About

In Radio Frequency (RF) and telecommunications engineering, signal power ranges from infinitesimal fractions of a watt to kilowatts. The logarithmic unit dBW (decibels relative to 1 Watt) is used to express these vast differences manageably. However, hardware specifications and safety limits are often linear, requiring conversion back to Watts.

This tool performs the logarithmic-to-linear conversion instantly. It properly handles negative dBW values (which represent fractional watts) and scales output using metric prefixes (kW, MW) for high-power broadcast systems.

Formulas

The conversion from the logarithmic scale to the linear scale uses base-10 exponentiation.

P_(W) = 10^{(P_(dBW) ÷ 10)}

Every increase of 3 dBW approximately doubles the power in Watts. Every increase of 10 dBW multiplies the power by 10.

Reference Data

Power (dBW)	Power (Watts)	Typical Application
-30	0.001 W	Short-range wireless
0	1 W	Reference Level
10	10 W	Typical Handheld Radio
30	1,000 W	Microwave Oven / Small Transmitter
60	1,000,000 W	Large Broadcast Station

Frequently Asked Questions

A negative dBW value indicates a power level less than 1 Watt. For example, -10 dBW is 0.1 Watts, and -30 dBW is 0.001 Watts (1 milliwatt).

dBW is referenced to 1 Watt (0 dBW = 1 W). dBm is referenced to 1 milliwatt (0 dBm = 1 mW). To convert dBW to dBm, simply add 30.

dBW makes calculating gains and losses easier. In a link budget, you can simply add amplifier gain (dB) and subtract cable loss (dB) rather than multiplying and dividing linear numbers.

A change of approximately 3 dB represents a factor of 2 in power. +3 dB doubles the power; -3 dB halves the power.