Author Topic: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)  (Read 23346 times)

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Offline ytech15Topic starter

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Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« on: December 24, 2016, 09:17:00 pm »
Hey,
I am flying to the US this week and I need to take my Fluke 87V with me , I am not willing to put it in my checked bags , Therefore I want to take in my carry on bag. Should I have problems doing so? Does anyone has some sort of experience with doing such a thing?

Thanks in advance
 

Offline KhronX

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #1 on: December 24, 2016, 09:42:14 pm »
I've never attempted that (never needed to / considered it), but i wouldn't be at all surprised if they didn't allow at least the probes on board - sharp metal objects, y'know?

They shouldn't object to the meter itself, though. A few years ago i had a whole bunch of small circuit boards and components in ziploc bags (part of moving to Finland), and the security dolts "had to" take'em out of my bag, looked at'em, i explained what they were (or tried to), but i got through no problem.

The whole 'Murricah thing may well be a whole different ball-game, though  :-BROKE
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Offline Someone

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #2 on: December 24, 2016, 09:43:16 pm »
Put it in checked luggage, they're indestructible and you just need insurance (which you should always have for work). The meter probably isn't a problem but the probes will be for the Australian security farce.
 

Offline LHelge

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #3 on: December 24, 2016, 09:56:59 pm »
I've brought a Keysight MSOX3024T as carry on without problems. They just wanted me to open  the bag at the security check.

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Offline wraper

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #4 on: December 24, 2016, 09:58:22 pm »
Put some sort of attachment on the probes to be safe (cover exposed needle), or put leads into checked baggage. Otherwise should be fine. I was carrying much stranger things than that.
« Last Edit: December 24, 2016, 10:00:27 pm by wraper »
 
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Offline trophosphere

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #5 on: December 24, 2016, 10:18:43 pm »
I took my Fluke 87V through airport security last year and they just took it out of the bag, looked at it, and then put it back in. They did not give me any trouble. The probes that I had in my case were the Fluke TwistGuard types.
 
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Offline steve30

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #6 on: December 24, 2016, 10:52:07 pm »
I've no experience of taking multimeters on aeroplanes, but I tend to take other expensive/fragile (ish) equipment with me on planes, and prefer to put it in the hold luggage, that way, no one can complain/mess me around.

As a Fluke meter is very robust, I wouldn't be worried about putting it in the hold luggage.
 

Offline Someone

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #7 on: December 24, 2016, 11:13:37 pm »
For all of you in other countries, you've not experience the insanity of Australian restrictions which are tighter than those in the US:
http://travelsecure.infrastructure.gov.au/onboard/what-i-cannot-take-onboard.aspx
Don't forget, if they don't like the item for any reason its confiscated immediately without recourse or compensation.
 

Offline ez24

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #8 on: December 24, 2016, 11:21:04 pm »
For all of you in other countries, you've not experience the insanity of Australian restrictions which are tighter than those in the US:
http://travelsecure.infrastructure.gov.au/onboard/what-i-cannot-take-onboard.aspx
Don't forget, if they don't like the item for any reason its confiscated immediately without recourse or compensation.
I think people need to get over  nudity and be required to fly in the nude with no carry on.
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Offline ytech15Topic starter

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #9 on: December 24, 2016, 11:34:54 pm »
Thanks for all of your help!
I should've mentioned that I am planning to put my probes in my checked luggage. Regarding the meter itself , I am not willing to take the risk of  landing and finding out my meter is gone |O...
I may call the airport to look out for some info...
 

Offline rrinker

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #10 on: December 25, 2016, 01:44:00 am »
For all of you in other countries, you've not experience the insanity of Australian restrictions which are tighter than those in the US:
http://travelsecure.infrastructure.gov.au/onboard/what-i-cannot-take-onboard.aspx
Don't forget, if they don't like the item for any reason its confiscated immediately without recourse or compensation.
I think people need to get over  nudity and be required to fly in the nude with no carry on.

 As this would cause no one to sit near my ugly fast ass, giving me a better flying experience, I fully support this.  :-DD

 I recently took some components and Arduino stuff along to work on during my down time, but I just put the whole kit in my checked bag. I buried the box in my clothing to provide some protective padding. It was where I left it when I arrived, no issues.


