Older radios are cheaper.
Ebay.
Wire antennas (military commo wire) are best and nearly invisible.
Forget ‘lengths’ and the math—get an antenna tuner.
73
Because so many hams are retirement age and passing on, ham radio clubs often end up with donated gear from “silent keys” free to anyone who wants it. They periodically give it to new hams to keep the hobby going.
This! Not looking for anything clandestine, but inexpensive, practical, and fundamentally based. I like the idea of going abck to basics. Code doesn't intimidate me, I figure it's not as difficult as learning Korean or Chinese!