Most ham radio operators are familiar with SWR, but antenna analyzers and VNAs often give us another measurement: Return Loss. While both describe the quality of the impedance match, they express that information very differently, and the terminology can sometimes cause confusion.
In this video, we break down Return Loss and SWR from a practical ham-radio perspective, including how each measurement relates to the reflection coefficient (Γ) and S11.
Understanding the relationship between these measurements makes antenna analyzers and VNAs much easier to use, and helps prevent one of the most common sources of confusion in RF measurements: Return Loss is normally expressed as a positive number, while S11 in dB is normally negative.
Whether you’re building antennas, testing feed lines, evaluating matching networks, or just trying to understand what your analyzer is telling you, this video should help connect the dots between SWR, Return Loss, S11, and reflected power.
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