How narrow can I make an inverted V dipole for 20m? First antenna build, open to suggestions
Hey everyone, I'm a rising college freshman on the east coast getting into HF with a Hermes Lite 2. I don't have my license yet so this is receive-only for now, but I'm building with transmitting in mind for when I do get licensed.
I'm planning to build a half-wave dipole for the 20m band as my first antenna and set it up as an inverted V in my backyard. Problem is my yard is small and sloped. I know the general advice is to keep the angle at 90 degrees or wider, but realistically how narrow can I go before performance falls off noticeably? What's the minimum horizontal spread between the two ends that you'd consider usable?
Planning to run FT8 at 5 watts once I'm licensed. For now just want to listen and learn.
This is my first antenna build so if there's something simpler or better suited for a small sloped yard on 20m I'm totally open to suggestions. Thanks!