10 Meter Dipole question!

[KK4ICV]

I have a radio shack HTX-10 (25 watts). I made a inverted V. I recently purchased some #14 raw copper wire that I thought would radiate better than insulated wire to build another antenna out of. I live in a place where I cant have push poles or towers. I have my inverted V steathly hid about 20 feet off the ground run in between trees. Would I be better off to leave it an inverted V or go ahead and make my new one a horizontal dipole. I know that it changes the polarazation I was just wondering what would work better being that it is located in the trees? 73's KK4ICV

[KG4CGC]

Forget uninsulated wire. Go to your local hardware mercantile supply and buy a 500' spool of 12ga THHN insulated wire. It is actually stronger and can withstand your punishment pulling and bending it around as well as UV and the weather. Your bare copper is going to eventually disintegrate. The radiation is the same from insulated wire as it is from bare.

Experiment with different configurations. You will find that some signals will come in better on a V, a vert, a horizontal, depending on the location of the station you are trying to hear and propagation.

[ki4itv]

Just put it up and don't worry about the center support, a little swag in the center shouldn't harm much, and another ten or so feet in height might even be a better time investment.
Charles' (CGC) idea with the spool of wire to try different things is really the way to go. Try to get a color that blends into the background it stands against.

[KK4ICV]

Would it matter if the wires on both sides of the center insulator wasnt completely in a straight line. I could get it up 15 or 20 more feet with a slight bend in it, as long as my wire wasnt touching anything. I guess we just cant grow straight trees anymore!

[KG4CGC]

Would it matter if the wires on both sides of the center insulator wasnt completely in a straight line. I could get it up 15 or 20 more feet with a slight bend in it, as long as my wire wasnt touching anything. I guess we just cant grow straight trees anymore!

I use insulated wire and bend it over and around trees.

[NQ6U]

Charles is right on all counts. Insulated wire may need to be cut a wee bit shorter than bare wire using the 468/f formula but other than that, it will work just fine. All my wire antennas are made with PVC insulated 14 gauge THHN from Home Depot and I've talked over most of the planet with them. And a dipole does not need to be straight. Bend them around as necessary.

[KG4CGC]

Didn't know that about cutting the insulated wire shorter. Explains why my stuff tunes up better on the low end of the bands.

[NQ6U]

Didn't know that about cutting the insulated wire shorter. Explains why my stuff tunes up better on the low end of the bands.

Yeah, kind of unexpected but the insulation actually slows the speed of propagation and makes the wire behave as if it were longer electrically.

[KG4CGC]

Yeah, kind of unexpected but the insulation actually slows the speed of propagation and makes the wire behave as if it were longer electrically.

What? Are you taking about velocity? Like how they measure various types of coax?
http://www.radio-electronics.com/inf...ity_factor.php

[NQ6U]

What? Are you taking about velocity? Like how they measure various types of coax?
http://www.radio-electronics.com/inf...ity_factor.php

Yep, exactly.