Now I am using the Alpha-Delta DX-OCF dipole designed by Buckmaster Antennas - this is a good antenna!! Very well made and strong enough to last through ice storms (unlike my wire antenna below). Put it up and forget it! The antenna works great on 80m to 6m, even at 25 feet. On the entire 80/75m band the VSWR is less than 2:1. The manufacturer has a recommended installation configuration, but it will work fine regardless of how you hang it.
The manufacturer also recommends not using a tuner because of the ferrite core balun design, but I use a tuner on 15m and 160m. Actually without the tuner the VSWR on 15 meters is low enough at the TX end of the feedline (VSWR <3:1) that my IC-751 does not reduce its power output and I can work lots of DX. With the IC-751 and AT-150, it works well on 160m {Stew Perry TBC}. The balun can handle 300W, so core heating is probably minimal when using a tuner at <100W - the antenna still works great after years of use.
Need an antenna for 6m ? On 6m the DX-OCF works as good as my 6m dipole. I can work 8-10 grids in the January SS with a 20W transverter.
80m thru 10m dipole
Dimensions shown are for 3.75, 7.15 and 14.15 MHz. Convert feet to meters. Start longer and adjust for best VSWR. Adjust the 80m dipole first, then 40 and 20. The VSWR of this antenna is 1.2:1 at resonance and <3:1 on all bands (measured at the transceiver). Initially I made the antenna with multi-conductor wires cut to the 3 lengths. It broke in the first wind storm. With the weights and separate copperweld wires flopping in the wind, sometimes it would last several years.
This dipole was used on 80-10m with a Kenwood TS-180S solid state rig from 1984 to 1998 with very good results, without a tuner. My IC-751 has a tuner which tunes a 1.1:1 match from 160m thru 10m. I worked 65 countries back in the 2003 International DX Phone Contest with 100W. This 25 foot high dipole even works good on 160m.
