Abstract :
The question: "How does a dipole receive?" The core of this question appears to lie in a comparison of the physical area of a dipole and its capture area. For example, assume a dipole antenna one meter long and 10 mm in diameter, oriented toward the E vector of the incoming wave. The physical cross section normal to the incoming wave is 0.01 m2. The resonant frequency will be close to 2 m, 150 MHz. From the relation, the effective aperture is 0.13 times the wavelength squared, about 0.52 m2. Thus, the antenna is capturing energy from an area some 50 times as great as the physical area of the antenna.
