DECIBEL SCALE – MODULE 2

THE DECIBEL SCALE

Decibels and the logarithmic scale

The range of power, voltage and current signal levels encountered in radio engineering are
often represented on a logarithmic scale called decibel. The decibel does not specify a
magnitude of a power, voltage or current but a ratio between two signals. Gains and losses
in circuits or radio paths are usually expressed in decibels.

Decibels – it is a unit that describes a ratio. It is not an absolute unit but rather, it indicates
the relation between two powers. Symbol used to indicate the gain or the loss in the system.

Gain = 10 log (output / input) = 10 log ( P2 / P1)

Loss = 10 log (input / output) = 10 log ( P1 / P2 )

Note: Doubling the power means 3 dB gain, likewise, halving the power means a 3
dB loss.

Absolute level - it is a logarithmic value, that shows the difference between the measured
value and the laid down standard value.

Standard Values (At the Zero Relative Level Point)

Resistance: R = 600 Ω (average value of a VF telephone line)

Power: P = 1 mW (power produced in a mic, if a “A” is strongly spoken)
Voltage: V = 0.775 V
Current: I = 1.29 mA

✓ With standard resistance @ 600 Ω,

Absolute Power Level = 10 log Pm/1 mW

Absolute Voltage Level = 20 log Vm/0.775 V

Absolute Current Level = 20 log Im/1.29 mA

✓ Calculation of absolute voltage levels with different resistance,

Absolute Voltage Level = 10 log Pm/1 mW + 10 log 600/Rm

ndB = dBm + Correction Factor (CF)

✓ Calculation of absolute current level with different resistance,

Absolute Current Level = 10 log Pm/1 mW + 10 log Rm /600

ndB = dBm + Correction Factor (CF)

COMPILED BY: DR. CARLOS C. SISON, PECE, ASEAN ENGR., ACPE 1

 DECIBEL SCALE – MODULE 2

✓ Conversion from the power level to the voltage level and vice versa.

10 log (Pm / 1mW) = 10 log (Vm /0.775 V) - 10 log (600/Rm)

✓ Conversion from the power level to the current level and vice versa.

10 log (Pm / 1mW) = 10 log (Im /1.29 mA) - 10 log (Rm / 600)

Note: Across a resistance of 600 Ω, the absolute levels of voltage, current, and
power have the same value, if the laid down standard values are used. In the field,
the absolute power level and absolute voltage level are used for telecom path
measurements.

Transmission Level Point (TLP) – is defined as the optimum level of a test tone on a
channel at some point in a communication system. It is the ratio of the signal power or noise
power at a certain point to the power of the same signal or noise at a reference point.

A 0 TLP is a point at which the test-tone level should be 0 dBm. A test tone is a tone
produced by an audio signal generator, usually 1020 Hz. Note that these frequencies
are inside the standard voice channel which covers the range of 300 –3400 Hz.

For signal, TLPdB = 10 log  (S / S0TLP 

For noise, TLPdB = 10 l0g (N / N0TLP 

Data Level Point (DLP) – is a parameter equivalent to TLP except that TLP is for voice
circuits whereas DLP is used as a reference for data transmissions. DLP is always 13 dB
below the voice level for the same point. (e.g. if TLP = - 15 dBm, then DLP at the same point
is – 28 dBm).

dBm - used in RF measurement, this scale defines 0 dBm as 1 mW of RF signal dissipated

in a 50 Ω resistive load.

dBm = 10 log (Pm / 1mW)

dBm ± dB = dBm

dBm1 ± dBm2 = 10dBm1/10 ± 10dBm2/10

Volume Units (VU) – the VU scale, used in audio work, defines 0 VU as 1 mW of

1000 Hz audio signal dissipated in a 600 Ω resistive load.

dBm0 - dBm referred to or measured at zero transmission level point.

dBm0 = dBm - dBr

COMPILED BY: DR. CARLOS C. SISON, PECE, ASEAN ENGR., ACPE 2

 DECIBEL SCALE – MODULE 2

dBv - absolute voltage level, referred to 0.775 V. dBv is used in audio work when the
impedance is not 600  and no specific impedance is implied.

dBv = 20 log (Vm / 0.775 V)

dBi - absolute current level, referred to 1.29 mA @ 600 Ω.

