Nobody ever gives a mobile phone plus charger and spare battery a second glance when you take them on a plane. Take a handheld or other piece of radio equipment not carried by most of the population on a plane and you are asking for trouble simply because the security people don’t understand what it is. Since WTC, airport security staff have become all powerful and don’t have to explain the ludicrous security theatre we are subject to and so it’s best to not give them anything to question.
So all the radio gear (just a VX1 & VX170) going with me to DL next week gets checked in and just the laptop and mobile are in my hand luggage.
SLABs (weight excepted) aren’t a problem but Lithium based batteries are. There are specific energy density limits for Lithium based batteries on planes now due to the propensity of certain laptop batteries to spontaeneously ignite!
In reply to MM0FMF:
Thanks Andy, yes I’l try that.
Interestingly enough, last year I travelled the same trip through Heathrow to Copenhagen with all my radio gear and I didn’t want to put it in the hold to get “beaten up” and also didn’t want it to eat up my baggage allowance.
So it all went in my rucksack as hand luggage. (although I’ve since learned I could have pulled the “it’s sports equipment” line with BA and it wouldn’t have counted… not sure that works with SAS yet)
When going through Heathrow security I put it on the X Ray machine and nothing happened. (back then, they normally wanted laptops out of the bag but no such request for the radio gear)
However on the way back in Copenhagen, I did the same thing with the bag and all hell broke loose. There was a “committee” discussing what was seen on the X-ray screen and then I was firmly told to unpack and send every piece of equipment through the scanner separately… yes each item, even down to patch leads.
So this time I may just take the hold baggage route… although it is useful to know how they will react to various types of luggage… There is one airline I use occasionally that generally unpacks my checked and hand carried bags twice over (some may know who they are) but they generally repack it so well, it’s better than my first effort!
73 Marc F/G0AZS
PS I always carry a copy of my radio licence(s) when I carry radio gear.
Sorry, not sure what the policy on slabs with SAS is.
I always take my radio gear on a plane as hand luggage. K2, KX1, FT-857, VHF handie, slab/AA packs have all travelled many times with me from Manchester to the US without any problems.
Once security checked me before boarding, asked me to open my pelican case which contained my KX1, they didn’t comment on it at all and just waved me on.
I took my KX1, doublet and 10 AA battery pack with me to Menorca as carry on last week without any problems. I carried a copy of my licence, receipt of purchase and a printed page in Spanish saying what the radio was for, including a paragraph from BR64 booklet showing CEPT licensing agreements.
I would maybye leave batteries at home and buy here in Sweden, The thing may be getting it charged before use. I am using a 2,8 Ah SLAB, 1,2 kg but they dont sell it anymore in some shops, but this battery is well enough for my purpose and last many many hours for my K1.
Cheap SLAB can be bought from BILTEMA, they are selling autoparts and acesscories and have warehouses in Malmö, Helsingborg, Kristianstad and sever other places.
I dont know if you rent or own the house at Öland, but you could leave them there and use them again next time you are here in SM…
Battery charger, 6/12 V (Order No 37-707) SEK 80
SLAB 12V / 4,5Ah 1,8 kg (Order No 80-409) SEK 129
or
SLAB 12V / 1,2Ah 0,6 kg (Order No 80-405) SEK 85,
(I recommend to buy two of them)
Speaking about Sweden, I have also good news about SOTA-SM, there will be more summits in the next version of ARM and also a new county will be included, SM/OR Örebro Län! I have today found two new summit in the northen part of SM/OR near boundaries of SM/DA and SM/VL. More will follow…
Yes I may leave a SLAB at the house, it is only used by family members anyway.
However, If I am to activate Kullaberg, it will have to be grabbed on the way to the Island so I need “fully charged” gear with me straight off the plane.
Actually, if I have finished my PFR-3, I can just take that and a AA battery pack rather than the full 706 station including 7aH SLAB… let’s see.
Anyway, I look forward to adding to the activity in SM during July/August… maybe with a bit of chasing using SM7ZAU… now where shall I log that in the chasing database?