That sounds quite bothersome! I'm under the impression that a lot of the documentation/declaration requirements depend on the carrier and service you're using and generally, more established shipping companies seem to be able to abstract the process a lot (although I can't say with confidence that it's the same in the UK, especially post-brexit). In general, package forwarders in the US only require a short abbreviated "laymen's terms" description of the contents that they don't seem to challenge in any way at all (I've brought over instruments, LA and scope blades for the 16700 mainframe, consumer and industrial electronics like servo drives and motors, teach pendants for robots etc., mostly multiple packages consolidated into a single shipment). Depending on the arrangement, duties and VAT was either billed and paid for when placing the shipping order _or_ I got notified by mail with the instructions when the goods reached the country, then after I paid the duties, it cleared customs and it was on its way to me. Gabor
Some observations from the UK. TL;DR: fleabay's GSP is wonderful, much better for me than my shipping my sales directly.
When I've bought something direct from the orient, e.g. a BusPirate5 or Digilent Analog Discovery, the courier won't deliver it to me until I pay them 20%VAT/import duties plus ?20 admin fee. Those often make it better to buy from local importers.
Import/export regulations hit more than "electronics". Somebody in the USA put one of my ~100yo Fuller calculators in their fleabay basket, but fleabay wouldn't let them buy it. The reason is unclear, but is probably that I had stated it was made of wood and metal. Apparently the US prohibits imports of wood. I'm glad fleabay prevented that sale, because if fleabay's GSP shippers or US import agencies had detected wood, it would probably have been summarily destroyed without returning it to me. Guess who would have lost out.
As for batteries, it seems that batteries which are an integral part of the equipment don't provoke the shipping immune response. Caveat: I haven't looked at shipping equipment with "modern" lithium batteries, nor recently shipped battery powered equipment overseas, nor "naked" spare batteries.
As with any tree-shaped classification scheme (e.g. Dewey Decimal for
books), selecting the customs code is not only
arbitrarily complex but also ambiguous and ever changing. ISTR some types of fast Tek scopes with MCP CRTs were classified
differently for export purposes: 2465 OK, 2467 sometimes not OK. For the UK, the anti-insomnia "medication" is?
? For "oscilloscope" that leads to and if you look down several pages you find imports require 20% VAT and in some cases 35% retaliatory duties. Getting those ever-changing duties correct is something that will require vast numbers of customs agents and border checks and/or couriers that act conservatively because they don't want to jeopardise their standing with governments. Wonderful, just wonderful.
No doubt other countries have similar tools.
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Some observations from the UK. TL;DR: fleabay's GSP is wonderful, much better for me than my shipping my sales directly.
When I've bought something direct from the orient, e.g. a BusPirate5 or Digilent Analog Discovery, the courier won't deliver it to me until I pay them 20%VAT/import duties plus ?20 admin fee. Those often make it better to buy from local importers.
Import/export regulations hit more than "electronics". Somebody in the USA put one of my ~100yo Fuller calculators in their fleabay basket, but fleabay wouldn't let them buy it. The reason is unclear, but is probably that I had stated it was made of wood and metal. Apparently the US prohibits imports of wood. I'm glad fleabay prevented that sale, because if fleabay's GSP shippers or US import agencies had detected wood, it would probably have been summarily destroyed without returning it to me. Guess who would have lost out.
As for batteries, it seems that batteries which are an integral part of the equipment don't provoke the shipping immune response. Caveat: I haven't looked at shipping equipment with "modern" lithium batteries, nor recently shipped battery powered equipment overseas, nor "naked" spare batteries.
As with any tree-shaped classification scheme (e.g. Dewey Decimal for
books), selecting the customs code is not only
arbitrarily complex but also ambiguous and ever changing. ISTR some types of fast Tek scopes with MCP CRTs were classified
differently for export purposes: 2465 OK, 2467 sometimes not OK. For the UK, the anti-insomnia "medication" is?
? For "oscilloscope" that leads to and if you look down several pages you find imports require 20% VAT and in some cases 35% retaliatory duties. Getting those ever-changing duties correct is something that will require vast numbers of customs agents and border checks and/or couriers that act conservatively because they don't want to jeopardise their standing with governments. Wonderful, just wonderful.
No doubt other countries have similar tools.
|
Even worse when something sent from the UK to the US for repair
(under warranty.)
