so i finally decided to stop being lazy and build a proper 40m dipole instead of using that crappy end-fed thing i threw up last year. cut two legs to roughly 33.5 feet each using 14 gauge stranded copper from the hardware store, nothing fancy. managed to get it up in an inverted-v configuration about 30 feet at the apex tied to my chimney.

my question is about the center insulator situation. i used one of those cheap plastic egg insulators i had laying around and just drilled a hole through it to run the coax through and soldered the feedpoint connections directly to the shield and center conductor. it works, swr is around 1.4:1 at 7.150 which im pretty happy with, but im wondering if i should have used a choke balun there instead. ive read a bunch of conflicting stuff online about whether you really need one for a dipole or if its overkill.

also the center thing is not the prettiest, water might get in there eventually. what are you guys using for weatherproofing the feedpoint? self-amalgamating tape? just wondering what works long term before this thing falls apart on me.

yeah you definitely want a choke balun or at least a coax choke at the feedpoint if you can manage it. without it the coax braid becomes part of the antenna and you get RF coming back down the feedline into the shack which can cause all kinds of weird stuff — RFI on your audio, hot mic connector, weird SWR readings that change when you move the cable around. just winding 8-10 turns of the coax in a coil about 6 inches diameter right at the feedpoint works fine for 40m and costs nothing if you have enough coax. that said your 1.4 swr suggests the antenna itself is working so its not a disaster, the balun just cleans things up considerably.

for weatherproofing i use self-amalgamating tape, works great. wrap it starting below the connection going up and then back down so water cant wick under it. had connections last 4-5 years doing it that way. some guys use a small plastic project box as a feedpoint housing which is even better honestly, drill a hole in the bottom for the coax and seal that with silicone.

what he said about the coax choke, i built like 4 dipoles before someone told me about that and it explained so much weirdness i was seeing. also 1.4 at 7.150 is honestly pretty good for a first build, i wouldnt stress it too much. mine came out way worse first try and i still made contacts on it.

one thing i do different now is i make a proper drip loop in the coax right below the feedpoint so any water running down the coax drips off before it gets to your connections. small thing but helps a lot.