Friday is cutting it close, but you will need the Ferry's captain's permission to transmit from his vessel, and it might be hard to get on such short notice. GL

Google video chat is an alternative to Skype, if you both have a gmail account.

Since you asked about cordless irons, my vote is for Wahl. I was given one nearly 40 years ago and used it for quite a few projects where a plug-in iron couldn't go. Push the button, wait about five seconds, then solder away.  I don't recommend that you keep it on constant charge, though; its battery will dry up within a year or so.

You might also want to consider a 12V soldering iron for use when away from AC power. eBay lists various models, some with cigarette lighter plugs and others with alligator clips, and some with just a bare end.

Nowadays, my portable iron is a butane model I bought at Radio Shack. Actually, I had a PortaSol butane iron prior to getting the RS one, but its seal wore out over time and it wouldn't keep a charge very long. GL

 
So, take the plasma TV or defective water pump back to the dealer and get it replaced or repaired, and let the dealer work it out with the importer, etc.

The FCC usually won't fine anyone on the first notification; they just state that an interference complaint has been filed, and ask that it be fixed and to report back. It's only after repeated correspondence, and nothing is done to remedy the problem, that the FCC levies a fine.  And it's not just to placate the offended ham operator, but unintentional radiators can also affect aviation, public safety, and other spectrum users. And it might even be that the unintentional radiation is caused by a defective part in the device, which could at any time overheat, start a fire, and burn down the house.

It would be wise to pay attention to notices from the FCC.

   I'm not familiar with that particular radio, but whenever I have unexplained problems crop up, the first thing I do is check the memory back-up cell's voltage. When I inherited by dad's HTs, neither worked very long after turn-on. Yep, dead back-up cells. Usually a new cell is all it takes to fix the problem.

   I would have thought the factory check-out would have taken care of it, but sometimes the obvious get overlooked.

   FWIW, I will buy a guaranteed-fresh cell at the local battery store, and have the store spot-weld nickel solder tabs to it if I have to solder it into the circuit. It's a free service at my local store. GL

Ten-Tec might be a good place to start. James Wharton, NO4A, is the contact for their employees' amateur radio club. GL

Nice home brew project, especially for QRP enthusiasts. I appreciate how you reused salvaged parts in this test gear. I would imagine a T50-6 would be a good toroid for the sense transformer.

I did a search of hams in your zip code area and came up with 125 hits, including one for a repeater club. Here's what I did; I went to www.arrl.net, entered your call sign in the Call Sign/Name Search window, and got the information about you--including your zip code. Next I blanked all fields, except the zip code field, and did another search. Bingo, 125 listings.

Look up the repeater club's trustee, and give him a call and ask him about the club and its members. Chances are he'll know a great Elmer or two who would be willing to help you out. GL

Your question is like asking how much gasoline should you put in the tank of a new car; it depends. If the car is just going to sit in the driveway, you don't need any, but if you're planning a long trip, you'd probably want the tank full.

The battery depends on how you intend to use the radio. Will it be on all day and night, or just during the evening nets, or just for emergency use when the power goes out? You also need to figure out your talk-to-listen ratio, since talking will require around 3 amps while listening should require a lot less. It takes a lot of calculating.

From the practical standpoint, I'd go for the highest amperage I could afford for a home installation, and work down from there. For field use, I'd consider a lithium battery because of its weight advantage. For emergency power-outage duty, I'd go for the highest amperage again, because I know I'd be running a BC band radio or small TV off it as well, and maybe a small electric fan if needed. Like the car analogy, you're probably better prepared for anything if you had the gas tank full. GL

BYU's recommendation of a slow-turning electric BBQ spit is good, and use a key ring to keep the turns separated. Another way is to wind the wire side-by-side with weed whacker line (it's almost the same diameter as AWG16 bare wire). A final method is to use plastic grommet material, the kind used for insulating electrical wires that runs through bulkheads and firewalls. I think it's nylon U channel that has a notch in it about every eighth inch or so. Once you've got the coil formed, just run a hot glue gun down the U to finish the job. It is best to let the wire go slightly slack and realign the grommet strips before gluing to keep them straight. Just get them slack enough so they'll slide off the PVC former, and you'll have a nice air core inductor. GL.

Just curious, why did you refer to mHz (millihertz) in your proposal when you clearly meant MHz?  I know it's moot; the FCC will figure it out.

Check http://www.arrl.org/arrl-net-directory-search for an online search form.

The 101E has its own internal speaker, but you can certainly use your favorite one already in the shack. You don't need the one with the phone patch. GL

I have to agree,--in SSB mode, merely pressing the PTT will not generate any RF, thus no SWR indication.  Get a plug for the key jack, switch to CW mode, and short the key contacts. Switch to FWD on your SWR meter and adjust the pot to its CAL position. Switch it to REF mode and then read the SWR. Simple! GL.

The hardware section of Lowes, Ace or Home Depot might have what you are looking for.

Also Radio Shack; 272-355, 272-356, 272-357 and 272-360.

GL