E.04VSWR ↔ Return Loss Calculator
Choose the known quantity; all values describing the impedance match are calculated together.
Results
- VSWR
- —
- Return loss
- —
- |Γ|
- —
- Mismatch loss
- —
- Reflected power
- —
- Transmitted power
- —
Formulas
- Reflection coefficient
- Γ = (Z_L − Z₀) / (Z_L + Z₀)
- VSWR
- VSWR = (1 + |Γ|) / (1 − |Γ|)
- Return loss
- RL = −20 · log₁₀|Γ|
- Mismatch loss
- ML = −10 · log₁₀(1 − |Γ|²)
Typical values
A VSWR of 1.5:1 (return loss ≈ 14 dB) means 4% of the power is reflected and is considered good for most RF applications. At 2:1 (≈ 9.5 dB), reflected power rises to 11%.
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