A dipole antenna is an RF antenna that radiates electromagnetic signals via the current between its two poles. They are used most commonly in
radiated immunity EMC testing.
Both poles consist of conductive elements like wires or rods, and receive the signal either directly from a source at the antenna’s base or remotely by way of a feeder hooked up to a receiver. Half-wave dipole antennas are the most common variety; when referring to dipole antenna, a half-wave dipole is generally what comes to mind. Due to its length, precisely half a wavelength long, a half-wave dipole is especially resonant. Other varieties include short, folded, non-resonant, and multiple half-wave dipole antennas.
The category we refer to as
EMC antennas, which includes dipole, can also be used for a very broad range of applications such as radio systems, but our equipment is focused on electromagnetic pre-compliance/compliance testing.