Radiation characteristics of a meander-line dipole antenna

A simple analytical method is proposed for calculation of the vertically polarized and horizontally polarized relative power densities of a meander-line dipole (MLD) antenna. A sinusoidal distribution of current that drops to zero at both ends of the dipole is assumed. Results obtained using this method are in good agreement with results computed using the Numerical Electromagnetic Code [1]. The MLD antenna has some cross-polarization, which, for a constant antenna length, can be minimized by increasing the number of meander sections. The gain of the antenna is calculated as a function of antenna length with the number of meander sections as a parameter. The gain for the MLD antenna is greater than that for a straight-wire dipole of the same length.