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Gear / Technical Help => Microphones & Setup => Topic started by: svenkid on May 05, 2006, 03:03:37 AM
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Hey all
Is there any fear involved with bringing mics on an airplane? and through security?
I recall hearing about dat tapes and magnetic fields not being a good combo?
???
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I just brought my gear to Chicago. All went well except for my SLA battery. They didn't like that much. Basically they said it would cause me to get my bag inspected everytime I brought it through security. Sure enough they checked me both ways because of the battery.
Other than that they didn't seem to care about the mics, recorder, preamp or all the cables.
If you have a SLA battery I'd tell them before you put it though the scanning machine. Might save you some time.
FWIW, I recall reading that you should call your batteries, your "power supplies" because they've been trained "batteries" are bad, but "power supplies" are okay.
Oh, and I'm assuming you're carrying your gear on. I wouldn't let them check my gear in a million years. I think if I were given the choice to either check my gear or not get on the plane I would choose the latter.
Hope that helps.
MIKE B
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I've just done it one time (London) and they didn't care at all about mics, cables, power supply and recorder, they even didn't ask or took a look :)
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I used to always have my dat and lead battery in my carryon, they would wig everytime. I guess Im more worried about if the magnetic security rays damage mics.
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Flew last year from Nashville to JFK, and not a word was said at all...never even batted an eye. They were way more concerned with my laptop.
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Back right after 9/11 I was asked to power on my dmic. No other issues than that.
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i just brought a boatload of gear to LA and back and no one said a thing
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I always open the bag, tell them I've got professional audio equipment inside . . . . and they could care less.
I can't recall airport security ever looking inside.
Watch out for electric tooth brushes, though. lol (Still can't figure that one out.)
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To answer your question ;) the Xray machine wil not harm your mics.
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Do airlines now make you check your stands? Can I just bring it on as carry-on with my rig bag, or would I have to check it?
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Never check anything worth more than $500. Most lost luggage claims won't give you more than that.
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Bring those U89's up for Hornsby baby! The zoo sounds so nice. You can use my R4 and stand. ;)
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In the Archive, flying with equipment is covered:
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=36124.0
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Traveling with stands... I guessed that the airlines would freak if I tried to carry it on-board... so my solution was to get one of those hardsided but small traveling golf bags... an overkill and pricey... but my thoughts were...
- The stand would hopefully arrive unbent
- At the airport, hotels, etc., I've already got a bunch of crap that I'll be hanging on my shoulder or carrying in my hands, so I got a bag with wheels that I can just drag along with just one finger if I need to (and I've needed to)
- It's got pockets to carry even more crap
- While the airlines sometimes go bonkers about strange or oversized check-in, they don't blink an eye over golf clubs
- If they lose it, I can claim that it was filled with expensive Pings ;) and I put a clamp in my carry-on for backup in this instance
So far it's been working out great.
My stand is one of the older Manfrotto's with the "screw top", so I even bought a golf club cover to protect the threads... and as size goes... I only have to extend the stand a few inches before putting it in the golf bag to keep it from banging around in the case.
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Just make sure it's not one of these...
(http://www.izotope.com/artists/images/PirroCopperphone.jpg)
Polyphonic Spree Drummer Brian Teasley Makes the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List
Cory D. Byrom reports:
Brian Teasley, percussionist for Texas-based indie-pop outfit The Polyphonic Spree, caused a major ruckus at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport last Thursday, and in the process managed to weasel his way onto the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list-- for about an hour and a half. The offense? Concealing a microphone in his baggage-- a Placid Audio Copperphone, to be exact-- that was subsequently mistaken by airport security for a bomb.
No word of the scare had reached the Birmingham Airport Thursday evening when Teasley arrived in Alabama, where he currently resides, though he was disappointed to discover his luggage hadn't arrived. So he filed a complaint with American Airlines, then proceeded to do what anyone else in this situation would do: He went to Taco Bell.
