so i finally got around to building a proper 40m dipole instead of using that random wire i had strung up forever. cut the elements to roughly 33.5 feet each based on the 468/f formula, used some 14 gauge stranded wire i had sitting in the garage, and terminated it all at a SO-239 chassis connector I pulled off an old radio.

the thing actually works pretty decent, got it up about 25 feet in an inverted V configuration with the center tied off to a tree. SWR is sitting around 1.4:1 at 7.150 which honestly surprised me, I expected worse for a first attempt. but here's the thing — the feedpoint connection is bothering me. I just kind of twisted the wire around the connector lugs and soldered it, seems solid but I'm wondering if that's the right approach or if I should be using some kind of proper strain relief. also did a quick coat of liquid electrical tape over everything but dont know if thats enough to keep moisture out long term.

also not sure if i should have used a 1:1 balun there. read a bunch of conflicting stuff online about whether you need one for a basic backyard dipole. my coax run is about 60 feet of RG-8X down to the shack. feed line is picking up some RF i think because touching the coax changes my SWR reading slightly. any thoughts appreciated, been at this hobby about 8 months now.

yeah that SWR movement when you touch the coax is pretty classic common mode current problem, a 1:1 choke balun right at the feedpoint would sort that out. you dont necessarily need a fancy commercial one, you can wind like 8-10 turns of the feedline coax through a type 31 toroid and that'll do the job for most HF use. some guys just coil up the last few feet of coax at the feedpoint into a choke and that helps too, results vary though.

the solder job sounds fine honestly as long as it's clean. liquid electrical tape is okay but it degrades after a season or two especially if you get real temperature swings. self amalgamating tape layered over regular vinyl tape is what most people use for outdoor feedpoints, seals really well and stays flexible. id redo that part before winter if you're in a cold climate.

1.4:1 on your first dipole is genuinely good, most people end up at 2:1 or worse and have to do a bunch of trimming. the inverted V configuration tends to shift resonance slightly compared to flat top so you got lucky with your initial cut.

im in a similar boat, did a fan dipole for 40 and 20 last spring and had the same coax RF issue. ended up just making a choke out of coax like the previous guy said and it cleared right up. for the feedpoint weatherproofing I went with self-fusing tape and then a big glob of coax seal on top of that, probably overkill but I sleep better knowing its not going to corrode out on me after a rainstorm.

one thing i noticed with my inverted V is that the angle of the legs matters more than i expected for the radiation pattern, shallower angle seems to favor lower angles but its hard to tell practically without a antenna analyzer doing a sweep across the band. what are you using to measure SWR, a dedicated analyzer or just the radio's built in meter?