I am building the mobile station 1 piece at a time while acquiring
my General class license and would value your opinions on the
most practical SWR meter and antenna tuner for use on 1.8-30Mhz
A SWR meter/antenna tuner that includes 2-meter would simplify
things greatly.

George-

I have the older IC-706, and I'm fairly sure it has an SWR function, at least
on HF.

Most VHF/UHF antennas will cover the band without a tuner.

I have found that the Hamstick antenna is fairly broad, so if you tune it for
the center of 20 Meters, it should be close enough for the entire band without
a tuner.

The 40 Meter Hamstick is not so broad. If you want to use it on both SSB and
CW, then you will need a tuner. Without a tuner, it may cover the General
Class portion of SSB, but barely. (The 75 Meter version may not cover the
entire band, even with a tuner!)

Any of the MFJ small tuners should work. However, you would have to transmit
full power (AM, FM or CW mode) to accomplish tuning the way it comes. Look
into the "BET 706 tune control", available from AES for $33, although you may
be able to find construction details on the web. This device lets you generate
a low power signal for use while adjusting your SWR.

I have the Icom AT-180, which works well through 6 Meters. To me it was worth
it not to have to fuss with a manual tuner, but it is a bit pricey. If I was
shopping for one now, I'd look into the recent MFJ auto tuners.

73, Fred, K4DII