GPS and the TSA (Airline Flight)?

Pushbutton · 01-21-07, 11:36 AM

My wife and I are going to DFW (Dallas) and will need to drive to our daughter's home near Austin. I know that I just need to go I-35 south, but want to take My Axim X51v, Bluetooth GPS and Arkon docking station with us for the drive down.

Does anyone know of the TSA (Transportation Security Agency) rules regarding these items? I don't want to loose them at the security inspection, nor do I want to leave them in an unlocked checked bag.

stevenator65 · 01-21-07, 12:21 PM

I always take mine with me in my carry-on bag. Just take them out and put them on the tray and let the TSA inspect them. No big deal.

01-21-07, 02:37 PM

No problems. They pass through TSA checkpoints without having to be taken out of your carry on. You can take out the Axim for separate check if you want, but I've not had to for years.

01-21-07, 04:38 PM

Many airlines ALLOW GPS use INFLIGHT.

(Not much use other than amusement, since your not the pilot, and no one's going to get lost.)

RobMan · 01-21-07, 06:08 PM

a a another confirm. I leave my gps and ax in briefcase and run thru x-ray; never a problem.

**ksong12** · 01-21-07, 06:17 PM

Yep, another confirmation! I got through fine, all the, perhaps 5 times.

01-21-07, 07:34 PM

I travel 2-3 times a month and never have a problem. I have a carry-on bag with my laptop, tavel printer, Ax, GPS, XM radio, and all the power/charging cords for all the gadgets. The only problem I ever have is they sometimes want to look inside the bag and screw up my packing. It's an art form to pack a bag with all the crap I carry.

01-21-07, 08:38 PM

Last weekend on a trip to Orlando, I had my brief case searched not because of the ax or any of the electronics in it but because the TSA agent thought he saw some liquid in it on the scanner. The only liquid was inside the TSA agent's head. In fact, the TSA agent who did the manual search apoplogized because the agent doing the scanning was a supervisor who doesn't spend much time on the machine.

mjfeeney · 01-22-07, 10:49 AM

My last flight was in July 2006, and I just took the PDA and BT GPS out of my pockets and ran it through the xray with my shoes. Nobody said anything either coming or going.

They let you run it during flight? Didn't try that...

epscubfan · 01-22-07, 11:40 AM

Also, the in-flight magazines have an airline info page that covers the use of electronic devices...GPS is ok to use in-flight.

Check out the air speed and altitude!

01-22-07, 12:09 PM

If you're not sure, just ask the TSA agents when you are getting your stuff on the belt. Like diducmeb4 I took have various stuff in my bag (Ax, MP3 payer, XM radio, headphones, chargers, cables and all). All I ever take out is my laptop. Fortunately, the only thing I had confiscated recently was a 3.4 ounce tube of toothpaste.

01-22-07, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by ralarosa

If you're not sure, just ask the TSA agents when you are getting your stuff on the belt. Like diducmeb4 I took have various stuff in my bag (Ax, MP3 payer, XM radio, headphones, chargers, cables and all). All I ever take out is my laptop. Fortunately, the only thing I had confiscated recently was a 3.4 ounce tube of toothpaste.

Don't have GPS, but my ax and all its gear - keyboard, headphones, batts, etc go through in by carryon and I don't take them out for special inspections. No problems.

Yeah - I have dirty teeth as well. I traveled from US to England to Turkey and back again with a huge tube of toothpaste, with only a little bit left - no problem. Down to two squeezes in San Diego and it was confiscated.

01-22-07, 01:14 PM

It never ceases to amaze me where the TSA agents are a bit more "zealous". I ly out of Philly and short of carrying a weapon through, almost anything will get through. I'll travel to upstate NY and some of the agents in these rinky-dink towns really go over everything. I guess they've got nothing better to do.

data2000 · 01-22-07, 06:26 PM

Any problems with your flash media being erased thru the airport scanners ?
Sd or Cf cards

Doulos_Iesou · 01-22-07, 08:59 PM

I fly 3-4x per month for business and have been through security with my Axim & BT GPS many times and never once had a problem. As stated above, some airines (including Delta) even allow the use GPS devices in flight. However, I think general FAA regulations forbidding decives that operate in a "transmit mode" would rule out BT GPS receivers, but I'm not sure about this. I have noticed that the Axim has a "flight mode" that turns off BT and 802.

If you are flying to DFW, then chances are you will fly AA which forbids the use of GPS devices in-flight.

Michael