[CQ-Contest] FW: Packing electronics for TSA inspection

[Rick Lindquist, WW3DE]

We were en route from London to Boston a few years ago. I'd packed an FT-817
to do a little operating while visiting Germany. On the return leg the clerk
tagged all our luggage under my wife's name for some reason. Well, our
flight from Zurich to Heathrow left late, we got hung up awaiting the (slow)
bus to the right terminal for our flight to Boston (no priority was given to
those who had impending departures) and by the time we got to the terminal,
our flight had boarded. 

We literally sprint to the gate. I get there first to find the plane still
there. When my breathless wife shows up and turns over her passport (they
continued holding mine), a security guy comes over to her, and in typical
British politeness and reserve, says, "Passenger Collier, we have a question
about one of your bags." He shows us the X ray, with the clear outline of
the '817, and I offer to show it to him in the flesh. So, he escorts me
through several security doors right down to the tarmac, where they bring
over all of our luggage. He grabs the suspect bag, I open it and clear up
the mystery, and soon we're under way. 

Without the ham gear in our bags, we would have missed our flight to Boston.
That said, we did get some odd looks when we finally boarded - the last
passengers to do so. I sometimes still call my wife "Passenger Collier" when
we're traveling. (She's N1MJC.)

Another time in Vancouver, right after 9/11, a Canadian security officer
made me take the batteries out of my FT-530 handheld for some reason. Turns
out he was a ham too.

73, Rick / WW3DE

-----Original Message-----
From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Robert Brandon
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 8:41 AM
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: [CQ-Contest] FW: Packing electronics for TSA inspection

I've made six trips to the Caribbean in the last four years.  In my checked
bag, I've taken rigs, small power supplies, paddles, a small amplifier,
rolls of coax, cables, and a C-3 in a golf bag.  I've only taken rigs as
carry-on.  I got only one question, and that was about whether a TS-850 was
too heavy to carry on.  I was sent back to the ticket counter to get a
special tag for it.  Otherwise, I've gotten no questions.  Of course, YMMV.
GL at WRTC.

Robert K5PI

-----Original Message-----
From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of stoskopf at tri.net
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 10:31 PM
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Packing electronics for TSA inspection

To many destinations, don't trust the airlines.  Use the more secure (and
expensive) services such as Luggage Free.

N0UU

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