Crosstalk Measurements

These measurements are made with a crosstalk meter shown greatly simplified in Fig. 22. A standard interrupted "tone" was formerly used as a source, but now a special warble oscillator is employed.35 The signal is impressed on the disturbing circuit, and the amount transferred by magnetic and electric coupling (and also by leakage) is detected in the receiver connected to the disturbed circuit. This received amount is then compared with the original signal by the switching arrangement shown. When the calibrated shunt is so adjusted that the sound heard through the shunt and that heard over the disturbed line are equally loud, then the setting of the shunt gives the crosstalk. One unit of crosstalk exists between two circuits when the current flowing in the disturbed circuit is one one-millionth of that flowing in the disturbing circuit. The noise meter is often used instead of a receiver for determining when the two sounds are equally loud.

Figure 22. Simplified circuit of a crosstalk meter. The tests just described are for near-end crosstalk. If the standard source is impressed on the disturbing circuit at the distant end of the line, the measurements are termed farend crosstalk. Although the tests just described are for crosstalk between metallic circuits, other tests, such as crosstalk from the phantom to side circuits, are also made. Care must be taken to ensure that the circuits are properly terminated when noise and crosstalk tests are made.

At the frequencies employed in carrier telephone work (Chapter 11) special crosstalk equipment and measuring methods must be used. Such equipment is described in the literature devoted to carrier systems.

What's the difference between "dB", "dBm", and "dBi"

I keep seeing people using the terms "dB", "dBm", and "dBi" interchangeably, when they actually mean very different things. So, here's a little background on the correct usage of the terms. Sorry if this is covered in the FAQs and links, but from the posts here, I don't think people have read them thoroughly. A dB is a RELATIVE measure of two different POWER levels. There's also dB relative to VOLTAGE levels, but I won't go into those, as we're mostly concerned with POWER levels in our discussions here. 3dB is twice (or half) as much, 6dB is four times, 10dB is ten times, and so on. The formula for calculating gain or loss in dB is: 10log P1/P2. It's used for stating the gain or loss of one device (P1) IN RELATION to another (P2). Thus, I can say that an amplifier has 30 dB of gain, or I have 6dB total feedline loss. I CANNOT say, My amp puts out 30 dB, or I have a 24dB antenna, as you must state what you're referencing it to, which is where the subscript comes in. The dB by itself is not an absolute number, but a ratio. For amplifiers, a common reference unit is the dBm, with 0dBm being equal to 1 milliwatt. Thus, an amp with an output of 30dBm puts out 1 Watt. How much gain it has is a different matter entirely, and you can have two different amps, each with an output of 30dBm (1Watt), that have different gains, and require different levels of drive power to achieve their outputs. You can also have two different amps with the same gain that have different output powers. There's also dBW (Referenced to 1 WATT), but you generally only use those when dealing with Big Stuff, as 30dBW is 1000w, and way beyond what we deal with here! For antennas, a common reference unit is the dBi, which states the gain of an antenna as referenced to an ISOTROPIC source. An Isotropic source is the perfect omnidirectional radiator, a true Point Source, and does not exist in nature. It's useful for comparing antennas, as since its theoretical, its always the same. It's also 2.41 dB BIGGER than the next common unit of antenna gain, the dBd, and makes your antennas sound better in advertising. The dBd is the amount of gain an antenna has referenced to a DIPOLE antenna. A simple dipole antenna has a gain of 2.41dBi, and a gain of 0dBd, since we're comparing it to itself. If I say I have a 24dB antenna, it means nothing, as I haven't told you what I referenced it to. It could be a 26.41dBi antenna (24dBd), or a 21.59dBi (also 24dBd!) antenna, depending on what my original reference was. The difference is 4.81dB, a significant amount. Most antenna manufacturers have gotten away from playing this game, but the reference will be different in different fields. Commercial antennas tend to be rated in dBi, as the people buying them understand it, and Amateur Radio antennas tend to be dBd, as Hams are very familiar with dipoles. Sorry to go on for so long, but as an Engineer, it bugs me a bit to see things like this!