and you can preset the controls close, but tuning off freq a tad to only hiss, the tune all the plate load and such for loudest hiss.  tune back on freq and you will usually only have to tweek it a bit. tune for peak power out at the power level you want (carrier insertion level ?)  I have had several over the years, but I just don't remember.  join the Fox Tango groop on yahooooooooo

I run HF in the car and the pickup. I use a FT 857 in both. I use them with the ATAS antenna, which, when paired with the 857 gives you auto tune  from 2m/440/6m through 40 mobile.  I like it.

I have had many radios in the past few years, and currently use an orion for my hf and I have a ts 2000 as a backup radio.  the recieve on hf is not as good ass the orion, but I mostly use the ts2000 for the hands free VOX on 2 m and 440 repeaters, and I also use ith for uhf/vhf and 6m all mode contesting ( cw,ssb, fm and such.  ts200 is and good radio but not a great radio, but the uhf/vhf/6m makes up for some of that

I agree, I currently have a  87a  and have had others in the past.  Molly did you right, alpha is the best amplifier in the world, or at least the very best of what I can afford.  And they are nice folks too

With a bit of luck you could have the tubes out last you !!!  don't push them too hard,  give a little time for warm up and cool down, get the dust out of the amp now and then, and they could go for a long time, or one of them could have a defect and blow tomorrow, reguardless of hou you treat them. ut using them every day is actually good for them.

and if nothing else, you can always hang up a rope or cord and use it to support the wire.  perfect for a fan dipole...

yup get an ft 857 or a IC 706 and have all bands, all modes, like 2 m ssb.

another way to go is buy the 2 alinco  HT's one is 2m/440/1.2 ghx  and the other is 220mhz/900 mhz.  lots of fun and you have many options too.

 I am glad some one else was up to my tricks...

I like one of 2 antennas I have had great success with.  one is the hustler MA5B , a nice little beam for 10/12/15/17/20/ and actually loads on 6m here and there.  The other is  my 3 element steppir.  I think they have sales set up in several over seas countries and they work gang busters.

the ma5b works much better than you would expect, and the steppit can be configured to work fro 6, to 20m or add on the40 m  loop.  you can also use 40 and 80 meter "guys " to support the mast and  have lots of options. 

good luck and remember there is always the fan dipole.

as a second thought, I always keep an eye open for "deals" on stuff like coax, and connectors and such.  A while back I picked up 2300 feet of lmr 400 for 600 bucks, delivered. I also got a spool of rg 58 ( 500 feet) a partial spool of rg 59, a couple hundred feet of rg 6 and I think I have three 500 foot rolls of rg8x that I got for 80 bucks for 500 feet delivered.  and I always pick up odds and ends of coax, connectors and stuff at hamfest so I have stuff on hand. I also have enough so I can give a chunk of coax, and some connectors to a new ham to help out. Yea, I got lots of stuff around the garage, but its nice to have what you need. I'm just sayin

While you are looking look at the hustler MA5B antenna, a nice tribander that nay load on 6m.  The radio shack rotor and tb 105 thrust bearing will work ok, but see if you can't find and bigger rotor used.

You still have lots of options.  You could put up a fan dipole for multiple bands in an inverted V with a single post in the middle of the yard, Or  perhaps a Gap Voyager or titan in the yard, you could even mount a small beam on the chimmibly with a push up mast and a rotor like a MA5b, a small but effective antenna,

For DX the vertical is probably better  because of the lower take off angle, and the wire is probably better for closer in, domestic work, more of an omnidirectional  inverted v shape, or you could google  home brew antennas and see what you have.  any way you go, get er done and have fun. 

(you could even put up a guyed 40 or 50 foot rhon 25 tower with a nice steppir beam on it , or a steppir vert would also be nice.

there are dry loads and there are loads in a can of mineral or transformer oil. I have several of each.  most of the time you can turn down the power and test to a smaller load, or keep thhe time short . all stations need to have a dummy  load .

on my 236 I did not have the cable, so I took a fifty foot coax and zip tied 50 feet of speaker wire to it to power the box.

 ran 500 watts or so fro a long time, and it does help.

if you look at received signals as a  picture, look at it like this. at 5 or 10 watts you are below the  main batch and can only be seen above the " noise" level if there is a break in the noise.  At 100 watts yo are using the same power as a majority of hams and the picture looks like level line of "grass" and you are one of many , each making a little spike  that appears as the "grass". at 500 watts or so, you stick up above the grass as a spike here and there, with your fellow  500 watts users.  At legal limit you are sticking up above the noise  and really stand out.  This make it easier to be found and worked.

I ran 500 watts for a while but finally broke down and paid an electrician $500 bucks to run 2 220 v lines back to the shack. one was for a dedicated 220 v line and the other was used for a  set of 2 more 110 lines for the shack.  I put 3  220 v outlets in the shack from the one circuit, as I don't use more than 1 at a time, but 3 outlets on 3 different walls  me and I don't have to plug and unplug amps when I change radios. so I have one 220 and 2 existing 110 lines and then 2 more new 110 lines, so I finally have enough power in the shack.  ( Almost   ). See how much it costs in your area to have an electrician run lines for you.