RF Interview Essentials 1.0: dB, dBm, dBW, dBc, dBmV math

dB vs dBm

dB, dBm, dBµ dBc, dBmV math:

dBm, dBµ dBc, dBmV: Absolute Value

The suffix after dB_ implies the reference.

This tells how much power level is present when compared with 1mW, 1µW, and 1mV.

• dBm → reference is milliwatts (mW)

• dBµ → reference is microwatts (µW)

• dBmV→ reference is millivolts (mV)

• dBc→ reference is the carrier (c)