better be right or your great big venture goes wrong

Twinkle, twinkle little star
E is equal to IR

Up above the world so high
P is equal to EI

Most important, Murphy's Law supersedes Ohm's Law, Newton's Laws of motion and Cole's Law (shredded cabbage, carrots mayonnaise)

73
WB2EOD

Before you trim twin lead, remember that when using balanced feed line, the length may be critical. 
I don't recall the exact numbers, but for given band(s) certain lengths must be avoided. 
If you trim your twin lead and the new length lies in one of these "forbidden zones", you may find yourself unable to tune the antenna

73
WB2EOD

I own and 811H. 
A few things to consider
1.  Since the limiting factor is the power supply, the 572's won't provide any more output than the 811's.  With 811 tubes, the weak link is the tube itself.  Cheap and easy to replace, the 811 tube will fail before the power supply can destroy itself.  Slap in a set of 572's, and the weak link becomes the power supply the destruction of which is very expensive.
2.  Tune quickly and keep an eye on the grid current.  Overdrive is a frequent cause of 811 tube failures  I have a sheet of paper showing the load/plate settings for various frequency ranges.  I can tune up in a few seconds.
3.  As mentioned, the questionable quality of Chinese 572's raises the question do you really want to replace something that works with a questionable component.
4.  OTOH, if you are running power in high duty cycle modes such as RTTY/SSTV/PSK/DIGITAL, the 572's may be worth looking into

Hope this helps
73
WB2EOD
 

This is related to VFO drift in general. 
I knew a fellow who had an old Lafayette HA-350 (HA-3-drifty) receiver. 
This receiver was notoriously unstable for at least the first half hour.
We disconnected the VFO tube filament from the main filament string and added a small 6.3 volt filament transformer.  The primary was connected directly to the line cord, before the switch.  The secondary was connected to the VFO tube filament.  As long as the set was plugged in, the VFO tube and surrounding components were warm. 
The result was acceptable (if not exceptional stability)

73
WB2EOD

Looks like you have the wrong model.   If you can exchange it, try La Crosse model 9412.
I own one of these and it is versatile and VERY reliable. 
The 9412 can be user set for
1.  Any one of 13 time zones including Conus Alaska, Hawaii, UTC and a few others
2.  12/24 hour display
3.  Enable/Disable Daylight savings time
4.  Display either room temperature or seconds
Naturally, mine is set for UTC, 24 hour, disable DST and show seconds.
Even in my basement, it can receive the WWVB signal and is ALWAYS correct.

Perfect for us hams who have a "thing" about time.

73
WB2EOD

One variation on the term LID  "License In Doubt"

WB2EOD

The plastic bag/dryer sheet solution works pretty well, it may take some time and a few changes of the dryer sheets. Try an open box of baking soda instead of dryer sheets
In less severe cases I have had some success with just taking the chassis out of the cabinet and letting it "air out" outside the house for a few hours.  
If the former owner smoked cigars or a pipe, you can pretty much forget about ever getting it clean.

Hope this helps
73
WB2EOD

It is not unusual in SSB for a meter to indicate only a fraction of the power you expect. 
The meter may not be able to respond to the voice peaks. 
Based on your observation of the AM power output, I think it is fair to say the rig is OK.
Measure the output in a straight carrier mode (CW FSK FM).
This should result in a reading in line with specs. 

Hope this helps
73
WB2EOD

CoaxSeal is not bad, but the silicone tape is far better.
I've used the silicone based 'rescue tape' with great success.  When correctly applied it keeps the connection totally dry.  Some 2 years after wrapping such a connection, I had to change something.  I slit the tape with a knife and peeled it off.  The PL-259 was as clean and bright as the day I wrapped it. 
You can get this from RF Parts or HRO.  I always like to have a roll or 2 on hand.

Hope this helps
73
WB2EOD

Try this, when routing the cord around a pulley, apply a small piece of tape to keep the cord from falling off.  You can also apply tape to other points along the path to hold things in place while you restring.
Use a needle nose pliers instead of your fingers.  Put the string in the jaws and hold them shut with a rubber band around the handle.  A self locking surgical clamp is also a good tool.
The real trick is PATIENCE.  A dial cord mechanism is a licensed practicing bitch and you have to be patient and resourceful

Hope this helps
73
WB2EOD
 

I've had the same problem.  I agree with AA4PB.  If the GFCI is more than a few years old, it may be more sensitive to RF than a more recent one.  Try a different brand.  Also try to get the antenna further away. 

Hope this helps

73
WB2EOD

The trick is corrosion/oxidation prevention is to keep the moisture out of the connection.  My personal favorite is the self-adhesive silicone based tape. When stretched and wrapped around the cable and connector, the layers stick to the cable, the connector and themselves.  When I slit and peeled off the tape, connections made 2 years ago were as bright and clean as the day I wrapped them


Hope this helps
73
WB2EOD
 

GFCI protection is meant for wet locations.  Kitchen, bathroom, garage, outdoors.  Assuming your shack is not subject to flooding, I wouldn't bother. Just have ordinary properly installed outlets.   
Some GFCI outlets are RF vulnerable and will in the presence of strong RF.  I have experienced this problem with the transmitter RF tripping the GFCI on another branch circuit.  Eventually I found a brand that was better than others.     

Hope this helps

73
WB2EOD

I am not a fan of Mac and Cheese, but I have to admit it's a good commercial.  In sort of a strange way, I believe it reflects well upon us, or at the very least brands us as "normal".
Ham radio has taken a public image hit over the past few years.  Some lump us in with the CB crowd, some blame us for RFI when the toaster or washing machine malfunctions.  A few years ago, I was chatting with a coworker.  I told him I am a ham operator.  His reply was "I didn't know they still do that". 
I can't think of a more compelling argument that we need all the favorable attention we can get. 


Just my opinion FWIW

73
WB2EOD