APPENDIX 1

DECIBELS AND NEPER

Consider the two-port network shown in Figure A1.1. Assume that V1 and V2 are
the voltages at its ports. The voltage gain (or loss) Gv of this circuit is expressed
in decibels as
V2
Gv = 20 log10 dB (A1.1)
V1

Similarly, if P1 and P2 are the power levels at the two ports, the power gain
(or loss) of this circuit in decibels is given as

P2
Gp = 10 log10 dB (A1.2)
P1

Thus, the dB unit provides a relative level of the signal. For example, if we are
asked to find P2 in watts for Gp as 3 dB, we also need P1 . Otherwise, the only
information we can deduce is that P2 is twice P1 .
Sometimes power is expressed in logarithmic units, such as dBW and dBm.
These units are defined as follows. If P is power in watts, it can be expressed
in dBW as
G = 10 log10 P dBW (A1.3)

On the other hand, if P is in milliwatts, the corresponding dBm power is found as

G = 10 log10 P dBm (A1.4)

Radio-Frequency and Microwave Communication Circuits: Analysis and Design, Second Edition,
By Devendra K. Misra
ISBN 0-471-47873-3 Copyright 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

580
 DECIBELS AND NEPER 581

V1 Two-port V2
network

Figure A1.1 Two-port network.

Thus, the dBW and dBm units represent power relative to 1 W and 1 mW, respec-
tively.
Another decibel unit that is commonly used to specify phase noise of an
oscillator or strengths of various sidebands of a modulated signal is dBc. It
specifies the signal strength relative to the carrier. Consider a 100-MHz oscillator
that has an output power of 10 dBm. Suppose that its output power is 30 dBm
in the frequency range 105 to 106 MHz; then power per hertz in the output
spectrum is 90 dBm and the phase noise is 80 dBc.
In general, if amplitudes of the sideband and the carrier are given as V2 and
Vc , respectively, the sideband in dBc is found as

V2
G2 = 20 log (A1.5)
Vc

Consider now a 1-m-long transmission line with its attenuation constant . If V1

is the signal voltage at its input port, the voltage V2 at its output is given as

|V2 | = |V1 |e (A1.6)

Therefore, the voltage gain Gv of this circuit in nepers is

|V2 |
Gv (NP ) = ln = NP (A1.7)
|V1 |

On the other hand, Gv in decibels is found to be

|V2 |
Gv (dB) = 20 log = 20 log e = 20 log e = 8.6859 dB
|V1 |

Therefore,
1NP = 8.6859 dB (A1.8)

The negative sign indicates that V2 is smaller than V1 and there is loss of signal.