The days of searching through desk drawers for your old HP Slide-chart tool are finally a thing of the past with the launch of MDL’s newest tool online – the Reflectometer Calculator(as shown below).  This has always been a vital tool for correlating/converting VSWR to Return Loss or Reflection Coefficient. The Reflectometer Calculatoralso shows the contribution to overall Loss due to the Reflections (Mismatch Loss)!

The Reflectometer Calculatorallows engineers to input any one of three known values, (Reflection Coefficient (p), VSWR or Return Loss), to quickly convert to the other unknown values. This tool allows the user to put their System or Component’s performance in perspective. Users can quickly convert to numbers they are comfortable using to determine the System or Component’s RF efficiency. The calculatorwill even provide engineers with a window of uncertainty for measurements taken with less than perfect systems (Coupler Directivity).

The tool will help you to answer these questions:

1.  What is the dB value for a 1.2:1 VSWR? Answer: (20.8 dB)

2.  What portion of my Loss measurement is due to my device measuring a 1.5:1 VSWR? Answer: (0.175 dB)

3.  What is the reflective coefficient of a product measuring a 1.3:1 VSWR? Answer: (0.13)

Looking for other tools to help you get the job done? Check out another popular tool from MDL – the Rigid Waveguide Slide Rule. It is available for download on your Android, Blackberry or OS devices. Download here.