The AM Forum

When I used to live in New England, I remember a lot of guys in ME, NH and VT would drive through Canada on their way to Dayton.   Said it was the shortest route from Northern New England.

There shouldn't be a problem this year, but looks like it is about to become much more difficult within the next couple of years.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7393716/

Papers Please!  Should be  real fun trying to haul your carload of junk past the border patrols.

I went to Kingston via a ferry over the St. Lawrence river last fall. When I returned, the US Customs wanted a Birth Cert. or a passport. I crosed in the same place and one would think that there might be signage re this. There was not any. I have been crossing into/out of Canada for years... First time I needed anything more than a drivers lic.  I was informed that the 911 terrorists had US state drivers lic. I informed the agent that the US Customs let the terrorists in withought DL's....... He was not happy with my insight.  Oh well, it was a nice trip.....

The Customs/Border patroll agents have a difficult and dangerous job and I wish them well. We need several thousand more to secure our borders.      klc

So how did you get back in?

It wouldn't surprise me for Canadian immigration security to be more effective than that of the US.

The border crossing has always been tighter from Canada to US.  Only time I recall difficulty going from US to Canada was during a strike in Ontario that had pretty much dried up all the beer in the province.  Every car was inspected - stateside folks headed to their cottages on the lakes with their weekend 'supplies' limited to one six-pack.  :-)

Years ago the microphone for my mobile rig was impounded at the Canadian checkpoint because I could not find my reciprocal permit (no longer required).  The mic was placed in a heavy paper bag which was wired shut and affixed with a lead seal. The agent warned me that the seal and wire must be intact on my return. As I pulled away the agent hollared "73".  Obviously a  fellow ham.  A bit later I noticed that the wire had missed a couple of holes in the bag & I could easily remove the mic without damaging the bag or the wire & seal!

Post 9/11 the US direction has become significanly less friendly.  I picked up a 75A-4 in Ottawa and on the return trip the agent was none too gentle opening up the box. After he tore off one of the flaps of the box I started to get out of my car as was greeted by another agent who very directly informed me to stay in the vehicle.  It was quite tense.  I got really mad when he rolled the A-4 onto it's front panel on the less than clean bed of my pickup but bit my tongue. After he finished 'inspecting' the A-4 I was told to drive off, the A-4 sitting on it's top and the packing material, manual, and some parts scattered all over the bed of the truck. I was not a happy camper.

I think beefing up and standarizing the documentation requirement is a good thing.  A momentary pain in the butt to obtain and keep a passport - but at least there will be common ID documentation rather than a mish-mash of 50 different relatively easily faked driver licenses.

The guys at the border have a tough job.  Most people treat crossing back and forth to Canada like crossing from one state to the next.  Those days are gone.

Happy Friday all,  73, Bill   N2BC

It may be a tough job, but that's no excuse to be abusive and disrespectful of people's property, or to act like a gang of thugs.  I would have been pissing and moaning to that guy's supervisor, my congressman, etc.  Maybe it would be advisable to keep anything as delicate and valuable as a 75A4 inside the passenger compartment with you.



http://stupidevilbastard.com/index/weblog/comments/the_high_cost_of_going_to_church/

Don't know about the other border crossings, but at Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Lewiston, and the Thousand Islands there are hundreds of trucks and cars backed up pretty much all day.  

In general my experience is quite positive.  But the workload these guy have is enormous, aggravated by the wait times.  Just adding people won't fix it either, they need to add lanes to bridges, big $ stuff.

I didn't intend to portray that one experience as the norm now.  But a border crossing is much more serious that it has been in decades.

Oh, the A-4 would have been in the cab, but my passenger refused to ride in the back!

Well up here 60 miles south of the border they have a border patrol post on the south lane of the North Way which is a high way from the Canadian border to Albany, New York. Due to poor planning of the site several people have been killed there by failing to stop and plowing into cars waiting to be checked.

They give me the strange eye when they see my ham antennas and gear in my truck. So far they have not asked me what it’s for. I keep a copy of my license in the glove box at all times.

I agree with the previous posts. re; the job of a border inspector is difficult at the least, and sometimes a bit more respect may be due from them.

That being said,   I think we have had it much too easy for many years.

During the 1980's, I spent a LOT of time in  the Far East for work (XV, XU, XW)  At even the most isolated, God Forsaken, in the middle of nowhere crossing (called  "frontiers"), the wait to cross would sometimes be HOURS for nothing more than red tape or curiosity. And those guys would shoot!!!!

I really think we have been spoiled.

No big deal to get a passport and carry it...

No matter, keep smiling and maybe someday we can all look back on this and laugh.  I hope so!

73!

Mike KM1R

Adding a personal experience...I posted it before but it bears repeating.  

In June, 2003, I crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls and after I got past the customs booth,
 I was directed over to the x-ray machine where the agents proceeded to extract everyting in my car (interior and trunk) and x-rayed everything.

I don't know if the agent at the booth just didn't like the looks of me, or if
this is something they do to everyone they don't recognize...but it's good to know in advance that this could happen.  I'd guess that a lot (or even just some wierd looking radio gear would be enough to trigger this type of search.

Also, my trip was a vaction to northern Michigan, and when I responded to the agent's question about where I was going I was looked at as if taking a vacation is a suspicious thing.  ????

The good news is that the search was efficient and quick.

BTW...just saw a headline in some newspaper the a passport is now required for travel between Canada and the U.S.

Also, having done that shortcut through Canada many times, I've found that the Rainbow bridge is the best crossing in that area.  The one I used to use (Queenston-Lewiston) is lousy with trucks.  There's no trucks over the Rainbow bridge and the customs lines are usually good.

Happy travels.

Paul