dBi = 20 log (Im / 1.29 mA)

dBv s - absolute voltage level in the sound channel, referred to 0.775 V

dBvps - absolute noise voltage level in the sound channel, referred to 0.775 V and CCITT
weighted
dBW - is dB above or below a reference power of 1 watt. Use extensively in microwave
applications.

dBW = 10 log (Pm / 1W) Note: +30 dBm = 0 dBW

-30 dBW = 0 dBm

dBmV - used in TV antenna coaxial cable systems with 75 Ω resistive impedance, the dBmv
system uses 1 mV across a 75 Ω resistive load as the 0 dBmv reference point

dBmV = 20 log (Vm / 1 mV

dBV - decibels relative to 1 volt.

dBV = 20 log (Vm / 1 V)

dBrn - a weighted circuit noise power unit in dB referenced to 1 pW or −90 dBm at 1000 Hz.
This is the noise unit of the 144 weighting network where the old 144 telephone handset was
the device used.

dBrn = 10 log (Nm / 1 x 10-12 W)

✓ Test tone – a pure signal at a signal frequency and power level. Usual reference is 1
KHz at 1 mW applied at a point of 0 relative level.
✓ Weighting curve – curve showing the relative interfering effects of sinusoidal tones
compared to a reference frequency.
✓ Weighting network – equalizer which attenuates frequencies in the same manner as
would be done by the average ear with the specific listening apparatus to which the
weighting refers.

dBrnc0 - noise measured in dBrnc referred to zero transmission level point.

dBrnC0 = dBrnC - TLPdB

COMPILED BY: DR. CARLOS C. SISON, PECE, ASEAN ENGR., ACPE 3

 DECIBEL SCALE – MODULE 2

pWp - picowatt of noise power, psopometrically weighted. This unit is used in

psophometric noise weighting (European). This noise weighting assumes a perfect receiver
thus its weighting curve corresponds to the frequency response of the human ear only. 1.0
pWp is equivalent to an 800 Hz tone at - 90 dBm..

dBrn = 10 log pWp Note: -90 dBm = 1 x 10-12 W

= 0 dBrnC

dBmp - a unit of noise power in dBm, measured with psophometric weighting.

dBmp = 10 log pWp / 10-3

dBmp = 10 log 10 pWp - 90
= dBa - 84
= dBm - 2.5 (for flat noise 300-3400 Hz)

dBm0p - the abbreviation for absolute noise power referred to or measured at a point zero
relative transmission level, psophometrically weighted.

dBm0p = dBmp - dBr

dBr - means dB ‘relative level’. Used to define transmission level at various points in a
circuit or system referred to the zero relative level point.

dBr = dBm - dBm0

dBrnc - is weighted noise power in dBrn, measured by a noise measuring set with “C-
message’ weighting”.

Pure 1 kHz test tone: dBrnc = dBm + 90

A 3 kHz band of random noise: dBrnc = dBm + 88
F1A weighted noise: dBrnc = dBa + 6
601A/F1A weighted: dBrnc = dBa + 6

✓ The dBrn 30 kHz flat noise measurements are noise readings taken with
a filter that has a flat response from 20 Hz to 3 kHz. It was found to be
typically 1.5 dB than dBrnC readings for equal noise power level.

dBa - stands for dB “adjusted”. This is a weighted circuit noise power referred to −85 dBm,
which is 0 dBa or 10-11.5 W. (Historically measured with a noise meter at the receiving end of
a line. The meter is calibrated on a 1000 Hz tone such that 1mW (0 dB m) gives a reading of
+85 dBm. If the 1mW is spread over the band 300–3400 Hz as random white noise, the meter
will read -82 dBm or 0 dBa)

Pure 1 kHz test tone: dBa = dBm + 85

A 3 kHz band of random noise: dBa = dBm + 82
601A/F1A weighted: dBa = dBm + 77

COMPILED BY: DR. CARLOS C. SISON, PECE, ASEAN ENGR., ACPE 4

 DECIBEL SCALE – MODULE 2

dBa0 - circuit noise power in dBa referred to, or measured at, a point of zero relative
transmission level (0 dBr). It is preferable to convert circuit noise measurement values from
dBa to dBa0 as this makes it unnecessary to know or to state the relative transmission level at
the point of measurement.

dBa0 = dBa - TLPdB

dBv0 - absolute voltage level, referred to the relative level.

dBv0 = dBv - dBr

dBd - used for expressing the gain of an antenna referred to a dipole.

dBi - used for expressing the gain of an antenna referred to an isotropic radiator.

