Going thru Airport Security

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Rehab880

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I'll be flying to NY LaGuardia to visit family and would like to bring my scanner & an HT1000 along with batteries & charger. Has anyone had any problems going thru security in ATL or LaGuardia with items such as these?

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kg4ojj

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No problem in Atlanta.
Don't leave lithium batteries in your checked bags. Don't leave the TSA channel up on the scanner when in the screening area.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Rehab880

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Thanks,

I won't be putting anything in my checked bags. My Dad had a brand new sweatshirt stolen a few years ago. I never listen to tsa, just fire, police, ems and I'll have it turned off in the airport.

Will a 7.5 V nickel metal hybrid battery or a 7.5 VDC Ni-Cd battery for my HT 1000 be safe on the plane, not in my checked bags?

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Voyager

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Better yet - have it sitting on the local NOAA station so you can demo it working if they ask.
 

ecps92

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Each Airport will Vary.
You may be asked to go thru an additional screening (been thru this with Random laptops/electronics) where they will swab your device and bag.

Also you may or may not be asked to prove the device is working. turn on/off make noise..

You may not even become a blip on their screen. All varies by Airport and volume of their traffic at the time

Other than that, to them it is another piece of electronic equipment (Laptop, iPod/MP3, Cellphone, Camera, Scanner, Two-way going thru the process)
I'll be flying to NY LaGuardia to visit family and would like to bring my scanner & an HT1000 along with batteries & charger. Has anyone had any problems going thru security in ATL or LaGuardia with items such as these?

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troymail

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I go through BWI Airport (and the airports I return from) all the time with scanners in my backpack. I only had a problem once many years ago - I think they saw the handheld antenna on the x-ray and thought it might be a blade of some type. Since that one time, I've had no problems at all.
 

thundermedic

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I'm on the TSA Pre Check and I have never had issues with HAM radios or scanner on my backpack going through USA or Canada security screening.
 

RayAir

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I've taken a scanner, two way radio, and audio cables for my laptop through airport security numerous times and never had any secondary checks.

The only time I've had my bagged checked was at the WTC security checkpoint.
 

Rehab880

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I started this thread 2 years ago and everyone was very helpful. I will be making the same trip from Atlanta Hartsfield to New York LaGuardia next month and plan on taking a scanner and HT1000 plus speaker mics, batteries & chargers with me, and was wondering if anything has changed?

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ptcdiveops

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I traveled from ATL to SJU last Sept with my HT, Scanner, wall warts, battery packs, and and a pair of 48 count AA alkaline batteries (original mfg packaging) in my carry-on bag. TSA conducted an additional inspection of my carry-on contents, checked out the AA batteries, then sent me on my way.
 

ecps92

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Yes and No

They are looking at [depends on Airport] ALL Electronics larger than a Cellphone, which will need to be pulled out and placed in the bins [experience last week in Boston], however I have begun to put all my radios into a Laptop Case. Easy to lay flat, open the cover and let them do their job.

My return trip was a total 180deg change from the days prior in Boston.
Chicago was - Belt left on, shoes left on, wallet still in pocket and all electronics left in place. WoW... They did however select the laptop case of electronics for the explosive wipe

However, the radio is just like another piece of electronics, they do not scrutinize it more because it is a radio :cool:
I started this thread 2 years ago and everyone was very helpful. I will be making the same trip from Atlanta Hartsfield to New York LaGuardia next month and plan on taking a scanner and HT1000 plus speaker mics, batteries & chargers with me, and was wondering if anything has changed?

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DanRollman

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Yes and No

They are looking at [depends on Airport] ALL Electronics larger than a Cellphone, which will need to be pulled out and placed in the bins [experience last week in Boston], however I have begun to put all my radios into a Laptop Case. Easy to lay flat, open the cover and let them do their job.

If you are Precheck, none of this matters of course, since even laptops can stay in your bag. I travel 1-2 times a month and have been through security at perhaps 25 different airports over the last few years with a scanner and a DMR radio in my backpack and have never taken them out or been subjected to any sort of additional screening. I do not know whether Precheck is the key factor here or not.
 

DanRollman

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If you are Precheck, none of this matters of course, since even laptops can stay in your bag. I travel 1-2 times a month and have been through security at perhaps 25 different airports over the last few years with a scanner and a DMR radio in my backpack and have never taken them out or been subjected to any sort of additional screening. I do not know whether Precheck is the key factor here or not.

Oh - and interestingly - the only time I got a comment at all was when I was listening to an ATL airport fire incident on my RELM KNG-P800 (RX-Only programming of course) while going through security, so I dropped the radio directly into the bin for the X-Ray machine. The TSA guy on the other side of the machine who was collecting empty bins simply mentioned my radio looked exactly like his (of course it does, since TSA uses KNG-P150 radios). That was it.
 

MTS2000des

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Never had a problem at HJIA. Last year going to IWCE, I went through with two APX8000s, a Harris XL-200p, an iPad, laptop, three batteries, chargers, and a Cradlepoint all in one bag. No one batted an eye when it went through the X-ray.


Now returning from LAS is where they freaked out. Fortunately my director was in front of me, came over, showed his credentials (mine were in the X-ray!) and quickly diffused "operation body cavity violation".



Hey Dan, got a KNG-P2 yet? It's a great improvement (especially the RX audio) over the KNG.
 

garys

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The only time I had a problem was when I traveled with an Austin Condor antenna. Because it's thicker than most other antennas, TSA wanted to look at it. They've never expressed the least interest in my scanner, batteries, or anything else.
 

PACNWDude

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Have flown often with radio gear for decades now. +1 on setting them to NOAA channels if they want a demonstration. I have traveled often with radio gear, to include communications service monitors. Atlanta was fine. The only time anyone asked about the service monitor was in Hawaii, they just wanted to know what it was. Scanners, they understood could be used to monitor and test radios. Radios, well many people use them. Motorola radios let them know you are serious, and it is expected to be in carry on, many are not cheap. Cheaper ones, like the Chinese models mean you are a hobbyist, and usually get no real scrutiny.
Scrutiny by TSA and other people was minimal, sometimes additional hand search. This stopped once I began carrying a Harris Unity radio though, they thought I was there to inspect them. Very few, except the federal government can afford Harris products.
 

DanRollman

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Hey Dan, got a KNG-P2 yet? It's a great improvement (especially the RX audio) over the KNG.

Yes, but I actually prefer the audio of the KNG at low levels, like in my office. The KNG2 amplifier system causes a background hiss at low volume settings (for me, at least), but is certainly louder and clearer than the KNG at high volume settings. The Bluetooth option in the KNG2 is nice, although I haven't used it as much as I thought I would. If I had it to do over again, I think I would just get two more KNGs for about the cost of one KNG2.

I am looking forward to the BKRadio multiband radio next year so that I won't need a separate KNG-P150 for GSP outside the metro.

Dan

/sorry for the thread hijack/
 

6079smithw

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As others have said, it appears to depend on the airport. Last year I was in Hilo HI (ITO) airport on my way back to Reno and they asked if my HT600 was capable of transmitting on aircraft freqs. I said no; the TSA agent picked it up and looked at the antenna then gave it back to me. That was it. Never been asked anywhere else except Narita, Japan a few years back, but they're pretty thorough with everything there. I had TSA folks in Reno tell me that if electronic gear is packed neatly so it's shape can be recognized easily in the X-ray there's usually no problem. Bunch everything in the bag (cables/wires especially) so it's a jumble on the screen, you may be asked to spread it all out on the table... Makes sense to me.
 
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