I would suggest that if you really want a Junker order one from Morse
Express (www.morsex.com). These are not new but the one that I got is easily a 9.5/10 cosmetically and a 10/10 mechanically.  When I talked to Marshall last fall he didn't have any of the older models with the click-stop left (which I think is actually a good thing).

For $US99 you can get a Junker that is almost new. I am 100% satisfied with mine.

Michael VE3WMB

I have the Kent Hand Key (I got the kit) which appears to be the same key mechanism as the KT1 only on a wooden base. It is very well made with a solid feel but I find that because of the wooden base it is a bit noisy (I think that the base acts as a resonator so it clicks quite loudly). The KT1 should be a lot quieter because of the steel base.

 Be aware that these keys are really designed for the European style of sending (ie elbow off of the table) rather than the American style of sending (elbow on the table) so the knob sits up quite high. Make sure that you are ok with this style of sending before ordering the key.

This key should last a life time.

Michael VE3WMB

You may find that it is hard to get an accurate reading off of the tuning dial of the HW-8 even after it is re-calibrated. In my experience having accuracy to 5Khz is doing pretty well.

I discovered that the tuning cap in my HW-8 is rather non-linear,
in fact when tuning up the band the frequency actually goes down at one point!  

If you don't mind making mods you might consider adding a Small Wonder Labs Freq-mite (www.smallwonderlabs.com) which will give you a readout of your frequency in Morse Code. Physically this would
only require only one small hole to add a momentary push-button switch.

W8RIF has documented this mod to his HW-8 at :
http://home.frognet.net/~mcfadden/wd8rif/hw8-freqmite.htm

Cheers,

Michael VE3WMB

I would also add, make sure that you get a tube of conductive grease and use that to coat the overlapping parts of the antenna sections as you put your vertical together. This will greatly simplify any future disassembly or retuning.

For what it is worth, I put up a 4BTV a few years back and it has proven to be a decent performer, with a pretty low visual profile and solid construction that has withstood some pretty severe weather.

In my opinion the Hustler verticals are well made and offer good value for
quite low cost as compared to a lot of other vertical antennas.

Michael VE3WMB

If you can manage to find a copy of "The HW-8 Handbook" by Mike Bryce, WB8VGE it is well worth it. This is a compilation of mods and fixes to common issues with the HW-7/HW-8 and HW-9 series of rigs.
I am not sure if it is still in print so I would suggest you drop Mike an email and see if he still has any copies or knows where you might get one.

For instance, my HW-8 was off the air for a number of years and when I went to use it I discovered an issue with "motorboating" on some of the higher bands. A quick look at the HW-8 Handbook indicated that this was a common problem with a simple solution of lifting the end of one choke and inserting a resistor in series with it .. this ended up doing the trick.

My HW turned 30 last year !

Michael VE3WMB

Just to add to K5RIXs suggestion, with the Argonaut V you can
also actually use the PTT line in mic jack to key the rig on CW.
Since I don't use SSB I just wired my Bug/Straight key with an
extra Mic plug and I have my paddles connected to the Key jack
on the rear of the rig and I leave the internal keyer enabled ..works
great.

Michael VE3WMB

You say  ... "It is a historical reality that Morse, in fact, stole the idea from Vail."  

What proof do you have of this? I believe that this is merely hearsay.

It is interesting that Kenneth Silverman, the author of "Lightning Man - The Accursed Life of Samuel F.B. Morse", concluded just the opposite; that
indeed it was Morse that did develop Morse Code. His conclusion was based on extensive research and examination of  personal letters exchanged between Morse and Vail.

Michael VE3WMB

Working your way up from the end of a Stereo plug there is a TIP, RING and GROUND.  For a straight key you want to use the TIP and GROUND
connections .. it doesn't really matter which post on the straight key you attach to the TIP. The idea is that when you ground the TIP that will key the rig.

If you were wiring up a dual lever paddle then the convention is that the TIP is connected to the DIT paddle and the RING is connected to the DAH paddle ... closing either paddle connects that paddle to ground.

If you have any trouble identifying which solder tab on the plug is associated with the TIP/RING then use a multimeter to check for
continuity (sometimes it is not obvious).

Cheers

Michael VE3WMB

I wouldn't be worried about the magnets affecting the radio in any way.
Also there shouldn't be any concern about scratching as the magnets are
inside the base and I if I recall correctly there are small pads on the bottom of the base itself that should protect the radio.

I took a similar approach to Phil's and created a legstrap mount for
my Palm using a stainless steel Cross Country ski scraper and some
nylon straps with buckles. See the link below for details.

http://www.qsl.net/ve3wmb/palmlegstrap.html

I have another version of this that I use for table top portable that
just uses the scraper along with the same rubberized shelf liner that
Phil used in his design.

Michael VE3WMB

The Elecraft Manual suggests a mostly vertical wire in the range of 24 to 28 feet long for use with the KXAT1. I have used both 24 and 28 foot wires and they will match and work quite efficiently on 40m/30m/20m. My experience is that if you can get the wire almost vertical the 24 ft wire will match fine. If you intend to erect it as an inverted-L or run some portion horizontal then go with a 28 foot wire as it will offer a more stable impedance on 40m.
I normally work the wire against 5 X 16ft radials laid on the ground
(made out of computer ribbon cable).  A semi-vertical wire as short as 12 feet will load fine on 30m and 20m if you don't care to operate 40m. The 24 to 28 foot wire is in a length range that is not near a multiple of a half wave on either of the three bands so it provides a reasonable impedance for the KXAT1 to match.

Another trick that I have used for a portable vertical is to use a 20 foot crappie pole like the Black Widow or Shakespeare Wonderpole as a support for the wire. I use a 20 foot length of TV twin-lead with both
conductors shorted at the top as the vertical wire. For 30m and 20m I short both of the conductors at the bottom of the twin lead together to make a "FAT" 20 foot radiator. On 40m I disconnect one of the two conductors of the twin lead from the rig at the bottom, giving me a 40 foot long wire folded back on itself. The additional capacitance from the linear loading effect will allow this to match on 40m using the same 5 X 16 foot radial system as mentioned above.

I use a Pomona binding post  to BNC adaptor and banana plugs on both conductors on the twin-lead. The Pomona allows two plugs to be connected to the RED terminal (i.e. center conductor on the BNC) so this facilitates switching the antenna between 40m and 30m/20m, by
connecting or disconnecting one side of the twin lead at the pomona adaptor.

I have taken this antenna idea one step further and created a 14 foot version of this linear loaded antenna for KX1 Pedestrian Mobile operation. I use a 14 foot length of indoor Twin Lead attached to a lightweight 13 foot fishing pole and I also drag a 29 foot wire and this setup allows me to operate 40m/30m/20 while walking around.

Michael VE3WMB

Unfortunately the recommended receiver mod for the HW-7 is to scrap the receiver section and built something that actually works.
The HW-8 Handbook, I recall, has a rebuilt receiver design for this rig.

The HW-8 was by far a superior rig, although it had its own faults, it was at least usable and I managed to make a lot of DX QSOs with mine back in the 1980s on 15m.

Michael VE3WMB

Call me crazy,  but I often operate QRP Pedestrian Mobile HF (ie while walking around) in the winter time.  What I have noticed is that my antenna which loads very well in spring/summer/fall doesn't load quite so well in winter on 40m when the ground is covered in snow/ice.  I use a linear-loaded 14 foot vertical wire attached to a 13 foot fishing pole and trail a 29 foot drag wire.  I have always suspected that the snow/ice is acting as an insulator and is thus affecting the capacitive coupling between the dragging wire and the ground and this is altering the impedance of the antenna to the point where the internal tuner in my rig has some difficulty  in achieving a match on that band.  

Technically both pure air and water are not good conductors, so I would guess that snow is probably closer to an insulator than a conductor, barring any significant contamination from industrial pollutants.

Michael VE3WMB

I have both Rigs and the performance is very similar. I would say
the RX performance on the K1 is slightly better and the K1 will
put out 7w max as compared to the Sierra which runs about 3W on most bands (it can be modified however at the expense of higher power consumption).

I think it is actually cheaper to build a 4 band K1 than to get the equivalent 4 band Sierra (assuming you also add the KC2).

Personally I would suggest that if you are ok with a 4 band rig go with the K1. If you want the flexibility of being able to build additional modules to cover all of the HF bands go with the Sierra.

If you go the K1-route then I suggest you get the 4 band K1. You can add the KAT1 tuner later (very handy when operating portable). Skip the internal battery option as you will only be able to run 3W and it is simply easier to use an external 9.6V NiMH R/C pack which weighs almost nothing and you don't have to open the rig up to replace or recharge batteries. I often run my rigs off of either 8 or 10 AA NiMH
cells.

Good luck with your decision. You can't go wrong as both are fine
rigs that will yield many contacts.

Michael VE3WMB

I remember seeing a Vibroplex WireChief (ie Vertical) Bug go for
$10,000 on eBay a few years ago. The reason is that they are very rare.
They were such a terrible bug that most original  owners gave up and threw them in the garbage and bought something else. That plus the fact that Vibroplex didn't end up making them for very long, makes them a very rare find, thus the ridiculous price tag.

Michael VE3WMB

I you end up with a rig lacking an internal antenna tuner and need a tuner,  I recommend the Elecraft T-1. It works very well and will easily handle up to 20+ Watts, it is compact and runs off an internal 9V battery.  Also If you end up with an FT-817 there is also an optional control cable for the T1 that mates with the FT-817.

BTW the T1 can be purchased as a kit or pre-assembled.

Michael VE3WMB