despite having the export licenses and reciprocal and required EU paperwork, and copies of the equipment and their receipts, they just made a mess. The Italians when the luggage was inspected, repackaged everything ... Simply put, unless you are carrying onboard your gear which in most cases is impossible for the high end gear, it is better to air ship it to your debarkation location than relying on DHS inspectors to treat it with any degree of respect or care. If anyone has experience with air shipping gear to Italy, please let me know. W4JDY
     
  13. KE1L

    KE1L Ham Member QRZ Page

    That's over the size limit for automatic acceptance, which is 100 watt hours. Airlines MAY allow larger ones at their discretion.

    The best bet would be to get a smaller battery for air travel. 7 Ah or less will be fine; just make to get one with the capacity clearly marked on the battery so the TSA agents can see that it's OK. (8 Ah is marginal because the voltage over most of the discharge curve of an LiFePO4 is about 12.8V, but some are marked in ways that will get through. Here is a link to an example: https://www.bioennopower.com/collec...cts/12v-8ah-lfp-battery-abs-sealed-black-case Or a cheaper one from Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/DC-HOUSE-Rechargeable-Phosphate-Protection/dp/B0972NRPG4/ ) The smaller battery won't support full power operation with the Icom because its maximum discharge rate won't be high enough; you will have to dial back the power. You probably want to anyway; a 7 or 8 Ah battery won't run a 100W transceiver for long!
     
  14. US7IGN

    US7IGN Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    When we flew to Eswatini, our luggage attracted attention, but more in quantity, and not because it was a radio.
    https://www.us7ign.com/?p=1899

    Part of it )

    IMG_20211012_131931.jpg
     
  15. KA4VNM

    KA4VNM Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Up until the Pandemic I flew with a radio of some kind all the time. We're talking 90 flights a year. Early on an FT-817ND in my backpack and a gelcell. Now a KX3. Antennas and cables and misc stuff, are in the checked bag. Antennas are what throws them off so my Buddipaole gets checked. A copy of my license is in the Buddipole pack. Be polite, explain to the person if they don't get it, ask for a supervisor, they typically have seen it all. Always arrive early so your relaxed going through TSA, sweating people, those disheveled will get you pulled out every time. TSA Pre is a big help. Its funny I've had almost no trouble with HAM gear but my competition archery stuff is a whole nother story.
     

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