On it's return, we would often get charged full UK duty/taxes etc,
as if it was "a New import", even if the US office managed to get
the paperwork straight (rarely) AND send it back via the exact same
route but in reverse!.?? That's a UK custom's rip-off thing, and
there is no way to challenge it for small co's and individuals.
It's as bad if anyone ships from the US to the UK using the USPS.?
That is then handled here by Royal Mail.? They add import duties
(even if the commodity code indicates low or zero duty) then
exorbitant "handling charges", and our 17.5% VAT on top of the lot.
So, something that cost, say, $20 US on eBay, I end up paying over
?100 UKP!? Has happened twice to me.
Then there are the US sellers who list "international shipping no
problem", do NOT exclude the UK.? But flatly refuse to communicate,
though take my money!?? That's something eBay is good at, getting my
hard earned back in those cases.
Oddly, DigiKey can send me a high value (100's of $'s) parts order
to my door, overnight, seemingly with impunity and minimal charges!?
I forget what they declare on the package.? And no, it doesn’t come
from a bonded warehouse in the UK, as it's smothered in stickers and
stamp markings indicating it did travel overnight by air!?? So it
can be done.
We (in the UK) also now get screwed by our own idiot government
since Brexit happened, moving anything between UK and EU (Including
Ireland) either way, now costs a fortune and takes an age, as there
are not enough people to handle the paperwork.? It's as if they have
not heard of doing things digitally.? Hence, there are sellers in
the EU who will now not sell to UK buyers.
Worse, a large proportion of our food is imported from, or via the
EU.? Result?? High prices, and very short "use by" dates.
"Modern Life" eh...? We're rapidly reverting to being "The Sick Man
of Europe" like we were back in the 60's.
And you don't want to know what we pay for fuel and energy in
general!
Regards to All.
Dave 'KBV.
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FWIW have I gotten electronics parts from the US shipped with USPS. Have the rules changed?
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Make sure to write 'no lithium batteries' on it or it might get returned.? Ask me how I know...
On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 01:27 PM, Froggie the Gremlin wrote:
Fill out content as "sample parts" value $10
okay, if you don't use the HS code... cause that is optional?
but, then won't the USPS post office...
or worse the German customs...
won't those guys determine what 'import code' ... or 'category' ...the contents fall under?
cause... there are a lot of different duties for 'sample parts' ?
?
?
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They used to do that, and almost needed to see receipts for camera equipment.
That seems to have stopped perhaps 10 to 15 years ago, certainly, before 2000, IIRC.
Nobody seems to enforce that, not that I noticed.
Harvey
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 3/5/2025 9:13 PM, Heinz-Peter Deutsch via groups.io wrote: Well, if you send some expensive material (Moduls, HDD etc)
out of the country for repair
you need to declare it before, because this part is coming back,
and so you and the receiver don't pay any fees.
Same when you go to vacation and carry your 1000 bucks camera
or your wife's 2000 bucks neclace with you.
When you come back, you must pay tax and customs for your own goods,
if you don't declare it before leaving the country.
Peter
================
Am 06.03.2025 um 02:09 schrieb Roy Thistle via groups.io:
On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 01:39 PM, Ed Marciniak wrote:
replacement parts, or parts being returned for repair or similar
|
Well, if you send some expensive material (Moduls, HDD etc)
out of the country for repair
you need to declare it before, because this part is coming back,
and so you and the receiver don't pay any fees.
Same when you go to vacation and carry your 1000 bucks camera
or your wife's 2000 bucks neclace with you.
When you come back, you must pay tax and customs for your own goods,
if you don't declare it before leaving the country.
Peter
================
Am 06.03.2025 um 02:09 schrieb Roy
Thistle via groups.io:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 01:39 PM, Ed Marciniak wrote:
replacement parts, or parts being returned for
repair or similar
|
On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 01:52 PM, Gary Hitchner wrote:
Parcel Post or whatever they are calling ?it now, lowest cost
Yes, generally.
But most countries only allow a small de minimus on posted packages.
Sometimes couriers are allowed much more before duty and taxes are charged... but they have ... sometimes steep...brokerage fees too.
Something that somebody sends you... that is over those de minimus limits... can result in significant duty and taxes being charged.
And, it can depend on whether you post it, or use a courier.
