so ive been going back and forth on this for like three weeks now and i cant decide. i have a decent sized backyard, maybe 80 feet of usable space east-west and i could get a full size 40m dipole up at about 30 feet which i know isnt ideal but its what the trees will support. alternatively i was thinking about putting up a vertical, probably one of those trap verticals that covers 40 through 10 or maybe just a dedicated 40m quarter wave with a good radial field.

my main use is just general ragchewing and some casual contesting, nothing serious. i'm in a pretty flat suburban area, neighbors arent a problem thankfully. ive read about a hundred different opinions online and they all contradict each other so figured id just ask here. the low dipole is supposedly going to radiate more at high angles which i guess is fine for regional stuff but i do want to occasionally work some dx when conditions are good.

anyone been in a similar situation and actually compared the two? not looking for a perfect answer just want to hear some real world experience before i start buying lumber and wire.

honest answer - at 30 feet on 40m your dipole is basically a cloud warmer but that's not always a bad thing. for stateside contacts and regional nets it actually works really well, you'll have no trouble holding a frequency and working guys within 500-1000 miles. for dx it's gonna be a bit of a struggle on 40 especially if you're competing with stations that have beams or higher dipoles.

the vertical with a proper radial system is going to have a lower takeoff angle and you'll definitely notice it when chasing dx. but here's the thing people always skip over - radials are a pain. like if you just throw down 4 or 8 radials and call it done the vertical will probably disappoint you. you need 16 minimum to start seeing real improvement and ideally 32 or more. so factor that work into your decision. if you have the yard space and patience for radials, go vertical for the dx capability. if you just want something up fast that works well locally, the dipole at 30 feet will serve you fine for most of what you described.

i went through exactly this last summer and ended up putting up both lol. the dipole went up first because it was easier and honestly i used it way more than i expected to. then i did a vertical with about 24 radials a couple months later and yeah you can tell the difference on dx but its not like night and day or anything, more like a few db on average. for casual use i still grab the dipole most of the time just because it seems quieter on receive at my location. might be a local noise thing though, your mileage will definitely vary