Customs break my tubes (4CX800 / GU74b)

[ChrisSmolinski]

I saw this today on a website: http://www.dh1tw.de/customs-break-my-tubes-4cx800-gu74b

A friend of mine recently was very generous and sent me four used 4CX800 / GU74b which he didn’t need anymore. The tubes where traveling a while and through several non-EU countries. Today the parcel finally arrived. I have already heard wild stories about customs, but I didn’t expect this: Customs drilled holes in two tubes and later opened them with a saw. Checkout the pictures.

Can you believe how mad I am?

[Zoidberg]

Apparently the package was claimed to have low value, a common ploy in countries with high customs rates.  Several times when I've sold items on ebay, prospective bidders from countries with high customs rates will ask me if I'd be willing to undervalue the package to minimize customs fees.  I usually decline those opportunities, since I can't insure it for full value on the one hand while also claiming it's worth only two bucks.

One comment on that blog indicated officials might have suspected the odd looking items were suspicious.  I'd also wonder whether customs officials might deliberately damage items just to see how sincere the shippers and recipients are about the contents having "low value".

[zackers]

Based on what he said, it appears he didn't pay anything for the tubes. So in his case, all he's lost is the expected tubes. He said four were shipped and two were damaged? Then he still has two good ones. What do you expect for nothing? Rubber biscuit?

The sender is the one who lost most in this case. If he were willing to give them away, I imagine it isn't a huge loss for him, either.

It's a shame that two good tubes were destroyed, though.

[jFarley]

A Customs Inspector on coke
(or perhaps after taking a toke?)
With his drill at full throttle
Breached a good vacuum bottle,
And released all the magic blue smoke...

[Zoidberg]

 

A Customs Inspector on coke
(or perhaps after taking a toke?)
With his drill at full throttle
Breached a good vacuum bottle,
And released all the magic blue smoke...

[zackers]

A Customs Inspector on coke
(or perhaps after taking a toke?)
With his drill at full throttle
Breached a good vacuum bottle,
And released all the magic blue smoke...

Hey, that belongs in the DXHPDS!
For those of you who aren't radio amateurs who predate the 1980's, that's the DX Hoggery and Poetry Depreciation Society.
 

[Zoidberg]

Poetry Depreciation Society.
 

Hey, I remember that.  Ruben Gaines was the droll announcer.  No, wait... maybe I'm thinking of Crusty and Mike on the 3843 Possum Net.

[cmradio]

You can be confident the tubes will have their revenge - the BeO the ceramic contains is highly carcinogenic.

Peace!

[Token]

You think that was a Beryllia ceramic in those tubes?  I would think an Aluminia ceramic more likely, maybe with some Mangenese.  I think BeO is mostly used in situations where some conductive cooling is part of the equation (such as internal supports that conduct heat or heat transfer blocks on some tubes), and the Aluminia when forced air is the methodology.

I don't know about the GU74B specifically, but I think BeO ceramic is a lot more rare than might be perceived.

T!