Airplane baggage restriction magnetic 3597

on an answer to this as I was about to get a 3597 and was wondering the same.

I don't know about the measurements but the 3597 does have a very strong magnet. Is this restriction from the airline or from the TSA?

The TSA website says a magnet is okay for baggage or carryon -

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/prohibited-items

The British Airways website does not mention magnets -

http://www.britishairways.com/en-us/information/baggage-esse...

Heathrow Airport official website bans magnetic items in baggage and permits magnetic items in carryon -

http://www.heathrowairport.com/heathrow-airport-guide/heathr...

Another private Heathrow site has incorrect info.

dobs108

I wouldn't worry about it. While the unit will be of little use on board (other than clocking a fastest speed), the battery won't last long enough to do any good as to finding your position. That said, a lot of those type aircraft have GPS displays built in so if you want to track your flight, just use theirs.

I have taken my 780 and 1490 along as carry on.

Has the benefit of bragging to friends that I can show them on my GPS that my max speed was over 400 KPS!!! lol

I believe they want to use it WHILE in Europe...not to make sure the plane goes where it is supposed to...lol

good luck with the carry on, I don't see much of an issue for it being stowed in the cabin.

Why not just call Brtish Air, tell them it's a GPS you need on your vacation that has a magnetic mount. Worst case scenario is to put the mount in the suitcase going into the baggage hold and keep the GPS with your carry on. I just can't see them preventing you from bringing it.

I'm sure you are not the first person to bring a 3597 on an aircraft.

The 3597 itself (not just the mount) has a strong magnet. That's how it destroys motel keys and credit cards.

Thanks. I looked at these sites, too. Here's the link stating that magnetic instruments are prohibited in the hold or cabin of the airplane
http://www.heathrowairport.com/heathrow-airport-guide/heathr...

Surely some folks have already used the 3597 in Europe before and would have mentioned an airlines issue had there been one...

Noted, but follow the "hand baggage" link - magnets are not mentioned.

dobs108

Be advised that both the 3597 and the mount have strong magnets that violate TSA policy:

http://www.airsafe.com/danger.htm#banned

Individual airline policies vary though and I agree with muell9k, call the airline to be sure.

I recently took a magnetic antenna mount on a flight with no problems but it might have been overlooked by security.

The 3597 is a fairly expensive piece of equipment to risk being confiscated by the TSA. A better option might be to ship the unit to your hotel in Europe and avoid a potential problem.

Airsafe is a private site. Magnets are permitted on an item selector on the official TSA website.

The TSA link I mentioned above is the correct link for a PC. Use a tablet or a phone and it does not go to the correct link.

dobs108

"Measurable magnetic field of more than 0.00525 gauss when measured from any surface of the package at a distance of 15 feet" sounds like an very powerful magnet that is beyond what any consumer device auto-mount magnet would be.

One way to decrease the measurable magnetic field is to close it on the item itself, like having a piece of steel placed where the car would be. The field does no longer propagate much and becomes week very near the item.

But like they say, ymmv...

That is right. A "keeper" of iron or steel will reduce but not eliminate the magnetic field. The problem is that it will become a source of suspicion for the security screeners.

dobs108

My 3597 has flown from Phoenix to Fort Lauderdale return, Phoenix to Houston return, and Phoenix to Miami return. It's always been in my carry on or in my pocket which I have to empty into one of those plastic tubs. I've never been asked about the GPS going through security or has it been a problem on the plane.

In summary, if you want to carry the Nuvi on the plane you will not have an issue. If you want to use it on the plane, it will probably not be an issue but I have in the past ask a flight attendant first and never been refused.

All over the country in my Cary on luggage with no issues.

"Measurable magnetic field of more than 0.00525 gauss when measured from any surface of the package at a distance of 15 feet"

I doubt very much that your unit would produce anywhere near that field at 15 feet. Particularly if you put a keeper on it. But as other have said, ask the airline.

I admittedly don't know magnetic science/engineering, but my gut feeling is that 15 feet seems like a long distance for any significant magnetism from the 3597 mount system to be detected. If someone on here knows the science and has the means to measure it, I wish they would weigh in on this discussion. Otherwise we are just guessing.

This seems like it should be a legitimate question for Garmin support. Anyone willing to take the "plunge" and call Garmin support to see how they would answer this?

A 15-foot range would require a very large magnet, like the one here.

But I feel the airline may be worried a magnet would affect a magnetic compass that would have been used as a backup navigation device. Magnetic compasses probably haven't been used on airlines since they did away with the navigator crew position about 30 years ago.

Wouldn't leaving the magnetic mount stay attached to the GPS minimize the effects of the magnetic field?

Yes, the mount would act as a keeper.

dobs108

If a single 3597 violates TSA policy, how does Garmin ship a pallet of these units? I realize they are assembled overseas but they still have to get to a worldwide market somehow. It's hard to believe they would all go by ship.

I contacted Garmin support about the 3597 violating TSA regs and received the following reply:

"Thank you for contacting Garmin International.

I am sorry but i do not know if that is against TSA rules. The best thing to do is to contact the airline you are using and ask them if you can put it in you luggage.

With Best Regards,

Chuck

Customer Care - Automotive Team

Garmin International"

Not much help I'm afraid.

Thanks for taking the "plunge" as Alan requested.

This article might be by K&J Magnetics on shipping magnets could be of interest.

https://www.kjmagnetics.com/blog.asp?p=shipping

To estimate of the magnetic field strength for us without access to a magnetometer and a shielded room to do the proper testing:

Measured my 3597 at ~7 ft from a compass that I got free at a trade show. It produces no observable deflection of the needle.
The ~15-degree deflection is observed when the 3597 is
~8-10 inches from the compass.

Based on my "scientific" experiment, the magnets in the 3597 is at least ~1000 times weaker than the FAA regulation.

Excellent post Pillowcase! Thanks for sharing your research and observations.

I was bogged down with the calculations using the formulas provided on the K&J Magnetics website. The math is quite complicated. I didn't see the shipping regulations you found.

In any case, I duplicated your experiment with the electronic compass in my Montana 650 and the results check.

Thanks again!

What were you flying in?

Interesting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zO9nWgI_LY

More

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t8yDnyOaQ8

Always learn strange new things here.

Now where on the plane did I leave my 30 pound electro magnet, oops, I mean my Garmin GPS?

Impressive!

This Wikipedia article on Neodymium Magnets is informative:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium_magnet