RF Connector Power Rating Calculator

RF connectors are widely used in wireless communications for interconnecting the active equipment at the base of the tower to a transmission line which, in turn, connects to the antennae at the top of the tower. RF connectors are manufactured by both gender and series, giving versatility to each application. Each series of connector type has specifications, as each type has with it an associated RF cable size window. It is within the size window that average power handling ability is calculated, as the smaller the connector, the less available surface area during mating and, therefore, the lower the power handling ability. Thus, as the OD size of both the coax cable and associated RF connector increase, so too does the mating surface area and the amount of passable RF power.

Use the following online calculator to calculate average power handling ability (continuous wave, or CW) at 50 ohms for a variety of RF connectors.

Note that connector average power handling capacity is based on a VSWR of 1.0, zero modulation, and one atmosphere dry air.