526 dBm

3.6×10⁴⁹ W

Black hole collision, the power radiated in gravitational waves following the collision GW150914, estimated at 50 times the power output of all the stars in the observable universe.

420 dBm

1×10³⁹ W

Cygnus A, one of the most powerful radio sources in the sky

296 dBm

3.846×10²⁶ W

The total power output of the Sun

120 dBm

1 GW

Experimental high-power microwave (HPM) generation system, 1GW at 2.32 GHz for 38 ns

105 dBm

32 MW

AN/FPS-85 Phased Array Space Surveillance Radar, claimed by the US Space Force as the most powerful radar in the world.

95.5 dBm

3,600 kW

High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program maximum power output, the most powerful shortwave station in 2012

80 dBm

100 kW

The typical transmission power of FM radio station with 50-kilometer (31 mi) range

62 dBm

1.588 kW = 1,588 W

1,500 W is the maximal legal power output of a US ham radio station.

60 dBm

1 kW = 1,000 W

Typical combined radiated RF power of microwave oven elements

55 dBm

~300 W

Typical single-channel RF output power of a Ku-band geostationary satellite

50 dBm

100 W

Typical total thermal radiation emitted by a human body, peaks at 31.5 THz (9.5 μm)

Typical maximal output RF power from a ham radio HF transceiver

40 dBm

10 W

Typical power-line communication (PLC) transmission power

37 dBm

5 W

Typical maximal output RF power from a handheld ham radio VHF/UHF transceiver

36 dBm

4 W

Typical maximal output power for a citizens band radio station (27 MHz) in many countries

33 dBm

2 W

Maximal output from a UMTS/3G mobile phone (power class 1 mobile)

Maximal output from a GSM850/900 mobile phone

30 dBm

1 W = 1000 mW

DCS or GSM 1,800/1,900 MHz mobile phone. EIRP IEEE 802.11a (20 MHz-wide channels) in either 5 GHz subband 2 (5,470–5,725 MHz) provided that transmitters are also IEEE 802.11h-compliant, or U-NII-3 (5,725–5,825 MHz). The former is EU only, the latter is US only. Also, maximal power is allowed by the FCC for American amateur radio licensees to fly radio-controlled aircraft or operate RC models of any other type on amateur radio bands in the US.

29 dBm

794 mW

28 dBm

631 mW

27 dBm

500 mW

Typical cellular phone transmission power

Maximal output from a UMTS/3G mobile phone (power class 2 mobiles)

26 dBm

400 mW

25 dBm

316 mW

24 dBm

251 mW

Maximal output from a UMTS/3G mobile phone (power class 3 mobiles)

1,880–1,900 MHz DECT (250 mW per 1,728 kHz channel). EIRP for wireless LAN IEEE 802.11a (20 MHz-wide channels) in either the 5 GHz subband 1 (5,180–5,320 MHz) or U-NII-2 and -W ranges (5,250–5,350 MHz & 5,470–5,725 MHz, respectively). The former is EU only, the latter is US only.

23 dBm

200 mW

EIRP for IEEE 802.11n wireless LAN 40 MHz-wide (5 mW/MHz) channels in 5 GHz subband 4 (5,735–5,835 MHz, US only) or 5 GHz subband 2 (5,470–5,725 MHz, EU only). This also applies to 20 MHz-wide (10 mW/MHz) IEEE 802.11a wireless LAN in 5 GHz subband 1 (5,180–5,320 MHz) if also IEEE 802.11h-compliant (otherwise only 3 mW/MHz → 60 mW when unable to dynamically adjust transmission power, and only 1.5 mW/MHz → 30 mW when a transmitter also cannot dynamically select frequency).

22 dBm

158 mW

21 dBm

125 mW

Maximal output from a UMTS/3G mobile phone (power class 4 mobiles)

20 dBm

100 mW

EIRP for IEEE 802.11b/g wireless LAN 20 MHz-wide channels in the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi/ISM band (5 mW/MHz).

Bluetooth Class 1 radio. Maximal output power from unlicensed AM transmitter per US FCC rules 15.219

19 dBm

79 mW

18 dBm

63 mW

17 dBm

50 mW

15 dBm

32 mW

Typical wireless LAN transmission power in laptops

10 dBm

10 mW

7 dBm

5.0 mW

Common power level required to test the automatic gain control circuitry in an AM receiver

6 dBm

4.0 mW

5 dBm

3.2 mW

4 dBm

2.5 mW

Bluetooth Class 2 radio, 10 m range

3 dBm

2.0 mW

2 dBm

1.6 mW

1 dBm

1.3 mW

0 dBm

1.0 mW = 1000 μW

Bluetooth standard (Class 3) radio, 1 m range

−1 dBm

794 μW

−3 dBm

501 μW

−5 dBm

316 μW

−10 dBm

100 μW

Maximal received signal power of wireless network (802.11 variants)

−13 dBm

50.12 μW

Dial tone for the Precise Tone Plan found on public switched telephone networks in North America

−20 dBm

10 μW

−30 dBm

1.0 μW = 1000 nW

−40 dBm

100 nW

−50 dBm

10 nW

−60 dBm

1.0 nW = 1000 pW

The Earth receives one nanowatt per square meter from a magnitude +3.5 star

−70 dBm

100 pW

−73 dBm

50.12 pW

“S9” signal strength, a strong signal, on the S meter of a typical ham or shortwave radio receiver

−80 dBm

10 pW

−100 dBm

0.1 pW

Minimal received signal power of wireless network (802.11 variants)

−111 dBm

0.008 pW = 8 fW

The thermal noise floor for commercial GPS single-channel signal bandwidth (2 MHz)

−127.5 dBm

0.178 fW = 178 aW

Typical received signal power from a GPS satellite

−174 dBm

0.004 aW = 4 zW

The thermal noise floor for 1 Hz bandwidth at room temperature (20 °C)

−192.5 dBm

0.056 zW = 56 yW

The thermal noise floor for 1 Hz bandwidth in outer space (4 kelvins)

−∞ dBm

0 W

Zero power is not well-expressed in dBm (value is negative infinity)