[amsat-bb] Hand carry ojn airlines

[Gerald Schmitt <mail4KK5YY@xxxxxxxx>]

Howdy Folks, 

As most of you know who work me regularly I spend most of my
time on travel almost all of it on commercial airliners. My experience
is as follows. 

Before Sept. 11 I took my Arrow as carry on all the time. Since then I
have been packing it in check-in stuff. Now that we have the Federal 
screeners at most of the airports I go to I am going to bring it on my
next trip and see how it goes.

As to radios, I carry a full APRS station--THD-7A, GPS, cables,
Hershey Kiss dual band mobile antenna--all the time. I would
guess nearly 100 flights since 9/11/01 and while the stuff has been
inspected many times, not one piece has ever been disallowed.

Last week I hit 4 stations all Federally staffed with the following 
equipment:

THD-7 with two antenae one a 1/2 wave 2m MFJ super thin one.
FT-817 with std duck + 1/2 wave MFJ and W6MMA M-1 super antenna
plus a bunch of misc. cable mounts connectors power supplies and
a Z-11 tuner. All in a aluminum pistol case. This lot got a hand 
inspection every time as well as two suplimental inspections at the
gate. Once I had to identify one or two  of the pieces but was never 
hassled in any way. 

In my other case a Garmin GPS, a computer, Sony Clie and an iPod
plus a ton of power supplies and connection cables. No problems.
Now with all this crap I do almost always have to open the cases
at the X-ray station but I know it's coming and don't get my panties
in a knot about it.

The item of most inerest has been the FT-817 and that mostly from
inspectors who know what a radio is. Most common coment "isn't
that cute" from one screener who is a ham "boy I have to get one of 
those".

I have not been required to turn on a computer is over two years I
noted Ed's comment but my experience has been quite different. 
As always your mileage may vary but my experience is that radios
in the US and Western Europe are no big deal in your carry on.
There are persistant stories from Canada about problems but since
I avoid Canada as much as possible  I can't say. 

I hope this helps. 
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