Chris :

I recommend that you check out :

http://www.ka7oei.com/ft817_pwr.html

There are some very good tips to make the FT-817 less of a power guzzler. Most  are
probably not obvious to you, such as using the front antenna connector (BNC) rather
than the rear (using the rear antenna connector requires a non-latching relay be
energized, which draws an additional 30mA).

Also be aware that you don't want to discharge your battery below 10.5v even though the
FT-817 is quite happy to keep going at that voltage. A 12V SLA battery is considered fully
discharged at about 10.5V .. it is generally best to derate the battery capacity by 50% so
assume that you can draw about 3.5 AH from your 7.5 AH battery.

Best of luck and have fun !

Michael VE3WMB

Bill :

What I have found is that using a different hand for each type of keying (i.e Bug vs Electronic
keyer) really helps to keep things straight in your head.

I am left handed and have been using a dual-lever paddle for Iambic B for the past 30 years with my
left hand.

About 7 or so years ago I got interested in collecting Bugs so I wanted to use them on the air.
Since 99% of the Bugs out there are right-handed I just hooked up the CPO and started practicing
with my right hand. After about 30 hours (I kid you not) of off-air sending practice I finally braved
an attempt at a QSO with a Bug using my wrong hand ! Now after a few years of using a Bug with
my right hand it feels pretty natural. I will never be a "speed-demon" on a Bug but it sure is a lot
of fun. The side-effect of this is that I can now send with a straight key using either hand and
switching between using a Bug with my right hand and a paddle with my left is not a problem.

I have been contemplating the idea of mastering the art of side-swipery (i.e. cootie key) but I think that I might need a third  hand ;-) .

Michael VE3WMB

Ron :

There will certainly be some interactions, exactly what is hard to say. It would be better if you could
get more separation between the two.  My advice is put up the 204 ft G5RV and try it out, you may find that the it works well enough that you don't need the loop. If you decide that you want to try the loop then
you will at least have had a chance to establish a bit of baseline on the G5RV with respect to what
bands it will easily load on etc and you will be in a better position to judge what, if any, detrimental effects the loop has on the G5RV.

I have a 204 ft G5RV up at my cottage. It is at about 45 to 50 feet up in a slight inverted vee configuration and I have found that performance is amazing on the higher bands. I have the added advantage of a hill top location (actually just slightly down one side of the peak of the hill) with the slope going about 300 feet down to a lake.
The combination of the physical size of the antenna and the terrain gives me very good gain and
a low take-off angle in the direction of the lake and I have easily been able to work into Asia (Japan, Asiatic Russia and Thailand) with excellent signal reports running only about 30W on CW on 20m and 17m recently.

I am using the Buxxcomm version of the 204 foot G5RV which is very well made and has been up two winters now with no damage to the antenna.
My advice is use a good quality coax run into the shack (I am using LMR400) and try to keep the coax run
as short as you can to minimize losses. With my LDG AT-100Pro tuner my antenna will match quite nicely on all bands from 160m through 6m with the exception of 80m, which seems to have become a bit problematic since I changed the antenna configuration slightly.  My plan is to install a backup antenna (likely an 88ft doublet) at a lower height and well away from the G5RV, to fill in the 80m gap and also give me a backup in case the G5RV comes down in the winter due to high winds (I am using trees as supports).
I have ruled out using verticals as a backup at my location as the soil is very rocky and it would be difficult
to get decent performance out of a vertical without a very extensive ground radial system.

Best of luck with antennas at your new location.

Michael VE3WMB

It sounds like you need an external keyer.  I highly recommend the Logikey K-5
http://www.idiompress.com/k5.php.

I have the older K-3 model and it is a great keyer. The K-5 addresses a few deficiencies
in the K-3 and adds some more features.

Michael VE3WMB

Clint :

The LE version of PocketSat is limited and has a fixed DB which only includes the brightest Sats.
It is intended for visual satellite observation.

To quote the support website : http://www.pocketsat.com/products/ps3iphone.php

"PocketSat3 LE
In addition to the full PocketSat3 application, there is also a less expensive "LE" version available. It is identical to PocketSat3 except that it only works with a fixed set of 40 of the brightest satellites in the sky. These include the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Space Shuttle (if it happens to be flying) so PocketSat3 LE is perfect for the neophyte or casual satellite observer who would still like to use a full-featured tool."

So if you want to track Amateur sats you need the full version. Don't get me wrong it
is a very good application and I have used the Palm version in the past. All I was trying to do
was to flag that the LE version is not intended for Amateur Radio Satellite tracking.
The full version of this program does not have this restriction, thus the price difference.

The author should make this distinction clear in his description in the App Store. It cost me $1.99
(no big loss) to figure this out for myself.

Michael VE3WMB

I would guess that the most common mod is RIT. SWL used to sell an RIT kit but it is now discontinued.
If you Google "SW40 RIT" I believe that there are still some schematics floating around. 

Adding a Freq-Mite is also a good idea. There are also a number of small keyer kits (I have a K1EL K12
in my SW40+ along with a Freq-Mite) available. It is also worth purchasing the enclosure / controls
as it gives the end result a more professional look. Others may prefer to package the rig in their own
enclosure.

The SW40+ has evolved since the early days when it was known as the NE-4040 and
it works surprisingly well for a $55 radio, there are really no problems that require "fixing".

This little rig is still one of the best deals in Amateur Radio IMHO.

