[FedCom] Federal Frequency Searching in Commercial Airports?

[Chris Parris]

Well, Ken, I can only speak for this Fed Files columnist and frequenent
flier...

> *What scanner(s) do you normally use at the airport?
> *Do you think using more than one scanner in the Waiting Area would draw
too
> much attention?
> *What antenna(s) do you normally use at the airport?
> *Do you use headphones or an earplug type phone at the airport?
> *What reaction do you get from others around you in the waiting area?

I usually travel with three scanners in my backpack - Uniden 396, Radio
Shack PRO96 and a Yupiteru MVT-7100. I also carry extra batteries and
several antennas. I used to carry a whole bag of antennas, but I'm trying to
cut down on the clutter in the backpack, and they would usually confuse the
TSA folks in the X-ray machine.

If I'm just sitting at the gate waiting for a flight, I usually just break
out one radio. It's too difficult to juggle several radios while sitting
there. If I have the time, I'll head to one of the airport business centers
or airline club rooms. There you will usually find some desk cubicles with
power, so I can set up multiple radios with the computer and log things.

Always, Always and Always use earphones or headphones. I have both in ear
and over-the-ear headphones that I use while traveling. I have a splitter I
made that allows me to listen to one radio in one ear and another in the
other ear.

As for reaction of others, I have never noticed any at all. I have
occasionally had some folks, who knew what I had in my hand, ask what I was
listening to. I usually showed them that I was scanning the airport
frequencies and even let them listen. Sometimes the pilots see me and ask if
I was listening to air traffic. But as far as security or TSA, they have
never express any interest in my radios or me listening to them.

- Chris
 --
Chris Parris
Fed Files Columnist
Monitoring Times Magazine
chrisparris at monitoringtimes.com
Fed Files Blog - http://mt-fedfiles.blogspot.com/