A question for you experts out there...
I currently use a fan dipole (kind of a fan anyway)

It has 3 elements off of each side from the feed point.
A 66 foot or 132 feet total length
A 33 foot or 66 feet total length
and a 16 foot or 32 feet total length.(this is before it was tuned so
measurements are not exact)

The wires are spread 1 foot apart from each other, 18 inches from the
feed
point. (where the wires are connected to the feed point, they V out from
there, to a point 18 inches from the feed point where the 1st spreader is
located, placing each wire 1 foot apart)

The wires are (hung) under each other from that point, 1 foot apart over
the total length of each wire with the longest wire (the 66/132) on top
(the
33/66) in the middle and (16/32) on the bottom.

I used the longest wire to support the (pvc) spreaders for the wires
hanging under it.

The feed point is at about 40 feet with the ends of the (66/132) at
about
22 feet (the ends of the shorter wires are higher, due to the fact they
end
higher up the inverted V.

It has an air wound choke at the feed point fed with 50 ohm coax.

I have several questions regarding this set up.

What are the pros and cons of fan dipoles like this? I have never heard
of
a fan dipole with each element being hung under each other so I have no
data
to compare it to.

I would like to keep this set up when I move to my new QTH in a few
months
but raise it to 60 feet or so.
I know that an inverted V is for the most part omni directional, but
what
about an inverted v that is only somewhat inverted? Would that not give
you
a pattern more shaped like an egg?

I really do not wish to put up a wire for each band as the one I have
now
can run everything from 10m to 80m and even the low side of 160, right
around 1.8 mhz (I havent figured that one out yet)with a tuner.

What are the pros and cons of adding more wires? (other than tuneing the
wires being more of a pain)

I get very little interaction between the wires (maybe due to the fact
they
are spread apart so close to the feed point) or I just got lucky, hi hi

I am looking for ideas or someone that is great with an antenna program,
that can tell me what my antenna is doing now and how to improve it at
around 60 feet at the feed point.

It looks like my shack will be up befor my new home will be ready (solar
power has its advantages) So I need to plan the antenna and the mounting
points for the ends of the wires.(angle or slope) in other words, how
high
the ends need to be.

I plan on placeing the wires east / west broadside but would like a bit
of
an omni pattern to reach the east coast(NY to FL) from jacksonville NC.

Sorry for the long post but I know of a few out there that can give me
some
ideas that I have overlooked. It is better to plan ahead .....

Thanks
Joe
KI4ILB

Joe, you are going in the correct direction with multiple dipoles fed at
the same feed point. I have used that
method successfully for many years.

I discuss this method in detail in Chapter 20 of my book
Reflections--Transmission Lines and Antennas, ed 1
published by the ARRL and ed 2 published by Worldradio. Ed 3 is in
publication. You can download several
Chapters, including Chapter 20, from Reflections 2 from my web page at
www.w2du.com.

However, if your email address is as shown on your post, I'll email you a
copy of Chapter 20.

You'll find the info concerning multiple dipoles in Sec 20.2.2,
Stagger-Tuned Dipoles.

Walt, W2DU




Thanks thats just what I needed. It takes a bit of the guess work out of
it.hi hi
I have not looked at the file in detail but from what I saw it looks great.
I did not see the distance in spaceing the elements apart in there and what
effect that has (I may have overlooked it)

I like fan dipoles and have no problem hanging a 5 wire one ( this time I
will measure every wire after there all tuned) just in case I need to
replace it. Tree limb, ice. etc.
I forget the name of the copper clad steel I have for the new shack, but
its the large gauge and hard to work with but should work well and stay up a
long time after I finnish cussing.

Like I said, I hang the longest wire on top and the shortest on the bottom
(under each other)

I may need to use copper strand for the shorter wires to keep from ending
up with a giant slinky.

I also use (weed eater line) from the bottom of some of the spreaders to a
point below where the ends of the dipole are tied off to keep the whole
thing from twisting up in bad weather. The short one just has a weight under
it.

Sound good?

Now, I just need to figure out the spaceing between elements. At 12 inches
I get very little interaction but someone posted, If they were closer, The
bandwith would be wider.
I am trying to preplan as much of this as I can. I do not mind climbing a
tower but the less trips I have to make the better (damn I wish I did this
when I was 20) hi hi