Carrier-to-receiver noise density
In satellite communications, carrier-to-receiver noise density (C/kT) is the ratio of the received carrier power to the receiver noise power density. It tells us whether it's possible to lock on to the carrier and if the information encoded in the signal can be retrieved, given the amount of noise present in the received signal. The carrier-to-receiver noise density ratio is usually expressed in dBHz.
The carrier-to-receiver noise density is given by
where C is the received carrier power in watts, k is Boltzmann's constant in joules per kelvin, and T is the receiver system noise temperature in kelvins.
The receiver noise power density, kT, is the receiver noise power per hertz.
This article incorporates public domain material from the General Services Administration document "Federal Standard 1037C" (in support of MIL-STD-188).
See also
- List of telecommunications transmission terms
- List of electronics topics