Just live without a TV.  Unless you've got kids.

If you're looking for top rail, you can do what I did.
When I learned my neighbor was taking down his old chain link fence and erecting a wooden fence, I asked him if I could have a couple of lengths of the old top rail.  One less ride to the dump for the installer.  Thinking about it, check the Yellow Pages under "fence installers" and ask where his next job is.  One might be doing an install in your neighborhood.  I'm hesitant about sending you to the dump, 'cause most local governments have enacted anti-scavenger laws to protect themselves.  However, maybe your local government doesn't have one.  Or just keep an ear open for anyone taking down a chain link fence.  73  

I don't own any of the MFJ-94XX series xcvrs, but I have done some review reading.  URL http://qrp.kd4ab.org/1997/971204/0054.html has what I feel is an excellent review.  And it mentions a sidetone problem.  Seems endemic with this series.
73

Check out http://qrp.kd4ab.org/1997/971204/0054.html for a review of the MFJ QRP xcvrs.

{Well, I guess it's not the last time).
Chris,
Do you have an older ham friend, say about your dad's age, that can elevate your dad's understanding of amateur radio?  One of the reasons CB radio was initiated was to give businesses a low budget means with communicating with their employees when they are afield.  Yes, there were radio-telephones in the late 50's, but they were super expensive for the average business.  When I say "average business," I mean like a local plumbing company with a 10 trucks out on the job, as an example.  It was the cell-phone-for-the-average-Joe.
Amateur radio is more than that.  Always has been and always will be.  And it has more clout with the FCC!

Last time.
Check these sites for ideas aplenty.  The Handbook and Antenna Book are great resources.  If you need more, I'll point you in a direction.  Email me direct. I'm in QRZ.

In http://www.qsl.net/wb3gck/ check the Projects area, his second story vertical in particular.
In http://www.qsl.net/k4axf/ant_farm.htm, mobile whips and the apartment.
In http://www.lafetra.com/bmha/, check the RIG PHOTOS in the Resources section.
Ideas aplenty.

Guys, I believe a major stumbling point for him is that the antenna CAN NOT be seen.  Four band Hustlers and mini-beams are great ideas.  However, these are heavy antennas and because of such they are often on PERMANENT installations.  Also, I'm going a step further by suggesting mobile whips.  They are simple put-up/take-down.  A 20-foot piece of fencing toprail for support and elevation would be nice, but a ten-foot piece of 1.25 inch pipe bungeed to a deck or fence post or sapling is better than nothing.  My suggestions are gleaned from my current set-up.  I'm using a 40-meter dipole hidden in the trees and mobile whips on a pole bungeed to my deck here.  I can set a whip up with radial(s) and be on the air in less 10 minutes.  And take down in less than that.  His only other alternative is put an antenna in the attic.  And judging from his original email, that is a definite NO!

I used a vertical when I was first licensed.  I operated on 40 meters only then.  Due to property constraints, I had to mount the vertical on the ground on the east side of my house and not a foot from it and about 20 feet from the house next door.  After some time I noticed that I was getting good RST's from most stations, but had a very hard time working anybody that was just east of me (MD's Eastern shore, DE and southern NJ) and just west of me (WV, VA).  Further out was not problem.  Just within about 100 miles of me in the directions given during daylight hours.  Evenings were great.  Worked UK, KG4, SM and lots of VEs at night.

