Hertzian
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transmission linesbasic

VSWR and Reflection Coefficient

#VSWR#reflection#mismatch#return loss#impedance matching

VSWR and Reflection Coefficient

Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) quantifies impedance mismatch on a transmission line. This formula relates VSWR to the reflection coefficient, which directly indicates how much power is reflected back toward the source.

VSWR=1+∣Γ∣1−∣Γ∣VSWR = \frac{1 + |\Gamma|}{1 - |\Gamma|}

Alternative Forms

Reflection Coefficient from VSWR
∣Γ∣=VSWR−1VSWR+1|\Gamma| = \frac{VSWR - 1}{VSWR + 1}
Calculate reflection coefficient given VSWR
Return Loss
RLdB=−20log⁡10∣Γ∣RL_{dB} = -20\log_{10}|\Gamma|
Return loss in dB from reflection coefficient
Mismatch Loss
MLdB=−10log⁡10(1−∣Γ∣2)ML_{dB} = -10\log_{10}(1 - |\Gamma|^2)
Power lost due to mismatch

Input Variables

ratio

Magnitude of voltage reflection coefficient(Range: 0 – 1 ratio)

Results

Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR)
—
Return Loss (RL)
—
Mismatch Loss (ML)
—

📖 Example: Antenna Mismatch Assessment

Analyze a reflection coefficient of 0.2 (common for well-matched antennas)

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