so i finally got around to building my first real dipole from scratch instead of just buying one and i have to say the whole thing went smoother than i expected. been putting it off for like two years because i kept thinking it was going to be some complicated ordeal but really its just wire, a center insulator, and some patience.

i used 14 gauge stranded copper from the hardware store, cut each leg to about 16.5 feet for 40m, and used one of those cheap SO-239 chassis connectors from amazon as the center piece bolted to a little piece of scrap HDPE i had laying around from another project. ran about 50 feet of RG-8X down to the shack. got it up in an inverted-V config off a 35 foot mast in the backyard.

first SWR check with my antenna analyzer and i was sitting at like 1.4:1 right around 7.150, which is honestly better than i ever get with my store bought stuff. trimmed about 3 inches off each leg and got it down to 1.2:1 at 7.200 which is basically where i wanted it anyway. the whole build took maybe 2 hours including the time i spent looking for my wire strippers.

anyway if anyones been hesitating to just build something, dont. its way more satisfying than buying one and the performance is identical or better in my experience. already thinking about doing a fan dipole next to cover 40 and 20 at the same time.

yeah the fan dipole is a great next step, just be aware the elements do interact with each other a bit so you'll probably need to retrim after you add the second pair. i built one a few years back and the 40m legs ended up needing to come in about an inch and a half after i added the 20m section. not a big deal but worth knowing ahead of time so you dont get frustrated when your SWR creeps up a little.

also for the center insulator on a fan, you kinda need something with more attachment points. i ended up making mine out of a piece of fiberglass cutting board, drilled four holes for the wire legs plus the feedline connection in the middle. holds up fine even in pretty heavy wind. the HDPE approach you used works great for a single dipole though, good call on that material.

nice work. whats your apex height on the inverted-V? im trying to figure out if 30 feet is worth it for 40m or if i should just do a flat-top and deal with the end supports. limited space is kind of killing me here