"Jerry Stuckle" wrote in message ...

On 9/28/2015 2:27 PM, Wayne wrote:


"Jerry Stuckle" wrote in message ...

On 9/28/2015 12:47 PM, rickman wrote:
On 9/28/2015 10:38 AM, Jerry Stuckle wrote:
On 9/28/2015 12:03 AM, rickman wrote:
On 9/27/2015 10:39 PM, Jerry Stuckle wrote:
On 9/27/2015 9:46 PM, Wayne wrote:


From LUNA web site regarding optical measurements which should be no
different from RF...


It "shouldn't be" - but optical measurements are handled differently
than electrical measurements. Fiber Optics have their own way of
measuring loss, reflection and refraction (which doesn't exist in
feedlines).

That's like applying electrician's color codes to electronics. They
both have color codes - but don't hook the electrician's black wire to
ground - or the transformer's green wires to safety ground.

I thought you would claim optical was different. That's why I included
the VSWR vs return loss table link. You didn't comment on that.


# I didn't because I thought it was obvious. But I guess not to you.

# Return loss is calculated with logs. Logs of values 1 are negative.
# And -10db is smaller than -5 db.

# As the SWR approaches 1:1, the reflected power approaches 0, and the
# returned loss approaches NEGATIVE infinity. Note that I said NEGATIVE
# infinity. At the same point, the returned power measured in watts is 0.

Return loss is a positive number for passive networks. The equation has
(P out/P reflected). P out will never be less that P reflected, and
thus return loss will never be negative. (for passive networks)

As the SWR approaches 1:1, the return loss increases in a positive
direction, finally reaching infinity.


# No, return loss is calculated as P reflected / P out. P out is the
# constant with varying load; P reflected is the variable. The ratio is
# always less than one, hence the calculation is always negative DB.

# Please point to a reliable source which agrees with you.

I have never heard return loss expressed as a negative for passive RF
networks.
In fields other than RF I suppose anything is possible.

Here are some references, searching only for RF definitions:

http://www.ab4oj.com/atu/vswr.html

http://www.mogami.com/e/cad/vswr.html

http://www.microwaves101.com/encyclo...swr-calculator

http://www.amphenolrf.com/vswr-conversion-chart/

From wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_loss
Return loss is the negative of the magnitude of the reflection coefficient
in dB. Since power is proportional to the square of the voltage, return loss
is given by,
(couldn't cut/paste the equation)
Thus, a large positive return loss indicates the reflected power is small
relative to the incident power, which indicates good impedance match from
source to load.

http://www.spectrum-soft.com/news/fall2009/vswr.shtm
The return loss measurement describes the ratio of the power in the
reflected wave to the power in the incident wave in units of decibels. The
standard output for the return loss is a positive value, so a large return
loss value actually means that the power in the reflected wave is small
compared to the power in the incident wave and indicates a better impedance
match. The return loss can be calculated from the reflection coefficient
with the equation: