Steve Silverwood wrote in message ...
In article , says...
azgreed I did not want to putthe radio in checked baggage...since just
one of my radios costs over $600 I prefer to keep that with me if
possible you have to pay a little bit for good ham, scanner, and
shortwave equipemt. I do sometimes have to explain to security what they
are.. often if I let them listen to something they (security) are
satisifed...

That's usually the case here in the US, as with any radio: if you can
show them that it is a real, working radio, they're okay with it, but
they will usually admonish you not to operate it while on board the
aircraft. They've been doing the operational-test thing ever since the
Lockerbie bombing.

Side note: what you may want to do is check to find out what the ATIS
frequency is for the airport(s) you'll be visiting, and put those into
memory. That way, you have something for them to listen to when you
turn on the scanner, rather than waiting for someone to talk to the air-
traffic controllers.

www.airnav.com has all the frequencies of all the US airports. Its very
handy

I just got done traveling across the USA in several airliners making about
six hops with a carry on suitcase full of radios and antennas and none of
the security folks seemed to care about them. What they did get very
excited about was my sealed lead acid battery. Its heavy, black, filled
with lead and has wires coming out of it. The airport security folks broke
into my checked luggage to inspect the battery when I flew out to my
destination and then every security stop wanted to see it when I carried it
home in my carry on bags. They took the battery and re ran it through the x
ray machine all by itself a couple of times and wiped it with the little
cloth that that detects explosive residue and then they told me it was ok.

Even though no one asked me to turn my radios on I agree with Steve that you
should be ready to demonstrate that it works to the security folks.