so i finally got around to building a proper inverted V for 40m instead of using that random wire i had thrown up years ago. used 14awg stranded copper from the hardware store, cut each leg to around 33.5 feet based on the 468/f formula. center fed with a SO-239 chassis connector i had in the junk box, fed with about 50 feet of RG-8X down to the shack.

apex is at about 35 feet off a mast i bolted to the back of the garage, legs come down to roughly 45 degree angles tied off to some stakes in the ground. resonant point per my analyser is sitting around 7.080 which is a little high for where i want it (trying to get it centered around 7.050 or so). i know i need to add length but how much are we realistically talking, like an inch per leg or more? feels like every time i try to trim these things i overshoot.

also wondering if the 45 degree angle on the legs is hurting me much compared to a flatter angle. i dont have a ton of horizontal space so i'm kinda stuck with it but curious what people's experience has been.

for moving resonance down from 7.080 to 7.050 you're looking at maybe 2 to 3 inches per leg, not more than that. the formula is a starting point and real-world stuff like height above ground and wire insulation always shifts things a bit. i'd add 2 inches each side, remeasure, repeat. way easier to trim than to splice back in.

on the angle question, yeah flatter is generally better for radiation angle but at 45 degrees you're not completely killing yourself either. you'll lose a little gain compared to a flat dipole but honestly for 40m it still works. the bigger thing is getting the apex as high as you can, which it sounds like you already thought about. 35 feet is decent for 40.

i had the same situation with an inverted V last spring, ended up adding like 3 inches per leg to get it where i wanted, but my ground conditions are probably different than yours. one thing i noticed is if you wait until mid afternoon to measure vs early morning the readings can shift a bit, moisture in the ground and all that. so try to do your final trim at the same time of day each time if you can, or at least be aware of it. probably doesnt matter a ton but it got me chasing my tail for a day before someone told me that.