Apparently the 817 does not have a monitor function per se. From what I have read, the audio on the data socket appears to be transmit audio only at around 100mV, so some form of mixing or switching would be required to handle both outgoing and incoming audio. The idea is certainly food for thought and further consideration - I could get used to logging at home in a comfortable chair with a beer in hand.
Ah, it must be the 857 I was reading about.
Well I had better start saving! 
Set up a VOX operated recoding using something like Audacity on your home station. Then have remote control of your home station for VFO changes. Couldnt be easier!!
Compton
Hi Gerald,
For the 817, plug in a Y adaptor (audio double adaptor) into the headphone socket, use one socket for the headphones and use the other for the recorder. Adjust levels if necessary using an inline pot. Alternatively switch to speaker option, plug the same Y connector in and plug an external speaker into the Y and the recorder into the other one. Experiment with levels. This basic approach was used with an external audio switchbox I used at one stage allowing for a very basic kind of SO2R setup with recording and output to a pk232. There are infinite levels of complexity but the simplest is direct cables between the Y and a recorder.
I use a separate recorder on summits because I am generally using the phone for several other things in between bouts of using the actual radio!
73 Andrew VK1DA VK2UH
Yes, however that covers only the receive side. To record the outgoing transmission is rather more complex. I am thinking along these lines which cuts out the need for any switching -
73, Gerald G4OIG
EDIT: just thought⌠need to establish whether the mic is âliveâ when receiving. Might need some switching after all.
The 5v line in the 817 is live, it is used for the up/down keys.
How about adding a sidetone function, so you hear your own audio when you use a headset. Helps to keep your voice from going Dalek or Klingon when you use blockout headphones.
While youâre at it, add a recorder input so you are spared the weary task of calling CQ. And a roger beep. And a two tone tester to check your linearity using the CRO app in your phone. And a memory keyer for cw.
A full weekendâs work there. 
Andrew vk1da/2uh
I always find hearing my speech in my headphones off-putting. I have been on the radio since 1969 and Captain Kirk and Dr Who have never complained, so I think I wonât bother with that facility. 
If I have to call CQ lots of times, then it is usually time to try something else - a change of mode or band or both. I used to operate 24hr 23cm contests, so I know all about lengthy periods of calling CQ. Not being held captive in a contest, a parrot is something else I can live without.
I will stick to the KISS principle - less to go wrong on a summit. Ah, thatâs freed up my weekend.
73, Gerald G4OIG
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When I was designing manpacks for the military the microphone was part of telephone handset (with ptt in the grip). Without sidetone to the headphone part operators thought the radio wasnât working.
Similarly with good old fashioned landlines - no sidetone therefore faulty!!
The trick is to make the level âjust soâ otherwise it becomes distracting as Gerald finds.