so ive been going back and forth on this for probably three weeks now and i need someone to just tell me to stop second guessing myself. im putting up my first real HF antenna for 40m, mostly interested in working some regional stuff and maybe the occasional DX when conditions cooperate. i have a decent sized backyard, maybe 80 feet usable in one direction and like 60 in the other if i do an inverted-V off the chimney.

the thing is my neighbor on the east side has this massive oak that would make a great support and the other end could go on my garage, so a half wave dipole is totally doable. but then i keep reading about verticals and how they have that low angle radiation for DX and i start second guessing the whole thing. i dont have a great place for radials though which is what everyone says you need for a ground mounted vertical to actually work right.

i guess my question is - for someone who isnt doing serious DX chasing, just wants a solid antenna that actually works on 40m, is the inverted-V with a decent apex height (probably 35 feet off the chimney) going to do the job? or am i leaving too much on the table by not going vertical

35 feet apex on an inverted-V for 40m is totally workable, dont let anyone tell you otherwise. yeah the radiation angle is going to be higher than a vertical with a proper radial field but for regional contacts and even some decent DX when the band opens up youre not going to feel like youre handicapped. ive worked plenty of europe on 40m with an inverted-V at about that height, not every night but enough that it never felt pointless.

the radial thing with verticals is real by the way. ive seen guys put up a ground mounted vertical with like 4 or 8 radials and wonder why it underperforms a simple dipole - its because youre basically dumping half your power into lossy ground. you need at least 16 radials before it starts getting competitive and 32-64 before you really see the low angle benefit people talk about. if you dont have the space or patience for that, the inverted-V is genuinely the smarter choice for your situation. build the dipole, get on the air, stop reading antenna comparison articles at 2am

honestly just build the dipole. i spent way too long in analysis paralysis when i was first setting up on HF and the answer is always just get something up and start making contacts. you can always add stuff later. an inverted-V at 35ft fed with decent coax and a 1:1 choke balun is going to work fine for what you're describing