I am considering a new ham station in a relatively urban environment on the South coast of England, and would like like some ideas / feedback on antenna options.
Aim is to get reasonable performance for 40/20/15/10m bands with 100W TX power from an ICOM 7300 using the internal tuner (ie SWR <= 3). Aim is to get contact around Europe (note compass orientation of SatImage below).
Trying to avoid putting up large structures on roof, and utilise nearby Chestnut tree on edge of property. My current simplest idea is a fan dipole, with some concerns/buts (see below)... Some sketches:
Side view looking towards ENE:
SatView to give impression of urban environment. Note that north is up on this image. Note the large "block" of flats about 20m to the ENE. This block is uphill from house and their top floor is about 5m(?) above where the diploe would be (ie 15m off "my ground")
I have only shown some end-insulators on a single dipole with coax centre feed into a 1:1 balun. Basic plan is currently for a fan dipole to get reasonable resonance in each of the bands.
Unless I butt right up to the tree and the roof, I probably won't have room for a 40m band half-wavelength dipole. The length from end of roof ridge to fork in tree is just over 20m. There might a possibility of attaching to the other top ridge running ENE (ref sat image), which would give me the extra length but put a significant part of the antenna length over the roof.
The neighbours.... The top floors is 20m away horizontally and 5m above vertically. Broadside to the dipole. Bad idea?
"False ground" where the dipole overhangs the roof. And plenty of "foliage" above the dipole in chestnut tree (total height 20m+ above ground). Also the metal roofed garage to the right of dipole in SatImage, it's only 2.5m high, so probably 7-8m from dipole. How serious are these effects likely to be? Suck it and see?
Other Antenna types other than fan dipole which include 40m band? Perhaps something like this: http://www.m0pzt.com/fan-dipole/.
If above can't work, is there anything that could? Happy to go for external tuner or external amp for matching and more power up to UK legal limit of 400W. Central tower to "drape" inverted V dipole over the house? Or throw money and install a tower with a Yagi Beam. Or give up on 40m and stick to <=30m?
Many thanks