No offense, but there is a BIG difference between "is featured in" and a paid advertisement.

Heck, I looked at the Winkeyer options, and if I had known about the 6 buttons, I might have given it more thought.  :-)   I still think I'll be happy with the Logikey--but thanks for the tip!

John is a wise man.  :-)  There are people who don't like balanced feeder lines, but I sure don't understand why.  You can run it for LONG lengths with very little loss, you can feed an antenna with it and use it for lots of bands with virtually no loss, and it's inexpensive besides. 

Now, yeah, it takes a little work to run it away from metal and things that can interfere with it.  And for some hams, that makes it unworkable.  But if you CAN feed an HF antenna with balanced line (twinlead, window line, 300-ohm line), it's a great solution for most people.

OK, thanks to all for the input!  Specific replies: I'd rather get a new keyer than fiddle with replacing the memory buttons; 4 memories really isn't enough for me.  (And for those who asked why I need more, it's for the same reason that I drive a compact car and you drive a pickup: because we have different tastes and different needs.)  I don't use a computer for logging--just for PSK/RTTY.  I keep a paper log and transfer the data to an MS-Access database for recordkeeping, QSLing, and LOTW.

I decided on an MFJ as a second choice but the Logikey K-5 as a first choice, since a.) it has 6 buttons atop it, and b.) I've been using a K-1 and I'm familiar with the interface. I didn't find a ham store with a K-5 in stock but I did find one with a used K-3, very similar, at a nice price, so I'm now waiting for that to arrive.

Thanks again to all who helped!  --kejn

Thanks for the input!  It's really helpful to hear what others like and don't like.

I've actually looked at that MFJ series online; I had a non-memory MFJ keyer, the kind that straps onto a Bencher, years ago.  The one thing I wonder about those is the fact that the standard ones have four memories, and (from a glance at the manual online) adding memory gives you eight memories, but it looks at first glance that switching from the first bank of memories to the second, and back again, might be a little clunky.  You don't find that a problem?  I'm hesitant because neither my mind nor my motor skills seem quite as acute as they were 30 years ago ...

Congratulations!  You're in for a world of fun!

The memory buttons on my old keyer keep sticking.  This is a problem--as I'm aging, I don't have the strength and coordination I used to have in my arms and hands, and the memory buttons are a big help, especially for contesting and DXing.

It's been many many years since I shopped for a keyer; I want at least 8 memory buttons (I have 4 now and it's not quite enough) and a speed control on the front panel for quick access.  That's about all the requirements I can think of.  :-)

I'd welcome hearing opinions on what keyer you use or would recommend.  Thanks!  --ken

Loyd, I got a 2013 Soul a few months ago.  I don't use VHF/UHF much, but just so I had the capability, I put a lip-mount on the top of the rear passenger door, with a simple 2m/440 quarterwave on it, 3/8x24 mount.  Seems to work fine.  Email me off the group if you want me to send a photo.  73 GL!  --ken

I'm 25 miles from Chapel Hill, and it takes me a 3-element yagi to check in on the Chapel Hill 10m net.

BUT:  when the band is open, you can literally work all over the WORLD on ten meters, really.  It isn't much good for local chat, but you can work all over the world, even from a car.  A few months ago I worked a guy in Australia from a lawn chair in my back yard, on 10m, using 5 watts of output power and a gel-cell for power!  :-)  Now, THAT is fun!   

One good place to listen is around 28.120; when the band is open, you'll usually hear PSK31 signals there.  You may not be set up to decode them, but any time the band is open to somewhere, you'll usually hear PSK around 120.  :-)  Also try listening at 28.200, for the NCDXA beacons--three minutes of listening there will give you a lot of information!    http://www.ncdxf.org/beacon/beaconschedule.html

73 GL!  Ken  (born and raised in Baton Rouge)

Ron, it might help to find your local ham club(s) and go to a few meetings.  Most hams are delighted to have new people show up, and they'll have a lot of helpful information about what radio is like in your local area.  73 GL!

Yeah, M6GOM said what I've always heard; they're pretty much the same, internally.  The 857 is good for mobile use; the faceplate can be mounted remotely.  The 897 has provision for internal batteries for portable use (expensive, though--I use a gel-cell with mine) and replaces some of the scroll-through menus with buttons, for easier operation.

A: www.k0bg.com

B: the subject of HF in hybrids has been discussed before here on eham; if you've got a few minutes, a search may turn up some useful material.   I recall some discussion of someone running HF mobile in his Prius--so it's clearly possible.  :-)

Good luck!

The best information I've seen about mounting, grounding, and tuning is on www.k0bg.com -- it's a one-stop reference for mobile HF!  :-)

If you're really limited in space, you might be better off with a short (36") mast and Hustler resonators, one for each band, pre-tuned for your favorite spot.  I'm guessing that would be more efficient than this multi-band antenna.   I'm using Hustler resonators (on quick disconnects" with a 54" mast and whips with capacity hats, and this works pretty well for me, for 20m and up.  YMMV.  :-)