Chris,
Your dilemma is not unlike someone with strong neighborhood covenants.  Answers to your situation lies in operating clandestinely in a wide variety of ways.  Do not limit yourself to “just” a dipole.  Any antenna you erect gets you on the air.
If you stay with your first selection (dipole), build one yourself with 26 to 30-gauge wire.  This is thin stuff, with the 30-gauge stuff the thinnest of the progression.  The stuff is hard to see, so it won’t get noticed unless you REALLY look for it.  Wire gets thinner but those would break if a bird flew into it on a “windless” day, so you don’t want it for outside applications.  Use non-standard insulators for the ends.  They could be buttons, ping-pong balls, the sawed-off necks of plastic soda bottles, plastic eating utensils.  Very light stuff.  Cut the wire for the lowest band, feed with your favorite coax and an antenna tuner and away you go.
Do not rule out a random length of wire and a tuner.  I used that config myself many radio years ago and it worked great for me.  Erect one of the gauges of wire mentioned above to the farthest vertical support (tree, pole, next house, whatever), put a connector on the station end, connect to tuner and have at it.  I strongly recommend you have quarter-wavelengths of wire at the station end for the frequencies you plan to operate on and attach them to the tuner.  These will act as the negative side of the antenna against the positive side that’s outside the house.  If you can put only one inside, cut it for the lowest frequency you plan to work (either 40 or 80 meters as per you).  One is better than none.
Do not rule out a vertical.  They can be more portable and flexible than you think. I recommend either a pack of mobile whips for the bands you want to operate on, or a certain vertical with a coil that can be reset for the different bands.  Mobile whips are individually designed for one band only.  Therefore, you’re using only one at a time.  As to the certain vertical with the tapped coil, once you know where to set the taps on the coil, it’s easy.  The taps are set by trial and error. Lay one radial on the ground (at least), connect coax back to station and transmit.  Wrap up everything when you’re done.  Tuning the whips is similar, except your cutting the whip (top part)to a frequency within their design constraints.  That is, if your tuning to 20-meter whip, cut (little pieces at a time, please) the whip to a 20-meter frequency.   Then cut for lowest SWR.  I heartily recommend you find a bolt cutter to help tune the whips.  The whips are usually either hard aluminum or stainless steel.  Stuff that's very hard to cut with your average wire cutters.  If that’s too much trouble to tune the whip, just put it together and use an antenna tuner.  But have at least one quarter-wave radial for 20 (or whatever) attached to the antenna mount.  Set it up when you need it, take it down and store it behind a bush, a tree, a shed.  
Trust me on this statement: All these antenna ideas can be up and running for the $200 you mentioned.  And some for considerably LESS!    
Notice I have not mentioned any manufacturers here.  You can email me direct and I’ll tell you what I’ve used and am using.  I’m not endorsing any one manufacturer or manufacturers.  They are all good.  What I use is determined by the contents of my wallet at decision time.
73
Greg
P.S.  what are puck lights?

Not to down play the J-pole, but more simple than the J-pole is a dipole. Used one for many years when I lived in an apartment. Use the standard formula (468/freq in mHz). I cut mine for 146.52 mHz, but mine was very broadbanded for what I was using (running 5 watts from an ICOM 02AT from an second story window from a curtain rod).  Just remember that after it's cut and tuned, hang it as a vertical with the inner conductor side UP and the briad side DOWN.

Any of the previous ideas will work.  Your problem is getting off "square one."  Try one or all of them.  Or roll yer own.  Just get off the Internet and get on the air!  73 and C U on the bands. de K3ANG

I used a random wire antenna when I got into amateur radio.  It was @ 90 feet long and 20-25 feet up.  I did quite well with it.  For your situation, look for trees. They will be the posts for the far end of the antenna.  Lacking them or having nothing close by, think about throwing the wire over the roof.  That is, *IF* you're on the top floor.

Look for station grounding.  Check the cold water pipes in the bathroom and kitchen.  If they are metal at the cut-off valve, chances are the pipes in the wall are metal to the building input.  Copper pipe is the best, but leave nothing to chance.  Check with the building maintenance guy to be certain.  Another item to check for is rebar, if your building is made of poured concrete.  Consider looking for exposed pieces in obscure areas, like your apartment storage area (if you have one), or utility crawl spaces (those areas where the water pipes are run).  Lacking those, or in addition to them, cut a 1/4 wave radial for each band you want to transmit on and attach them to the transmitter ground, or the transmatch ground or both.
I know it sounds like overkill, but to me, you need to explore any and all possibilities, just in case.

For wire, use number 28 with a BLACK jacket.  Black is almost invisible to most people.  Available at any "homeowner hell" (Lowe's, Home depot, Ace Hardware) in the U.S.  If it looks like a random wire won't be feasible, try mobile whips.

If you're looking for other practical help, find (and read) these QST articles; "Low Power, Crummy Antenna" by KB7PWJ from December, 1998, and "The Second Floor Solution" by KC7TWS from November, 1998.  Good articles by people in your situation.

73
Greg

Greetings to all who read this!
Is there a net where one can get the Worked All States
award?  Kinda like the County Hunters Net.  The kink is I want to do it in CW?  Any help?  73 Greg

Rob,
I've been thinking about suspending a vertical from either a balloon or kite. I've never done it, but I have read what I believe are two good articles on the subject. The first is readily available. Go to www.arrl.org and search for an article titled "A Skyhook for the '90s" by Don Daso, K4ZA.
It's one of the free-to-all articles. Briefly, he uses a small advertising blimp to lift a 160-meter vertical. The other article is in the April, 2000 edition of QST. It's about two hams, a kite and a 160-meter vertical dipole!  That one is not on the ARRL site. Yet. Well, I didn't find it, but I know it exists! I'm not a member of the ARRL. I wait to get hand-me-down QSTs from a friend. Anyway, the title is "NE2Q's Antenna fell from the Sky!" by Jay Kolinsky, NE2Q.
Maybe you know someone over there who gets QST.
Cheers and 73
Greg  
       

Also, what are the advantages and/or disadvantages of using a balun with a random wire antenna?