« Last Edit: December 25, 2016, 01:46:23 am by rrinker »
 

Offline GreyWoolfe

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #11 on: December 25, 2016, 03:30:00 am »
Thanks for all of your help!
I should've mentioned that I am planning to put my probes in my checked luggage. Regarding the meter itself , I am not willing to take the risk of  landing and finding out my meter is gone |O...
I may call the airport to look out for some info...

I wouldn't necessarily trust the baggage handlers and the TSA agents.  About 5 years ago I was traveling for company business and had my favorite Gerber multitool stolen out of my checked luggage.  My boss did replace it for me, but still :palm:
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Offline Kohanbash

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #12 on: December 25, 2016, 04:23:56 am »
I have taken multimeters on many domestic (USA) flights and several international (Chile, China) as carry on and have never had a problem with them.
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Offline ytech15Topic starter

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #13 on: December 25, 2016, 10:22:46 am »
Thanks for all of your help!
I should've mentioned that I am planning to put my probes in my checked luggage. Regarding the meter itself , I am not willing to take the risk of  landing and finding out my meter is gone |O...
I may call the airport to look out for some info...

I wouldn't necessarily trust the baggage handlers and the TSA agents.  About 5 years ago I was traveling for company business and had my favorite Gerber multitool stolen out of my checked luggage.  My boss did replace it for me, but still :palm:
That's the reason why there is no way I am going to put my fluke in my checked luggage.
 

Offline KhronX

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #14 on: December 25, 2016, 10:32:03 am »
Mailing it ahead could be an option, then? Insured and everything  ::)
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Offline wraper

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #15 on: December 25, 2016, 11:08:07 am »
You can apply for a special exemption licence at

http://www.sendmemoney.com/scams/multimetercarryon/index.html
Link name is rather suspicious. Contains: send, me, money and scams  :-DD. And contains nothing but ads.
 

Offline joseph nicholas

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #16 on: December 25, 2016, 11:30:13 am »
Thanks for all of your help!
I should've mentioned that I am planning to put my probes in my checked luggage. Regarding the meter itself , I am not willing to take the risk of  landing and finding out my meter is gone |O...
I may call the airport to look out for some info...

I wouldn't necessarily trust the baggage handlers and the TSA agents.  About 5 years ago I was traveling for company business and had my favorite Gerber multitool stolen out of my checked luggage.  My boss did replace it for me, but still :palm:

Over the years with much travel I've had all kinds of things stolen from my luggage pre 911 and pre bag scanners.  I assume when I don't get a package from China the same type of behavior is at work. 
 

Online David Hess

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #17 on: December 25, 2016, 01:25:57 pm »
I wouldn't necessarily trust the baggage handlers and the TSA agents.  About 5 years ago I was traveling for company business and had my favorite Gerber multitool stolen out of my checked luggage.  My boss did replace it for me, but still :palm:

That's the reason why there is no way I am going to put my fluke in my checked luggage.

The solution for this at least for flights within the US is to pack a firearm in the checked baggage with whatever you want not stolen.  Then the checked baggage is inspected with your present, locked with a real lock with the firearm inside, and nobody else inspects it outside of your sight.
 
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Offline SeanB

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #18 on: December 25, 2016, 06:12:14 pm »
I wouldn't necessarily trust the baggage handlers and the TSA agents.  About 5 years ago I was traveling for company business and had my favorite Gerber multitool stolen out of my checked luggage.  My boss did replace it for me, but still :palm:

That's the reason why there is no way I am going to put my fluke in my checked luggage.

The solution for this at least for flights within the US is to pack a firearm in the checked baggage with whatever you want not stolen.  Then the checked baggage is inspected with your present, locked with a real lock with the firearm inside, and nobody else inspects it outside of your sight.

Or pack an ornamental knife larger than 16cm long as a "promotional gift" inside the bag. Same thing applies, and it will also be locked in a special box, be delivered to the plane by a security guard and will be taken off by another.

You have an extra half hour at the destination to get it back, but if it goes missing you can raise merry hell with all involved, and the press, about the lax security that allows theft.
 

