so ive been putting this off for like two years and finally just did it last weekend. cut a basic half wave dipole for 40m, used 14 gauge stranded wire i had laying around from an old extension cord project, nothing fancy. center insulator is just a piece of scrap polycarbonate i drilled out and the end insulators are those cheap ceramic dog bone ones from the hardware store.

ran the feedline down at about a 45 degree angle which i know isnt ideal but thats just how the yard worked out. got it up about 28 feet at the center, ends are drooping a bit so its more of an inverted V shape than a true flat top. SWR came in around 1.4:1 at my target frequency which honestly i was pretty happy with given how rough the build was.

my question is about the feedpoint connection. right now ive just got the coax center and shield twisted around the wire ends and wrapped in self amalgamating tape. it seems fine but im wondering if i should solder it or if theres some better way to do this. also the whole thing is kind of pulling sideways in the wind and im not sure if my center support is strong enough long term. anyone deal with this before?

yeah definitely solder that feedpoint if you can get up there safely. the twisted connection works for a while but moisture gets in and then you start seeing the SWR creep up over a few weeks, especially if you're in a humid area. i use a small stainless bolt through the center insulator with the wire looped around it and then soldered, then the coax shield and center conductor soldered to each respective wire. cover the whole thing with coax seal or even just a big glob of silicone before you tape it. ive had feedpoints last years doing it that way.

the inverted V shape is actually not bad at all, a lot of guys prefer it for the more omnidirectional pattern vs a flat top. 1.4:1 is totally workable, your tuner will handle that no problem. if you want to tweak it just trim a little off each leg evenly. for the wind movement just check that your halyard or rope isnt chafing anywhere, thats usually what fails first not the wire itself.

im in the same boat built mine about 6 months ago and had the twisted connection thing happen to me, started getting like 2.8:1 SWR on a good day after maybe two months. pulled it down and the connection had basically oxidized into nothing. soldering fixed it immediately. also dont use regular electrical tape outdoors it just peels off, the self amalgamating stuff is way better like you said or that scotch 33+ at minimum.