RF Glossary: B | Terms Starting with B

Balun — A device that converts between balanced and unbalanced signal formats, typically used between differential circuits and coaxial transmission lines.

Bandpass Filter (BPF) — A filter that passes frequencies within a specified range while rejecting frequencies outside that range.

Bandwidth — The range of frequencies over which a component or system operates within specified performance limits.

Baseband — The original frequency range of a signal before modulation onto a carrier, typically from DC to some upper frequency limit.

Beamforming — A signal processing technique that uses multiple antenna elements with controlled phase and amplitude to steer and shape the radiation pattern.

Beamwidth — The angular width of the main lobe of an antenna radiation pattern, measured between the half-power (-3 dB) points.

Bias Tee — A three-port network that allows DC bias to be injected into an RF signal path without disrupting the RF signal.

BER (Bit Error Rate) — The ratio of erroneously received bits to total transmitted bits, used to quantify digital communication link quality.

Bolometer — A thermal detector used for measuring RF and microwave power by sensing the temperature rise caused by absorbed electromagnetic energy.

Broadband — Describes a component or system that operates over a wide frequency range, typically an octave or more.

BUC (Block Upconverter) — A device used in satellite communications to convert a band of frequencies from a lower frequency to a higher frequency for uplink transmission.

Butler Matrix — A passive beamforming network that produces multiple simultaneous orthogonal beams from an antenna array using hybrid couplers and phase shifters.

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