carrier-to-noise ratio

Engineers specify the C/N ratio in decibels (dB) between the power in the carrier of the desired signal and the total received noise power. If the incoming carrier strength in microwatts is P_c and the noise level, also in microwatts, is P_n, then the carrier-to-noise ratio, C/N, in decibels is given by the formula

C/N = 10 log₁₀(P_c/P_n)

The C/N ratio is measured in a manner similar to the way the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) is measured, and both specifications give an indication of the quality of a communications channel. However, the S/N ratio specification is more meaningful in practical situations. The C/N ratio is commonly used in satellite communications systems to point or align the receiving dish; the best dish alignment is indicated by the maximum C/N ratio.

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