Front-to-back ratio

A front-to-back ratio is usually expressed in decibels (dB).

For example, an unshrouded 38 GHz microwave dish may have a front to back ratio of 64 dB, while the same size reflector equipped with a shroud would have a front to back ratio of 70 dB.

Other factors affecting the front to back ratio of a parabolic microwave antenna include the material of the dish and the precision with which the reflector itself was formed.

In other electrical engineering the front to back ratio is a ratio of parameters used to characterize rectifiers or other devices, in which electric current, signal strength, resistance, or other parameters, in one direction is compared with that in the opposite direction.

This article incorporates public domain material from Federal Standard 1037C.