Fresh film in luggage scanner

[BrianShaw]

... the big honking X-rays used in the checked baggage inspections. And it is true that they crank up the dosage when they can't see something, such as the contents of a lead bag.

Agreed.

If I remember correctly, the CTX machines used for checked baggage is two-phase examination: regular X-ray as an initial screen and then if something suspicious is seen (or not seen in the case of a lead bag) CT is applied. I seem to remember that from a meeting with the CTX mfgr... but that was a long time ago so maybe my memory is faulty.

... Also, the lead in those bags is so thin that it doesn't do that much anyway.

Also agreed.

The lead in my lead bag was just thick enough to consistently attract the attention, in a negative way, of airport screeners. Since I got rid of it I now get through the screening process a lot quicker and with a lot less stress. And no fogged film either!

[Tim Meisburger]

Thanks guys. The best bet seems to be to test some film, but I may not have time or opportunity while I am here to find chemicals, so may just shoot a few with what I have, and no expectations. Best I can hope for is they did not scan the bag. Oh well...

[eddie]

buy new film.

ship it to your self. should be easy enough to do. freestyle is not far from Az.

put a "help" request, there may be film shooters in or around Tuscon that could help.

my last accidental film in check bag stuff come out fine....but you know how it goes....only the best and most important film would be ruined by the x ray machine.

eddie

[Rayt]

Not all checked luggage is scanned. Only some percentage (less than 50%) is actually xray scanned.

How do you know this? I am just curious.

[IanG]

How do you know this? I am just curious.

All luggage is scanned but usually using the same type of scanners as carry on baggage which are film safe, then some is scanned again using deep more intrusive X-rays when an object can't be identified.

This film definitely need to be tested.

Ian

[BetterSense]

How do you know this? I am just curious.

The TSA documents that were leaked earlier this year say so. It makes sense, because it would take a lot of time and manpower to xray everything. There is no point in xraying it if someone isn't sitting there inspecting the contents by eye.

[BrianShaw]

The TSA documents that were leaked earlier this year say so. It makes sense, because it would take a lot of time and manpower to xray everything. There is no point in xraying it if someone isn't sitting there inspecting the contents by eye.

I haven't seen those documents, but the manufacturers make their specifications and "recommended usage" information quite available on the internet.

[rdenney]

How do you know this? I am just curious.

It certainly is not true in the airports I frequent (particularly Dulles, but also many others), where I put the bag down right at the big scanning machine that they use. I've never yet seen them carry a bag around that machine. Maybe when they get all the machines in the back room, that will be the case.

Rick "no stranger to airports" Denney

[Fred L]

Oversized, in Canada at least, has to be loaded personally by the traveller into the huge arse xray/scanning machine. I always presume my CHECKED baggage is going to be showered in xrays before being loaded onto planes, esp in the current flying environment. All the 400 speed film I accidentally left in the baggage on one trip had some cool wavy lines, pretty well rendering it useless. I suppose someone with lots of time could post process them out.

[rguinter]

It certainly is not true in the airports I frequent (particularly Dulles, but also many others), where I put the bag down right at the big scanning machine that they use. I've never yet seen them carry a bag around that machine. Maybe when they get all the machines in the back room, that will be the case.

Rick "no stranger to airports" Denney

I travel frequently for business and often put my laptop inside my suitcase... because it is old and (essentially) valueless so I'm not worried about it being damaged.

And I am sick and tired of the hassle of carrying it through and having to pull it out and send it separately through the carry-on scanner.

So far, over the course of several years, and dozens of trips, every time I do this my suitcase is opened and torn apart so they can hand-inspect the old bugger. How do I know this?... they always leave their little love-note inside my disheveled suitcase informing me that my suitcase was "selected at random" for a thorough search.

To me this suggests (at least through the airports that I'm travelling) that significantly more than 50% of bags are heavily x-rayed. Perhaps all of them.

Bob (who is also no stranger to airports) G.