Hi Ron -

Some comments below...

"Ron" wrote in message
news
I'm considering installing an inverted V 40 meter dipole under the eaves
of my
house. There is room for a longer arm on one side than the other.

1) Would I be better off making each arm as long as possible and adding
whatever
matching circuit is required?

You didn't say what actual dimensions you have available, or whether
the total gets you up to 66' (or so). But it sounds like your shorter side
is less than 33'. No, don't use excessive (for resonance) length, if you
intend to have a resonant monobander.

2) Should I make both sides equal to the shorter arm even if this makes
the
antenna too short to self resonate?

No. If your short side is less than 33', make it as long as you can.
Then trim the long side for lowest SWR at your desired center frequency.
There should be no problem at all with unequal sides, within reason.
In fact, unbalancing the sides physically can sometimes improve the
electrical balance, and/or minimize SWR, if done correctly.

3) Should I make both sides equal in case there is sufficient length to
allow
the antenna to self resonate.

That would be the "classical" way to do it; and if you got a good match,
you'd be done.

But if you like fine tuning, try adding a foot to one side, and measure
center freq and SWR. Then put the extra foot over on the other side, and
again measure center freq and SWR. The center freqs should be the same,
or very close. But if one configuration shows lower SWR, that is telling
you that a physical imbalance in that direction will improve your match.

My 40/80 trap dipole works best on 80 when one side is about 3' longer
than the other!

73, Ed W6LOL

Sorry for the complexity of the question.

Thanks for any help.

Ron W4TQT