Michael VE3WMB 

I'll second AD6KA on the Pelican Case idea.

I use Pelican Cases for most of the rigs that I
cart around.  The Pelican 1120 is a good size for the Elecraft KX1 and the 1200 fits the K1 or FT-817.
For bigger rigs like the IC-7000, IC703/706, TS-50, FT-897 etc the Pelican 1450 works nicely but it
is a bit bulky.

Some people argue that these cases are too expensive, but IMHO they are a lot cheaper than replacing a rig. I dropped my Elecraft K1 in the driveway on the way out to the car a few months back (ouch!) but
there was not one bit of damage done to the rig in the Pelican case.

I have also found that smaller cheaper QRP rigs like the Small Wonder Labs SW40+ will fit into a plastic food container quite nicely and still be small enough to fit into a backpack ... this also keeps the rig dry in the event that you get caught out in the rain while hiking.

Michael VE3WMB

FYI to get 1/4 wave resonance with a helically wound antenna you would need to wind
about 1/2 wavelength of wire on the bamboo spreader so it is not surprising that you ended up
resonant at nearly twice the frequency that you were shooting for in this case.

Michael VE3WMB

I always carry a small Altoids gum tin (smaller than the mint tins) containing a spare set of earbud headphones, a couple of small wire nuts, a few spare fuses and some fishing snap swivels. That along with a Leatherman Squirt E4 (has wire cutters, stripper and pliers built in) and some electrical tape is my emergency repair kit.

Michael VE3WMB

I agree that the Elecraft K2/100 is a good choice and if you are not into building it yourself there are lots of good builders for hire who have literally built hundreds of K2s. All you would need is the basic K2 (a CW only rig) plus the KPA100 internal 100W amp. Should you desire you can on more options at a future date.
As far as receiver performance, the K2 is still world class, only surpassed by the K3 and possibly a couple of other rigs that are several thousand $$ more in price.

Check out www.elecraft.com

Another option to consider is Ten-Tec. The Jupiter is priced around $1600 and it is a very nice CW radio (hard to beat Ten-Tecs QSK capabilities). The nice thing about the Jupiter is that it has a well laid out and spacious front panel and it is simple to operate, unlike many of the current rigs where you have to go through "menu hell" just to change a simple setting. If you have the money to spend the Omni is a exceptional radio.

http://radio.tentec.com/

Best of luck and welcome back.

BTW Vibroplex is still in business and still making bugs !

Michael VE3WMB

If you have the space, it is hard to beat an 88 foot doublet fed with ladderline or open wire line, up at least 30 feet, as your only HF
antenna. LB Cebik documented this in an article called "If I could only have one wire".  Even if you have to droop the ends down, so long as the
middle half of the antenna is horizontal the impact will not be too significant. The advantage of the 88 ft length is that all of the major lobes will be broadside to the antenna so you can predict what the pattern will be.

As far as verticals go, I can also vouch for the Hustler BTV series .. very good value for the money but you will have to devote some time and effort to putting down some radials.

Michael VE3WMB

My response is a bit off-topic as it is not Ham Radio specific but
here goes: for all of you with CTS problems I suggest that you look into
something called ART which stands for Active Release Technique.
It is a deep muscle massage that is performed as the muscle is moved through it's range of motion. I have heard of people who were at the point of having surgery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome who tried ART and were able to return to work after 3 or 4 treatments.
Personally, I have had ART a number of times when I was running 2 Marathons per year and it managed to keep me injury free.
Many Registered Massage therapists and Chiropractors are certified to
perform ART.

 I just hate to see anyone out there suffer when there are other treatment options that they may not have considered.

The following link may be helpful in finder a provider

http://www.activerelease.com/providerSearch.asp

Good luck

Michael VE3WMB

I believe that there is one 13 pin cable ... it doesn't matter if you have an ICOM or a Kenwood it is the same physical connector.  As long as the plug fits into the ACC jack on the back of the radio you have the correct cable.

I agree with the other posts, it sounds like you have mis-wired the connection block inside the Signal Link for the PTT connection.
I would double check that.

Michael VE3WMB

The answer as others have stated is yes.  I personally use one of the original Acer Aspire Ones (running Linux) that I have upgraded from the original Linpus Linux to Ubuntu Netbook Remix and it works very well for me.

Digipan should work fine on a Window's netbook (I used to run it on an old Celeron-based desktop running WIN98) and if you are interested in operating other Digital Modes I recommend Fldigi which works very well on Windows, Mac OS and Linux.  (FL = Fast Light).

My personal favourite interface is the SignalLink USB for a few reasons :

1) It contains its own USB soundcard so it doesn't matter whether the one in your computer is any good.

2) All of the audio level controls are located on the front of the interface so no need to mess with slider controls in the software once things are set up .. everything can be controlled from easy to reach front panel controls.

3) It is powered off of the USB interface so no need to mess with additional power cord which is great especially if you are operating portable (one less thing to forget at home).

4) It works very well and it will work with machines running Windows, Linux or Mac OS.

Michael VE3WMB

Sorry this isn't a direct answer to your question, but have you ever considered connecting both sides of the ladder-line together at the tuner and working that against your raised radials on the lower bands?

It might be worth a try to see how that compares with the inverted-L configuration for performance.  This would be a T configuration, where the feed-line itself becomes the radiator (vertical) and the doublet acts as a Top loading mechanism.  It may actually be easier to match on the lower bands.

Michael VE3WMB