*"Most commercially made ham gear looks like some kind of cell phone and is usually passed in the USA. I have found great variance in inspection by airport; generally tighter in small airports. I always carry my license and a business card attached to the radio. Going into Canada you want to bring along your invoice to prove it was purchased in the US to get thru customs on return. You need a passport to travel to Canada these days."* Sorry Ed...your advice when traveling internationally misses the mark a bit.
Just remember folks...when you are traveling inside the USA, you probably won't run into any problems. I have to question how much my K3 looks like a cell phone...but I digress. Ed's right...it's probably not a bad idea to have your license with you. Ed's advice on going into Canada and returning through US Customs is a little shaky. As a US Customs Agent in Bermuda told me, "anybody with a scanner and a color printer can dummy up an invoice." To extend that thinking, and remember you are dealing with Homeland Security, your license means that you have a license...period. It means absolutely nothing to the Customs Agent regarding what you are bringing into the US. Officially, your papers, as they say, are not in order. If you are planning on taking your gear out of the good ol' US of A (even to Canada)...the only way to guarantee that you'll clear US Customs with no problems, is by showing the agent a Department of Homeland Security CPB Form 4457 aka Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad. This form is available the the web...you can Google it. You complete the form describing the articles you're taking overseas including serial numbers...then you have to go to a Customs Office to have the items inspected. I live near Youngstown, Ohio...the nearest Customs Office was at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Pain in the ass? Certainly! But remember, US Customs has the right to impound anything they deem as questionable...it's up to YOU to prove it's not. *73, Ray-ND8L, occasionally ND8L/VP9* ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
