Yes. I presume the signals are incoherent eg different frequencies, so they add on a power basis. Do not add them in decibels.Eventide said:I need to calculate the composite power at the input of an RF distribution system, is it just the sum of the signals in milliwatts at the input? I can measure each individual signal with an a spectrum analyser but I do not have a power meter to anable measurement of the total power.
Composite power refers to the total power of multiple radio frequency (RF) signals combined together. It takes into account the power of each individual signal and calculates the overall power level.
Composite power is calculated by taking the square root of the sum of the squares of each individual signal's power. This is known as the root mean square (RMS) value and is represented by the equation: Pcomposite = √(P12 + P22 + ... + Pn2).
Composite power allows us to measure the overall strength of multiple RF signals in a single measurement. It is important in areas such as signal processing, wireless communication, and electromagnetic compatibility testing.
Composite power takes into account the individual power levels of each signal, while total power is simply the sum of all the power levels. This means that composite power provides a more accurate representation of the combined power of multiple signals.
No, composite power cannot be negative. It is a measure of power, which is always a positive value. If the calculated composite power is negative, it is likely due to a calculation error or an incorrect measurement.