Buy yourself a Yaesu FT-897.  It's all band, all mode and you can learn about 6 meters AND be ready for your upgrade to General.  That's what I did and I learned how the "magic" band is dead one day and you can work the world the next.  You can have a modest antenna, up a modest height and talk great distances.  The FT-897 is truly portable and very capable.  The sun is at it's best now; jump in and be ready for your transition to the HF bands!

I live in an apartment, too.  On my second floor balcony with my M2 6M loop, I work all over the Eastern US and some of the Caribbean WHEN OPENINGS OCCUR.  Nothing is predictable and low power is working against you.  All antennas are compromises and I have to rely on a Hamstick Dipole setup.  It's noisy, but when the bands open up, I talk with some success to Europe and all over this hemisphere.  In spite of my limited success, I know that the best antenna you can put up and afford, followed by higher power when needed, is the key to success.  Nothing beats a lot of aluminum tubes or copper wire oriented properly at a good height above the ground. Someday......, but you know the rest; spend more on the antenna setup - first.
73,
Jim
AI4WC

Good advice from all.  The FT-897 has a port on the bottom (front) for an accessory.  I bought the LDG accessory meter for the 897 that can be configured through the menu to show various parameters, including S-readings.  Is it better?  I don't know, but it is a needle movement, and another point of view.  Good Luck!

I live on the second floor.  My power supply has a two-prong plug (no ground) and I use a Hamstick dipole; hence nothing is grounded and I cannot install a ground rod.  Without all the RF and electrical grounding theory and associated admonitions, is it HARMFUL (or potentially) to run a ground from my radio to the 110v receptacle ground? It just seems like something should have some kind of ground.

OK.  I'll jump in.  I am apartment bound and use Hamstick dipoles for all bands.  The 75m setup is VERY narrow in bandwith, and you basically set it for ONE frequency.  40m is not quite as narrow and it gets better as you go up in frequency, but I use an LDG auto tuner on all bands.  You should follow the tuning setup furnished by Lakeview for each antenna pair.  I have even recently successfully used one antenna as a vertical and resonated it with a counterpoise on the floor using an MFJ-931 artificial ground.

My 20m dipoles have allowed me to contact over 15 countries, usually on less than 100 watts.  Adjust the antennas as advised by Lakeview and use a tuner.  I also us a DX feedline choke to help prevent TVI.  You may also need one for RF feedback.

Every antenna is a compromise - some more than others.  Hamsticks were designed as mobile antennas, but they can be made to work as a dipole, albiet with their inherent limitations.  I don't know how you can isolate the antenna sufficiently from the truck if you use them in a horizonal configuration.   GOOD LUCK!

Chris, K1CJS, says it all.  In a true emergency, our emergency communications may not be "letter perfect," but having us as backup strengthens the entire realm of what we loosely term "emergency communications."  Sure, it can always be done "better," and I admire and appreciate those willing to devote many hours in training, but the possession of our amateur radio license and our equipment and the willingness to help in an emergency should be respected.

KC2UOO has the best advice.  Be aware that AO-51 is having some troubles at the moment.  Start out small and see what is happening.  Passes can be VERY busy.  Check the AMSAT website.  The Arrow handheld antenna setup is great.  

No, Hamstick dipoles must not be very good.  I have only QSO'd on 20 meters (usually 50-75 watts) with stations in Ireland, England, France, Canada, Mexico, Columbia, Martinique, Aruba, Jamaica, Serbia, Poland, Dominican Republic, Wales, Turks & Caicos Islands, Haiti, Guatemala, Czech Republic and Costa Rica, not to mention here in the US.  Or, maybe my problem is that I just clip them on to my railing on my second floor apartment balcony (second of three floors; open only to the North).  Yeah, I guess they don't work too well.

I suggest starting out on 20 meters during the daylight hours.  There is lots of activity there.  Following that, try 17 meters; it is often open and the people tend to be friendly.

I have owned an M2 6M loop for several years.  Mounted on my second floor balcony (north side) of my three-story apartment, I have talked all over the US (this side of the Rocky Mountains) and Canada and once to the Cayman Islands.  My advice - stack them and put them up as high and clear as you can and remember, when 6 is open; it's open.  When it is closed; it is closed.

FWIW, I use Hamstick dipoles; mostly on 20 meters and I have pretty good luck with them.  They are about the smallest usable antennas for HF.  I tune them according to Lakeview recommendations.  Every antenna is a compromise, whether you care to worry about it or not.  The drawback of the Hamsticks is that the lower in frequency you go, the narrower the bandwith.  The 75 meter (no, they are not sold as 80 meter) Hamsticks are very narrow, so much so that I never use them, but I've made a lot of US and European contacts with the 20 meter setup with less than 100 watts.  For my apartment setup, they have proven a pretty good choice, but I know nothing replaces a lot of aluminum or copper strung up at the right height.

Buy a new intercom.  Take it home and see if it picks up in your home.  If it does, get a refund for it.  If not, replace your neighbors old unit with the new unit (at your expense).  All will be happy until the committee sees your antenna.  Then, your real troubles will begin.

I want a backup HF radio.  It should be: all solid state, NLT 100 watts, include WARC bands, simple-no menus, common and easy to find (no special or rare types) and most of all, cheap or at least reasonable in price.  What radios should I consider?

KE4BIW has some good comments.  I'm on the second floor, too.  I use a Hamstick dipole setup, utilizing the Lakeview dipole setup with quick disconnects.  I initially tune the antennas according to Lakeview, use both an MFJ 945E and an LDG 200 PRO tuners.  I attach the short mast to the railings with homemade plywood clips (nothing permanent; photos available) and can setup/takedown in less than a minute.  I also use a DX Engineering feedline current choke.  I have QSO'd Europe many times on 20 meters.  Antenna bandwidth gets very narrow as you get closer to 80 meters, so I don't try it.  40 meters is OK, however.  I've never used more than 60 watts on my FT-897.

I live in a second floor (of a three floor) apartment with a balcony.  I use my Yaesu FT-897 with Hamstick dipoles with the Hamstick dipole mount.  I built "clips" for my mast and can erect and take the setup down in less than a minute, hence nothing is "permanent."  I tune the dipoles as specified by Lakeview and I use an LDG 200 PRO autotuner with a DX Engineering HO-5A feedline current choke about 2 feet below the dipole.  I've QSO'd to Europe and the Caribbean on many occasions.  Since I have someone living over me, I make sure anyone above on their balcony doesn't receive excess RF (I've never used 100 watts; sometimes I just don't transmit).

All antennas are compromises.  I am the first to admit that about my Hamsticks.  Try what you think is manageable and recognize you will always want more "wire in the air."  You have many choices.  Don't attract unwanted attention by not leaving the antenna deployed all the time.