One of the Logikey keyers from Idiom Press.
Small, easy to use with buttons on the top, can do almost anything, and is battery operated.

The optional filters are plug in filters, no soldering.

Filters when new are not cheap. I had the FL52A 500 Hz filter for CW and a narrow SSB filter in the 746 no pro that I had.

If you do a lot of CW then a 500Hz and an even more narrow filter would be useful.
I am not real crazy over narrow SSB filters but they can certainly help out at times.

There are only 3 slots total for optional filters in the 746.

When I had a IC-740, I changed the stock ceramic filter to a stock mechanical filter from an IC-730. It was inexpensive to do and was a noticeable worthwhile difference. I don't remember what the bandwidths were but I think they were the same or very close. Just better skirts to the mechanical one I think.

MFJ has some different models for you to look at. It seems to me there are some with banana jacks, some with Anderson power pole connectors and some with an assortment of connectors. Not sure though, I didn't look them up.

Yup there is a lot of truth in that one!
Everyone likes something different in code keys it seems and many end up with several. I have 5 of them and am always watching for another.

I would just be sure to get one that is in good condition to start with, not something that needs a bunch of cleanup, restoration or has missing parts unless you are sure you are up to it. Keep it affordable, they don't have to be real expensive (when new) to work well for you.
You can start with whatever type, hand key, dual lever iambic, or single lever paddle but a hand key or single lever key I think would be the easiest to learn with when starting out. An iambic key isn't probably all that much more difficult. Historically most probably started with a hand key. I did and went to a single lever paddle at around 15 wpm or so. I primarily use a dual paddle iambic key these days.
The Bencher Steve mentioned is easy to find used and not too expensive when you do.
I would stay away from bugs to get started with.
I would also stay away from the hand key that has the ball bearings in the lever pivots. Too easy to lose a bearing if it gets loose and they are not a great key anyway.
Often at hamfests people have keys hooked up to code oscillators or an electronic keyer so you can play with them a little.

Look around in searches for Morse code keys and get a little more familiar with prices, styles etc.

Without an extra class license and knowing CW a ham will be at a huge disadvantage in working DX. All the amplifiers and antennas in the world won't make up for it.

I am always looking for a nut or screw I dropped in the carpet. Every project at LEAST once! It would rarely be a component though.

Years ago when my daughter and her daughter (about 2 yrs. old) moved in with us, my wife went through a couple large shopping bags of socks they had. I don't remember the exact number but it was well over 200 socks. There was NOT ONE matched pair! We couldn't believe it!!
Good thing she didn't have TWINS!!

I agree. MAN UP and drill a hole in the roof!!

I think it is rather impractical compared to a cell phone for a variety of reasons.

W7PHO Family Hour was up around 14.256. Also on 10 meters. I don't recall what time they were.
You may be thinking of VK9NS and the DX net he had, The 220 DX net. I think it started out on 14.220 and moved to up around 226 later on but kept the same name. Seems to me it started later in the evening though.
Both of them are SK now sadly.
There was also the Arabian Knights net on 20 out of the Persian Gulf area.

They don't. I worked at a local ham store years ago and the profit margin was very narrow, around 15% as I recall.
The cost of the rigs are high so it can be difficult or completely impractical to stock some models. Often they (manufacturers) want a minimum order before they will fill it. Pretty tough to stock very many $3000 radios for a local store. Of course the more the rig costs, the more likely it will be bought via mail order to escape a lot of tax $$ and not from the local guy.

It is a natural evolution of of business models which are changing faster than ever these days.

If you really want to make money, selling beer on tap at a tavern is a good bet, it costs almost nothing to pour a beer. Tap soda is more expensive to pour. Jewelry has a huge markup as much as 700-900%.

That was back around 1980 or thereabouts, I don't remember more than that.

You can probably forget P5 for this lifetime the way things are there.
But then again there was a time thought that about China.

Sorry you missed the last BS7, May 2007.
BV9? You must mean BQ9. I'll agree to that one being rare as I don't have it yet.
FK/C was on in Nov. 2009
KH8/S was on in May 2007.
So, a little less TV please!! 

Last time I worked KP1 was 1982.

LOTW is just a tool that you can use.
I use it regularly and find it very worthwhile. The best returns are from RTTY contacts. More DX stations are using it all the time.

For those that just can't seem to get it working for them, I don't know what to say.
Actually I do...but I won't.

Download the current month PDF of the ARRL's Contest Corral which includes non ARRL contests. I keep it on my desktop. It lists all of that months contests and has the exchange info and the sponsors website.
Very handy to have and it is complete. It saves a lot of chasing down info.
http://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar

Mini beam, mini signal!
Smaller cannot compete with bigger in antennas. There will be a difference in performance.
That doesn't mean you can't have fun with one though. You might even win in a particular category in a contest.
You will just have to work harder at it.
It is a matter of at what level you want your station to be at.

Given a proper supporting structure, if you have room for a mini or Jr. beam, you probably have the room for a regular size tribander. I would FAR rather have a jr. beam than a mini quad.