Online David Hess

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #19 on: December 25, 2016, 07:32:00 pm »
The solution for this at least for flights within the US is to pack a firearm in the checked baggage with whatever you want not stolen.  Then the checked baggage is inspected with your present, locked with a real lock with the firearm inside, and nobody else inspects it outside of your sight.

Or pack an ornamental knife larger than 16cm long as a "promotional gift" inside the bag. Same thing applies, and it will also be locked in a special box, be delivered to the plane by a security guard and will be taken off by another.

You have an extra half hour at the destination to get it back, but if it goes missing you can raise merry hell with all involved, and the press, about the lax security that allows theft.

That would not work in the US since the regulations for traveling with firearms on a plane do not apply to edged weapons.  It would have to be put into checked baggage but it would be treated the same as any other baggage (same with air guns but see below) and I think you would actually be more likely to get into trouble with some state laws.

Some people find a cheap junked shotgun or bolt action rifle receiver which will be relatively small, counts as a "firearm" under federal law, and present little or no legal difficulties under adverse interpretations of most state's law.  Some states like New Jersey though require resident permits to possess a firearm and will arrest you if they find out as people who get diverted to Newark because of bad weather occasionally find out.  Illinois used to do this also but I do not know if that is the case now.  Federal law is suppose to cover it but New Jersey (and Illinois last time I checked) does not care.

Apparently a starter pistol or maybe airgun works also so that might be a possibility for traveling into or out of the US.  Airguns are not listed as firearms under federal law however so I am dubious about them; they would have to be in checked baggage but TSA does not include them as firearms so I suspect it would be handled on a case by case basis.  Incidentally, New Jersey considers airguns to be firearms so do not land there with one.

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Offline ytech15Topic starter

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #20 on: December 25, 2016, 07:40:24 pm »
Pretty sure I am going to take the meter in my backpack and the leads will go in to my checked bag. UPS minimum rate for the service I need is around 100-110 USD which is ridiculous.
 

Offline SeanB

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #21 on: December 25, 2016, 07:49:25 pm »
I used to travel by air regularly in the military, and one afternoon, went direct from shooting range training. Only found out later that night I had around a dozen cartridge casings in my pockets, in my boots and floating around my luggage, just from the people next to me on the rifle range.

I knew when the one dropped down my neck though, still burning hot. just was thankful I was to the left of the 20mm cannon, those casings travelled pretty far, plus the recoil was such that one smaller guy moved back 5m after firing 5 rounds with that one.
 

Offline Delta

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #22 on: December 25, 2016, 07:49:45 pm »
It will be fine.  I have flown loads of times with all sorts of weird looking PLC programming tools, test equipment and a rat's nest of cables stuffed in my laptop backpack (as hand luggage).  A few times i've caught sight of the scanner screen as it's gone through, and I thought "shit, that looks well dodgy!", but i've not once even been asked to open the bag and explain it.
 
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Offline SeanB

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #23 on: December 25, 2016, 07:56:02 pm »
If you are travelling with a high viz vest, some steel toecap boots, battered luggage and rugged jeans they will not blink, assuming you are an industrial worker. Having a hard hat as part of checked luggage as well also helps pigeon hole you into the " industrial plant support" role as well.

Doing that dressed in Armani suit and you will be singled out for "extra scrutiny" almost certainly.
 

Offline georges80

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Re: Multimeter as a carry on item (international flight)
« Reply #24 on: December 25, 2016, 07:57:47 pm »
Its luck of the draw and totally up to the person looking at the xray scan. I had to move some stuff from my main bag to my carry on once (dumb PER bag weight limits - the total weight of course remains the same!). Local US flight to LA then on to Oz and to Perth.

Without thinking I grabbed some boxes from my main bag. One had drill bits - ooh no way did that pass the xray scan... Had to mail them back to myself. Arrive in Perth some 24 hours or so later and I'm unpacking and in my carry on (which passed xray fine...) was a butane (no gas in it) soldering iron complete with sharp pointy tip (in one of the boxes I had to re-organise). That soldering iron would have made a significantly dangerous weapon given the whole soldering iron handle - much more than few drill bits...

But then a fruit can be a deadly weapon too :)

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