You may need to rethink the usage of an amplifier, depending on where the antenna is located.
Think RF safety (both yours and your neighbours) and potential RFI issues with electronics in the
near field. 

Here is another thought ... maybe consider setting up a remote station ?

Michael VE3WMB

It really depends on whether you want to work some DX or just locals.

Keep in mind that a 160m dipole at 60 feet is like putting your 20m dipole 8 feet off
of the ground.  If you can mount it as an inverted L or an L that would probably best.

Michael VE3WMB

David :

I think that you will be ok adding an extra 15 feet of feedline.  Close lengths that you want to
avoid are 148.5 ft (problematic for matching on 40m) and 160 feet (problematic on 80m).
The "length" in this case is calculated as half of the top + the feedline length.

My source is Table #4 "Lengths to avoid when designing multi-band doublets with tuned feeders"
from an RSGB publication titled "Practical Wire Antennas" by John D Heys, G3BDQ.

Good luck

Michael VE3WMB

Chris :

I just thought of another option that is cheaper (I still recommend the WINKEYER USB
for contesting).

If you don't want to spend $79, you could buy a K1EL K12 keyer kit at $17 and put it into
an altoids tin. Radio Shack sells a pig-tail adaptor that would allow you to plug the
keying line from your computer in parallel with the output from the K12. All you need to
do is plug the paddles into the K12 and keep the internal keyer turned off in the rig.
I doubt that you could buy the parts and build a keyer for much less than $17 !

I have a number of K12s in my mono-band QRP rigs. Lots of the same functionality
as the WINKEYER. If you don't care about memories you don't have to use them or install
the extra switches to activate / program them. All you need is one momentary SPST (normally
open) switch to control the keyer. Things like controlling speed are done via direct entry from
the paddles (i.e. push command button on keyer and wait for "R" response, send S followed by 20 to set code speed to 20wpm).

Michael VE3WMB

I highly recommend the K1EL Winkeyer USB  :  http://www.k1el.com/

It is a kit that is only $79 and it is an easy build. It functions as both a standalone
keyer as well as a hardware keying interface that is supported by N1MM and other loggers
via USB.  What this means is that N1MM will send data to the keyer and the keyer hardware is dedicated to controlling the timing for the keying the rig. It works just like the setup you currently have except it will give more reliable keying from the computer and it allows you to use the paddles as well as send from N1MM (i.e. allows you to use your paddles for "fills" while contesting with N1MM) . N1MM will control all of the functions like increasing and decreasing sending speed so nothing you do from N1MM actually changes.

If you are not contesting you can use it as a standalone keyer without connecting it to the computer. What is also handy is that you can connect two rigs to it and switch the paddles / keyer between the two rigs via a simple one letter command that you send from the paddles itself after pushing a button on the keyer.

It is an excellent keyer at very reasonable price. I have had mine for about a year and I love it.
I use N3FJPs loggers for contesting and this setup works well.  I know that it is supported by N1MM as well.

Michael VE3WMB

Based on my experiences .. the Sierra is very miserly. If you used an SLA battery,
4 or 5Ah is enough to get you through a weekend or more of casual operating, even without
the Solar Panel to recharge it.  I would suggest however that you look into getting a small charge controller (beware that some are RFI generators) to prevent the battery from being overcharged. The 7W panel should more than offset the power used by the rig. SLAs are cheap
and easy to find.

FWIW I often use a 2Ah SLA with my 5w folding solar panel and an SES Micro M+ Portable
Charge controller. I am not sure if SES is still making these but you can always roll your
own from the following article or find another suitable controller that doesn't generate RFI.

http://www.repeater-builder.com/backup-power/pdfs/the-micro-m-plus-charge-controller.pdf

Michael VE3WMB

One option could be the NADC 40 sold by Hendricks QRP.  This is a KD1JV design.
The board kit is a bit more expensive than the SW40+ ($75 vs $55) but you can also opt for the enclosure and the digital dial or just put it in your own box. 

The Wilderness NC40A is a good choice but it is a bit more expensive .. very nice rig though !
If you don't mind spending a bit more $$ I would opt for the NC40A.

Michael VE3WMB

I guess I am a bit late responding to this thread.

Everything I have ever read about batteries cautions against mixing different battery chemistries, so using a combination of NiMH and Li-Ion together may not be wise.

I took a different approach. I bought a second bottom cover for my KX1 from Elecraft and mounted holders for 8 X AAA cells. If I am operating for
a few hours I am able to get a higher power output using the 8 AAAs NiMHs vs 6 AAs.

Michael VE3WMB

The Pelican 1200 will fit the FT-817 well and is still small enough that the case itself will fit into a moderate sized day-pack. My philosophy is that things like power cables, coax etc don't tend to care if they get banged around in a pack ... it is the rig that is expensive so I just worry about
protecting that really well.

If you want something totally "bombproof" a Pelican is the way to go.
If you just need something to keep the rig from getting banged up then I have also found that neoprene sleeves for netbooks are not a bad fit and if you are worried about moisture you can put the rig in a sleeve and put the sleeve into a large or X-large resealable freezer bag and then stuff the whole thing into a backpack. I have found Netbook sleeves that were a reasonable thickness at the local Dollar Store for $2 each and they have no zippers,  just a fold-over flap at the end.

Michael VE3WMB

Ray's statement is only true assuming that you are using BPSK which is what most people use with PSK31.

If you are on the opposite sideband from the other station and you both decide to switch to QPSK because of degrading signals you will lose the other guy. It is safest to stick with USB for PSK31 regardless of the band choice.

Michael VE3WMB

The big issue is that the Redpark Cable / Serial SDK cannot be used for applications deployed via the iTunes App Store.
Check the Redpark website. So what this means is that you are free to develop your own app "in house" but you can't distribute it. That will sure put a damper on developing this sort of app !

Michael VE3WMB

Note that it is not uncommon to find an HW-8 that has much lower output on 80m and 40m. This is due
to the degradation of the toroid material used for those bands. This can be easily fixed by replacing / rewinding those cores.  I would think overall if you are getting about a watt out on most bands the rig should be fine and you can probably squeeze more out with a fresh alignment.

You might want to open the lid and have a peek at the main tuning capacitor as this is the most mechanical
fragile piece of this rig. The reduction drive can exert enough force to damage the capacitor  if the knob is forced past the stop (typically the plates fall off if this happens).

Best of luck

Michael VE3WMB

P.S. I built my HW-8 in the summer of '79 and I still have it !

Drop me a note via email at ve3wmb at arrl dot net and I can send you the alignment info & schematics (RX and TX ) if you want. I already have this info scanned into .PDF files. 

Michael VE3WMB

P.S. The info I have is for a 30m Explorer II but I think that should be ok ?

You have had some good answers so far ... I just wanted to add this this antenna idea
has been around for quite some time. In fact you don't need more than 2 radials if you
want radiation to be omni-directional. This antenna is often referred to as a "Wye" vertical
as it looks like an upside down "Y".

Here is a decent reference :

http://home.frognet.net/~mcfadden/wd8rif/text/wye.txt

I built one for 20m last year and I get a good match to 50 ohms with the radial wire sloping.

Best of luck

Michael VE3WMB

You might try posting to the Elecraft list to see if anyone has any ideas on what is happening.
If you are not a subscriber, I believe the details on how to subscribe can be found on the
Elecraft website.

Personally I try to keep my K1 out of direct sunlight as I have found that the frequency will wander like a "drunken sailor" if I leave it in the sun.  It is fine indoors. I get a little bit of drift
in the first few minutes after power-up and then it stabilizes but out in the sun it is all over the place.

Michael VE3WMB