It was upon arriving back at home that Teasley was approached by an FBI agent. Appearing seemingly out of nowhere, the agent asked, "Are you Brian Teasley?" When Teasley replied in the affirmative, the agent stated calmly into his lapel, "We got him." As Teasley tells it, cars immediately came from every direction at once, blocking off the driveway and thoroughly congesting the street. It turns out that after the airport security discovered the device in one of Teasley's bags, five gates were shut down in the C terminal, the bomb disposal robot was called out, and the FBI was contacted.
"If you're looking for a solid alibi, being on a national TV show is a good one," Teasley joked in a telephone interview with Pitchfork, referring to the fact that The Polyphonic Spree had recently performed on Late Night with Craig Kilborn. Once Teasley realized the source of the misunderstanding, he told the agent that he had the performance on TiVo, and could easily show them the microphone in question. After viewing the performance, the FBI were able to confirm with Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport that the item in question was, in fact, just a microphone. However, why the agents were unable to just disassemble the damn thing and figure out that it wasn't a bomb is a question you might not want to ask yourself, if you'd like to feel good about the state of national security.
"I don't want to over-dramatize the situation," Teasley stated, "but there were two or three minutes when I thought I was going to be in Guantanamo Bay with the Abu Ghraib people holding a thumbs up while pointing to my penis. I wasn't really scared about Guantanamo, I just didn't want people to see my penis. I'm a very private person."
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I just brought my gear to Chicago. All went well except for my SLA battery. They didn't like that much. Basically they said it would cause me to get my bag inspected everytime I brought it through security. Sure enough they checked me both ways because of the battery.
A workaround for you guys,
Put your SLA's in a different grey bin (that goes throught the x-ray conveyor belt) than any other equipment (taping gear, laptop, etc.). Security does not like SLA's because of the density of the material inside, they can't see throught it, thus they might assume it contains explosive material. This way, they will just reinspect the batteries without having to go throught the enitre bag it is in. It will save you time and effort in getting through security.
Good luck!
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i flew to FL with my gear. shipped my stand with other stuff going down (for work) via UPS so that was no issue). my gear bag i brought carry on. went through the Xray machine, the operator stopped it and said loudly "i need a good pair of eyes!" i knew what that was about :P. my bag and me got pulled to the side. i passed through the detector just fine so i didnt get searched but they did my bag a one over with the bomb wand thingy, unpacked my bag a bit, looked around, let me go.
way back they stopped the belt, came over to me with it in the Xray and said "what kind of electronics do you have in your bag?" i said, "audio recording equipment and a digital camera." they looked at the xray again and let it through no problems.
I dont have SLAs but i do have walmart dvd batteries. all in all rather painfree
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I just got back from flying Chicago to Dallas. On the way down I had a UA-5 stuffed down on the inside of my carry on. I thought they were going to go ballastic when they scanned it. Sure enough they pulled me, my bag and two security agents aside after it went through the tunnel. They opened up my bag, slowly unpacked it and just set the UA-5 to the side. They were only interested in one thing. My breathing machine (I have sleep apnea). They guy said "These breathing machines are one of those items that will always get some attention so you may want to consider packing it so it is more easily accesable. It makes no difference to us, but then we just wouldn't have to go through your whole bag to get to it and it wouldn't be so much of an inconvience to you." He was very nice about it. I said "Actually, I thought that would gather the most attention." Pointing at the UA-5. "Nope, we see all kinds of electronics.....The breathing machines just don't scan well so we have to personally inspect them."
On the way back, I didn't have the UA-5 and bags went straight through with no questions asked. Breathing machine and all.
I now have no fears about bringing my whole rig via carry on. I don't think they'd even bat an eye. I think they'd even let you bring a stand on but this could be a maybe. They did tell one guy he couldn't bring a staff like looking thing on. It was about 2 1/2' long and it looked like a cut off golf club. I have no idea what it was though. But hell they have to see a ton of photographers stands and I'm betting they'd be just fine with it.
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i actually had someone at LGA tell me that i couldn't take my 12 volt SLA on the plane because i could beat someone over the head with it. yet they let me on with my stand....