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by GarrettBeck 4531 days ago
But how cool is the non-clear version. I don't want to be 'that' guy in prison...
1 comments

Clear is probably a requirement so that the guards can see inside and be reasonably sure it hasn't been tampered with, for example, to communicate back to the outside world.
Unless they have a particularly good IF isolation amplifier, you can use it to communicate back to the outside world. Someone would have to be listening, of course, with a sensitive receiver and directional antenna.

You can probably turn the dial and even get some FSK going on.

No, clear is a requirement so that the guards can see it's not stuffed with marijuana or heroin or something.
This. They do the same with typewirters:

http://www.swintec.com/8-clear-typewriters

Anything else with sufficient internal voids to conceal contraband, too, I should think. It's a lot easier than taking every such item to pieces during every inspection.
These are also examples of tampering with the radio, just more obvious (to me at least) than modifications to the actual functionality of the device.