so ive been running an inverted V for 40m for about two years now, center point is maybe 35 feet up on a fiberglass pole and the legs slope down to about 8 feet at each end. works ok, gets me in the log, but ive always wondered if i was leaving something on the table by not getting it up as a flat top.

problem is my yard isnt great for supports — i'd have to get creative with the fence posts on one side and there's a tree on the other end that might work but its kind of an awkward height, maybe 28 feet? so the antenna wouldnt even be truly flat, it'd be more like a slight droop in the middle or id have to run it at an angle across the yard which puts it near the house.

is the difference actually noticeable in real world use or is this one of those things thats like 1-2 db on paper and basically nothing in practice? i mostly work domestic, some casual dx when conditions cooperate, not contesting seriously or anything.

honestly for casual use the difference is probably not going to blow your mind. the inverted V does have a bit more high angle radiation which isnt ideal for dx but for domestic contacts it can actually be fine or even helpful. the main thing your losing with the inverted V is some efficiency because the legs interact with each other a bit more, plus the radiation pattern is sort of compressed vertically compared to a flat dipole at the same height.

that said if you cant get the flat top above like 25 feet it starts to get ugly anyway, low dipoles at that height are basically cloud warmers for anything beyond regional. id say if you can get the center of your inverted V higher that'll do more for you than fighting to make it flat at those support heights. 35 feet is decent but 45-50 would make a real difference on 40. i wouldnt stress about flat vs inverted V until the center is higher.

i switched from inverted V to a flat top last summer and tbh the difference wasnt dramatic but i did notice slightly better signal reports on the longer paths, like into europe from the midwest. but my flat top is at about 45 feet and pretty level so apples to oranges maybe. the bigger pain was retuning the thing because the flat top resonated a bit different than i expected, ended up having to trim about 8 inches off each leg which was annoying after id already tied everything off.