Frequency Characteristics of the Half-Wave Dipole

The half-wave dipole is a “narrowband” antenna, meaning that its properties and behavior vary rapidly with frequency.  This means that the characteristics discussed in the previous module are not generalizable across any significant bandwidth.  In this module we will expand our discussion of the dipole antenna to include frequencies where its length is no longer equal to a half wavelength. Specifically, this module will consider how two major properties of the dipole – input impedance and radiation pattern – vary with respect to changes in the driving frequency.