An ultra-high field radio-frequency transmit/receive apparatus for magnetic resonance systems, the RF coil apparatus comprising: a dipole-array based volume coil, the dipole-array based volume coil comprising a plurality of straight dipole antennas, wherein the straight dipole antennas are substantially parallel with each other, a cylindrical RF shield, situated about the dipole-array based volume coil and at least three circular conducting rings, the RF coil apparatus further comprising: said at least three circular conducting rings (4, 5, 6), said at least three circular conducting rings radially surrounding the dipole-array based volume coil, wherein a first circular conducting ring is located at one of the opposed axial ends of the dipole-array based volume coil, wherein a second circular conducting ring is located at the opposite axial end of the dipole-array based volume coil, wherein a third circular conducting ring is located between the first circular conducting ring and the second circular conducting ring surrounding the center of the dipole-array based volume coil, the first conducting ring, second conducting ring and third conducting ring being substantially parallel with each other, a plurality of at least two independent transmit/receive (T/R) RF channels (11, 12, 13, 14) configured to drive the dipole-array based volume coil and the at least three circular conducting rings (4, 5, 6), wherein at least one transmit/receive (T/R) RF channel is assigned to the dipole-array based volume coil and respective transmit/receiver (T/R) channels are assigned to the first circular conducting ring and to the second circular conducting ring, respectively, wherein at least the third circular conducting ring has a plurality of ports (9, 10) and one of the transmit/receive T/R channels is assigned to the first and second ports of the third circular conducting ring for applying a set of quadrature drive signals to the third circular conducting ring. a dipole-array based volume coil, the dipole-array based volume coil comprising a plurality of straight dipole antennas, wherein the straight dipole antennas are substantially parallel with each other, a cylindrical RF shield, situated about the dipole-array based volume coil and at least three circular conducting rings, the RF coil apparatus further comprising: said at least three circular conducting rings (4, 5, 6), said at least three circular conducting rings radially surrounding the dipole-array based volume coil, wherein a first circular conducting ring is located at one of the opposed axial ends of the dipole-array based volume coil, wherein a second circular conducting ring is located at the opposite axial end of the dipole-array based volume coil, wherein a third circular conducting ring is located between the first circular conducting ring and the second circular conducting ring surrounding the center of the dipole-array based volume coil, the first conducting ring, second conducting ring and third conducting ring being substantially parallel with each other, a plurality of at least two independent transmit/receive (T/R) RF channels (11, 12, 13, 14) configured to drive the dipole-array based volume coil and the at least three circular conducting rings (4, 5, 6), wherein at least one transmit/receive (T/R) RF channel is assigned to the dipole-array based volume coil and respective transmit/receiver (T/R) channels are assigned to the first circular conducting ring and to the second circular conducting ring, respectively, wherein at least the third circular conducting ring has a plurality of ports (9, 10) and one of the transmit/receive T/R channels is assigned to the first and second ports of the third circular conducting ring for applying a set of quadrature drive signals to the third circular conducting ring. said at least three circular conducting rings (4, 5, 6), said at least three circular conducting rings radially surrounding the dipole-array based volume coil, wherein a first circular conducting ring is located at one of the opposed axial ends of the dipole-array based volume coil, wherein a second circular conducting ring is located at the opposite axial end of the dipole-array based volume coil, wherein a third circular conducting ring is located between the first circular conducting ring and the second circular conducting ring surrounding the center of the dipole-array based volume coil, the first conducting ring, second conducting ring and third conducting ring being substantially parallel with each other, a plurality of at least two independent transmit/receive (T/R) RF channels (11, 12, 13, 14) configured to drive the dipole-array based volume coil and the at least three circular conducting rings (4, 5, 6), wherein at least one transmit/receive (T/R) RF channel is assigned to the dipole-array based volume coil and respective transmit/receiver (T/R) channels are assigned to the first circular conducting ring and to the second circular conducting ring, respectively, wherein at least the third circular conducting ring has a plurality of ports (9, 10) and one of the transmit/receive T/R channels is assigned to the first and second ports of the third circular conducting ring for applying a set of quadrature drive signals to the third circular conducting ring.