What does a minus attentuation figure mean?

My router usually shows attenuation figures of around 30 dB upstream
and around 62 dB downstream. I recently lost all connectivity (voice
and broadband) and it was traced to a disconnected line at the
exchange.

After the line was re-instated at first I got a downstream figure of
-64 dB which then went back to 62 dB but this morning is showing again
at -64 dB.

Is the fact that it switches between a positive and a negative figure
of any significance at all?

On Mon, 19 Sep 2005 10:53:27 +0100, GA
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Is the fact that it switches between a positive and a negative figure
>of any significance at all?

it probably means some code is not expecting it to go over 63
as 64 is a power of 2 the bits used to transmit the value will be
higher for 64 and greater, someone messed up the coding that reaspods
to this. Sometimes you see -319742389793 or similar in the same
circumstances.

Phil
--
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GA <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> My router usually shows attenuation figures of around 30 dB upstream
> and around 62 dB downstream. I recently lost all connectivity (voice
> and broadband) and it was traced to a disconnected line at the
> exchange.
>
> After the line was re-instated at first I got a downstream figure of
> -64 dB which then went back to 62 dB but this morning is showing again
> at -64 dB.

The other poster answered what probably happened.
As to what it means, 60dB attenuation is the signal when it gets to you
being about a millionth of the power when it it set out.
-60dB attenuation is a power gain of about a million in the line - rather
unlikely.

On 19 Sep 2005 12:20:10 GMT, Ian Stirling <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:
[snip]
>The other poster answered what probably happened.
>As to what it means, 60dB attenuation is the signal when it gets to you
>being about a millionth of the power when it it set out.
>-60dB attenuation is a power gain of about a million in the line - rather
>unlikely.
[snip]

Thanks to both - it's obviously my router which throws a wobbly at
64dB.