Next time take your rig with your carry on.
Whoever told you that you can not carry with you, does not know what he is talking about.
I travel 30-50 thousand miles a year, inside and outside the US and I ALWAYS take my WHOLE radio station as part of my carry-on.
Just FYI this is what I carry what me through every airport:
FT817 and THP HL 100Bdx amplifier or IC7000, depending on the trip
Li-ion battery and charger or power supply
Z100 tuner or T1 tuner
Coax cable
Wire antennas (2)
Portable key, mic, headphones, jumpers, cables, etc
I even took last year in an international flight (4 different planes) an SGC 237 with all the counterpoises
So, my friend, do your own experience.
Even now, that the security level is ORANGE in the US, I travelled the last five weeks and I went through all the airports without a single problem, some airports don't even bother in opening the case
I have never been asked for my license either.
These days they are looking for explosives, nothing else.