THE NEPER

A transmission unit used in a number of Northern European countries.

Np = ½ loge (P2 / P1 ) Note: 1 Np = 8.686 dB

1 dB = 0.1151 Np

Exercises:

1. Express a signal level of 0.8 mV in dBm.

2. Express 25 dBm in terms of mW and watts.

3. Convert the following thermal noise power to dBm.: 0.001 μW and 1 pW.

4. Convert the following thermal noise to watts: -150 dBm and -174 dBm.

5. A circuit has an input power of 50 mW. Its output power is 8 mW. What is the power
loss in dB?

6. A filter has a power input of 50 mW and an output of 2 mW. What is the gain or
attenuation?

7. A power amplifier with a 40 dB gain has an output power of 100 W. What is the input
power?

8. An amplifier has a gain of 60 dB. If the output voltage is 50 mV, what is the input
voltage?

9. If you have a component that passes through signal voltage without attenuation or
gain, how many dB’s does it provide?

10. Calculate the input power required for full power output if the power gain is 25 dB.
COMPILED BY: DR. CARLOS C. SISON, PECE, ASEAN ENGR., ACPE 5
 DECIBEL SCALE – MODULE 2

11. The output and input voltage of a filter network are 10 mV and 20 mV respectively.
Determine the attenuation in dB and nepers.

12. A power amplifier has an input of 90 mV across 10 kΩ. The output is 7.8 V across 8 Ω
speaker. What is the power gain in dB?

13. Determine the total power when a signal with a power level of 20 dBm is combined
with a signal with a power level of 21 dBm.

14. Three cascaded amplifiers have power gains of 5, 2 and 17. The input power is 40
mW. What is the output power?

15. A circuit consist of two amplifiers with gains 6.8 and 14.3 dB and two filters with
attenuations of 16.4 and 2.9 dB. If the output voltage is 800 mV, what is the input
voltage?

16. An amplifier has an input voltage of 1 mV and an output voltage of 1.6 volts. Express
the voltage gain of the amplifier in dB.

17. What voltage exists across a 50 Ω resistive load when –6 dBm is dissipated in a 50 Ω
resistive load.

18. A power amplifier has an input of 90 mV across 10 kΩ. The output is 7.8 volts across
an 8 Ω resistor. What is the power gain in dB?

19. The input power is 15.5 kW. The power output is10 watts to 15 watts. What is the gain
(or attenuation) of this system? Is this system associated with amplification or
attenuation?

20. Suppose you measured the power output from another transmitter, and found it to be
100 W. Later, after experimenting, with a new circuit in the transmitter, you measure
the output power as 50 W. What is the power change in dB?

21. A data sheet for an amplifier specifies that the voltage gain is 40 dB. If we cascade
three amplifiers of this type, what is the overall gain, expressed as an ordinary
number?

22. A network with +7 dBm and +11 dBm input has an insertion loss of 3 dB. What is the
output in dBm. (Ans. 8.81 mW)

23. Three machines produce noise levels of 86 dB, 84 dB and 89 dB when operated
individually. What is the combined noise level if all the three machines operate
simultaneously?

24. For a three-stage system with an input power of -20 dBm and power gains of the three
stages as 13 dB, 16 dB and -6 dB. Determine the output power in dBm and watts.

25. Determine the power levels in dBm for signal levels of 10 mW and 0.5 mW. Determine
also the difference between the two power levels in dBm.
COMPILED BY: DR. CARLOS C. SISON, PECE, ASEAN ENGR., ACPE 6
 DECIBEL SCALE – MODULE 2

26. A three stage system comprised of two amplifiers and one filter. The input power is
0.1 mW. The absolute power gains of the three amplifiers are 100, 40 and 0.25
respectively. Determine a) the input power in dBm; b) the output power in watts and
dBm; c) the dB gain of each amplifiers; and d) the overall gain in dB.

27. A signal travels a distance of 175 ft. in the time it takes to complete 1 cycle. What is
the frequency?

28. The maximum peaks of an electromagnetic wave are separated by a distance of 12

inches. What is the frequency in GHz?

29. A TV signal occupies a 6 MHz BW. If the high frequency limit of channel 2 is 53 MHz.
what is the lower frequency limit?

COMPILED BY: DR. CARLOS C. SISON, PECE, ASEAN ENGR., ACPE 7