Installation guide

Planning and Designing RIO Cable System
46
890 USE 101 00 October 2006
Return Loss Return loss is the measurement of reflected signal strength due to impedance
mismatch. This measurement is expressed as a number of dB down from the
original signal. Components with a higher return loss are better.
If every component of a network were exactly 75 Ω, the return loss would be very
high. In the real world this is impossible. Even the slightest impedance mismatch will
cause a portion of the signal to be reflected. This reflection can subtract from or add
to the originally transmitted signal, causing distortion of the original waveform.
Note: Return loss problems may be avoided by making all trunk and drop cable
purchases from the same manufacturer and the same manufacturing batch. Ask
the manufacturer to pretest the cable for impedance mismatch.
This document provided by Barr-Thorp Electric Co., Inc. 800-473-9123 www.barr-thorp.com