Posting versus courier isn't always cheaper, and vice versa.
It depends on what the declared value is... and what it is declared as too.
Sometimes customs can hold it, and re-access its value, or what it should be declared as... if they think the value... or the description...? is not accurate.
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On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 01:39 PM, Ed Marciniak wrote:
replacement parts, or parts being returned for repair or similar
not exempt here.
gotta pay duty and taxes
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On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 01:34 PM, Heinz-Peter Deutsch wrote:
normaly the transporter will do all you
I find that normally the transporter... breakex, or usless postal service... will... unless you carefully pay attention to the customs forms, declaration, and harmonized codes
... they will 'do you'
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On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 11:44 AM, DF6NA Rainer wrote:
They told me Canada would not
allow electronics
how come?
how do Canadians get electronics?
you can't send batteries... or maybe used stuff with batteries... but electronics... you can
?
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On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 01:27 PM, Froggie the Gremlin wrote:
Fill out content as "sample parts" value $10
okay, if you don't use the HS code... cause that is optional?
but, then won't the USPS post office...
or worse the German customs...
won't those guys determine what 'import code' ... or 'category' ...the contents fall under?
cause... there are a lot of different duties for 'sample parts' ?
?
?
|
Re: HP 478 A? Thermistor mounts
Thanks! The primary method of ruining a thermistor mount is to put too much power into it. Consequently, some users keep a 10dB attenuator permanently attached to it.? N6WFO?
Jeremy,? Maybe Div 4 is Standford Park.? ?I think they were the cal lab the service centers (when there were about 5 or 6 of them) used.? ? ? ?I remember using the 432A/478 to test the 50 MHz references in the power meters plus the 435 (K05 maybe) dual power reference.? The 432A's meter movement itself wasn't used but the DC outputs were measured and the power was calculated from those voltages.? Having checked many of these power references I can't remember any of them being out of spec.? ??
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Re: E5052A Power On Test (3.3V Bus Supply)
Hi Leo.
I dug out my old homebrew 10 MHz xtal oscillator and measured it with the E5052A. One of the design goals for this was to be able to use it as a low noise LO for the E5052A so I could measure phase noise for carrier signals below 10 MHz.. But it was also an exercise to see if it agreed with theory and how low I could get the noise floor.
?
The circuit does run the crystal with a very high drive level and I didn't bother trimming it to 10 MHz.?
?
I used a basic MMIC gain block as the active device so I think I could improve on the close in noise by several dB if I used a lower noise device. I might revisit this at some point although the performance below is already good enough for my needs with the E5052A.
Regards
Jeremy
?
?
?
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Re: 48-440 Hz AC power compatibility option (HP 8660B OPT 003) - acoustic noise (hum/buzz) from the unit?
David,
I worked on many 8660's and only once did I come across a buzzing power transformer.? The customer complained about it and as it did uncharacteristically buzz.? ?(no recollection if it had opt 003) I replaced it and have it in a home made power supply that I built at least 25 years ago.? ?I use the 5V winding, full wave bridge rectified and filtered it is capable of > 20 A at 13.8 V to run a 100 W HF ham band transceiver.? ? The 8660's power transformer is sealed in a gray case (mu metal?) and I thought it might have been potted.? Maybe there are voids in the potting or it was not potted in a sufficient vacuum.? ? In my homebrew power supply it doesn't seem to buzz loud enough to be a problem but I did place it under a bench so maybe it still buzzes:)
Pete
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Re: HP 478 A? Thermistor mounts
Jeremy,? Maybe Div 4 is Standford Park.? ?I think they were the cal lab the service centers (when there were about 5 or 6 of them) used.? ? ? ?I remember using the 432A/478 to test the 50 MHz references in the power meters plus the 435 (K05 maybe) dual power reference.? The 432A's meter movement itself wasn't used but the DC outputs were measured and the power was calculated from those voltages.? Having checked many of these power references I can't remember any of them being out of spec.? ??
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Package forwarders are tough to beat when it comes to small parcels. MyUS ships 5 pounds to Germany through DHL Express with decent tracking for $25-30. I don't know how high the cutoff value is right now, but the receiver might not be prompted to pay duty and/or VAT if you declare them as a gift (especially if they are :) ).
Gabor
On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 10:52?PM Gary Hitchner via <talgarth= [email protected]> wrote: Thanks for all the ideas on shipping overseas, I will try some of the other definitions recommended on the custom form 1st. ? I did look into a flat rate box, the cost was about $85.00 for a medium size box. Parcel Post or whatever they are calling ?it now, lowest cost way is about $50.00 Of course these boards from a 8660 have no real value, I used a low value of? $25.00.? ? Gary WA2OMY ? ? I’m not sure what German policies are, but in the US, repair/replacement parts are generally exempt. I’d assume for that reason, that some companies have different part numbers for a standalone part ordered as an option and a second part number for the part for repair use. Marking them as replacement parts, or parts being returned for repair or similar might be a solution. It’s ambiguous at best….i mean you are repairing your unit. The main limitation is generally not being able to insure for more than the declared value.
Well here some examples (before Trump):
If you buy in US something for 100$ & 25$ transport
and use flat rate tax rate, then the receiver in Germany must pay
import tax 22,50�
total = 22,50�
Sum = 140,90� (Goods and duties)
If you buy in US something for 900$ & 100$ transport
and use flat rate tax rate, then the receiver must pay
import tax = 211�
customs? = 166�
total = 377�
Sum = 1325,00 � (Goods and duties)
Is it a mobile or tablet - then no customs and tax a little bit lower
For a monitor you have 205� tax and 133� customs
So it depends on declaration - normaly the transporter will do all you ;-))
Peter
================
? Am 05.03.2025 um 20:54 schrieb Roy Thistle via : Not sure if the 'receiver' will have to pay duty, when he gets it in Germany; but the HS code might help determine that.
?
|
Thanks for all the ideas on shipping overseas, I will try some of the other definitions recommended on the custom form 1st. ? I did look into a flat rate box, the cost was about $85.00 for a medium size box. Parcel Post or whatever they are calling ?it now, lowest cost way is about $50.00 Of course these boards from a 8660 have no real value, I used a low value of? $25.00.? ? Gary WA2OMY ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Ed Marciniak
Sent: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 4:39 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] Shipping overseas?? I’m not sure what German policies are, but in the US, repair/replacement parts are generally exempt. I’d assume for that reason, that some companies have different part numbers for a standalone part ordered as an option and a second part number for the part for repair use. Marking them as replacement parts, or parts being returned for repair or similar might be a solution. It’s ambiguous at best….i mean you are repairing your unit. The main limitation is generally not being able to insure for more than the declared value.
Well here some examples (before Trump):
If you buy in US something for 100$ & 25$ transport
and use flat rate tax rate, then the receiver in Germany must pay
import tax 22,50�
total = 22,50�
Sum = 140,90� (Goods and duties)
If you buy in US something for 900$ & 100$ transport
and use flat rate tax rate, then the receiver must pay
import tax = 211�
customs? = 166�
total = 377�
Sum = 1325,00 � (Goods and duties)
Is it a mobile or tablet - then no customs and tax a little bit lower
For a monitor you have 205� tax and 133� customs
So it depends on declaration - normaly the transporter will do all you ;-))
Peter
================
? Am 05.03.2025 um 20:54 schrieb Roy Thistle via groups.io: Not sure if the 'receiver' will have to pay duty, when he gets it in Germany; but the HS code might help determine that.
?
|
Re: HP8510C TRL Calibration
Hi jjoonthan,
?
In using at the line in first line in the program
?
vna = skrf.vi.vna.hp.HP8510C(address='TCPIP::ad007-right.lan::gpib0,16::INSTR', backend='@py')
?
i get the error: ? AttributeError: module 'skrf.vi.vna' has no attribute 'hp'
?
any idea what i'm doing wrong?
?
many thanks, N.
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Re: HP 3403C True RMS Voltmeter display fault
Nah...
3-phase fed 500V raw DC rectifier stage in an 8kW TWTA, PSU let go.
The flames reached the ceiling in the workshop!? While the 32A wall breaker/RCD trip failed to open.
We had a few such events like that.? All were US built high power kit, with VDR's that failed in cascade, running on UK standard 400V 3P&N supplies, that were designed & built for use in the UK.? ("On the edge" rated?)
The high power RCT converter, & the 15kV HV secondary side of the PSU was tame by comparison.
Not fun at the time.
Dave 'KBV.
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Anders
Nick Andrews
Jeremy Nichols