SWR Calculator

That faithful cardboard slide-rule, the HP Reflectometer Calculator, has been recreated for the modern age by Barry Brown and aims to help calculate the errors in your microwave measurements. It is a FREEWARE program that has been tested for the Windows 95 and NT® variants.

Three functions are provided; the Directivity Error Calculator, the Mismatch Error Calculator, and the Ratio-to-dB Calculator.

1. The Directivity Error Calculator shows the accuracy of a reflection measurement of an unknown impedance based upon the directivity of the coupler used for the measurement. It is also a convenient way to convert a reflection coefficient to an equivalent standing wave ratio (SWR), return loss, or mismatch loss.
2. The Mismatch Error Calculator shows the potential error (or uncertainty) in a transmission measurement due to imperfect source match and load match. It can also be used in a reflection measurement to determine the error caused by the mismatch between the measurement port and the unknown impedance.
3. The Ratio-to-dB Calculator simply converts between voltage ratio, power ratio, and dB. A value can be entered in SWR Calculator either by typing it into a text box, by clicking a scroll bar and dragging it back and forth until the correct value is displayed, or by clicking and dragging a sliding scale with the "grabbing hand" cursor.

®Microsoft Corporation

Opinion

The simple interface makes the program easy to use, especially for those who have had previous experience of the original reflectometer slide-rule upon which it is based.

Disclaimer

Agilent Technologies is not responsible for the content or support of any material provided by a third-party.

Software Support

Contact the author: