01
Deterministic math
Friis NF, reciprocal IP3, cascaded P1dB, and IM3 with hand-checked regressions. No accidental cell offsets.
Free RF engineering tools
Stop debugging stale Excel workbooks. Start architecting RF systems.
IndieRF is a free, browser-based suite for cascade analysis, Friis noise figure, IP3, dBm conversions, and 50 Ω transmission lines. One working RF engineer, building free tools the community can actually use. The independent engineering suite for agile RF system design.
IndieRF is developed by one independent RF engineer for the community. Prototypes are coded with AI, then the math is checked by hand and the UI is curated against the workflow I actually use on the bench.
Use every tool online for free. Sign in to save, download, export, and post in discussions. Unsigned sessions still autosave in this browser so a refresh does not wipe the canvas.
SchematicCascade
BudgetCascade
Analyzer outputsGainFriis NFP1dBOIP3 / IIP3IM3SFDR
On the bench now
Live tools. Free to use in the browser.
Live · free
IndieRF RF Cascade Analyzer
Draw a receive or transmit chain, then read Gain, Friis NF, P1dB, OIP3/IIP3, IM3, and SFDR at every node. Path-aware budgets, A/B captures, and named templates — without a $50k license or a fragile spreadsheet.
Live · free
IndieRF dB Power Converter
Convert dBm ↔ watts ↔ milliwatts ↔ 50 Ω volts, apply 10log vs 20log without mixing them up, and read the kTB noise floor from bandwidth. The 1-2-3-7-10 shortcuts, in a page you can keep open next to the spectrum analyzer.
Live · free
IndieRF Transmission Line Calculator
Size a 50 Ω microstrip, stripline, GCPW, or CPW, then compare insertion loss across Rogers, FR-4, alumina, GaAs, and common finishes — ENIG, ENEPIG, OSP, immersion silver, immersion tin, or gold chip-and-wire. Lock width to 50 Ω and see conductor, dielectric, roughness, and mask loss separately.
Live · free
IndieRF Notes
Short, reference-plane-honest writeups on cascade math, traces, and the limits of the models. Built next to the workbench, not as a marketing blog. Sign in to post in the discussion.
Live · free
IndieRF S-parameter Viewer
Drop a .s2p / .s1p and get log-mag, phase, VSWR, and group delay without opening a VNA suite. Overlay parts, compare vendor files, and keep the same reference-plane honesty as RF Cascade Analyzer.
Live · free
IndieRF Plot Digitizer
Click a datasheet NF, P1dB, or IP3 vs-frequency curve and land a dataset RF Cascade Analyzer can interpolate. The missing link between a PDF graph and a frequency-dependent cascade.
IndieRF RF Cascade Analyzer
A schematic you can measure
Independent RX and TX paths, splitters, combiners, and path-aware budgets. Sign in when you want the file.
indierf.com/cascade
Search cases this suite answers
The calculations RF engineers actually Google.
RF cascade / Friis NF
Cumulative gain, Friis NF, P1dB headroom, OIP3/IIP3, IM3, and SFDR along a real source-to-sink path — not a row of cells that drift when you insert a filter.
dBm ↔ W ↔ V into 50 Ω
10log vs 20log, kTB from bandwidth, and the conversions you still do on a whiteboard during a design review.
50 Ω microstrip / GCPW loss
Width for 50 Ω, then insertion loss with ENIG, ENEPIG, OSP, or gold chip-and-wire — the finish delta datasheets rarely put in one table.
S-parameter / Touchstone plot
Drop .s2p files, overlay units, and read log-mag, phase, VSWR, and group delay with markers — without opening a VNA suite.
Link budget / MDS / EIRP
On the roadmap as IndieRF Link, and already partially in RF Cascade Analyzer when the antenna is a source with power, NF, and bandwidth.
Why not Excel — and not a $50k suite
The cascade should live in a graph, with the limits labeled.
02
Nodal topology
Drag RF blocks with typed ports. Independent paths, splitters, and combiners. Signal, noise, and headroom at the node you clicked.
03
Honest model limits
Matched scalar cascade at the operating point. Not a general S-parameter, mismatch, or waveform solver — those are separate tools on the roadmap.
Building next
The data voids this bench still has.
iFFT TDR is next. Plot Digitizer and S-parameter Viewer are live as their own tools so RF Cascade Analyzer does not pretend to be a VNA, an EM solver, or a graph digitizer.
Building next
IndieRF TDR Studio
Turn a one-port S11 into a time-domain reflectometry trace. Windowing, rise-time, dielectric, and distance-to-fault — the VNA option most benches cannot justify, as a free browser tool with the caveats labeled.
On the roadmap
IndieRF Match
Impedance matching & Smith Chart utilities
On the roadmap
IndieRF Synthesizer
PLL loop filter & phase noise estimator
On the roadmap
IndieRF Link
Free-space link budget calculator
On the roadmap
IndieRF Mixer Spur Chart
n×RF ± m×LO spur grid and IF planning
On the roadmap
IndieRF Pad
Pi, T, and bridged-T attenuator resistor values into 50 Ω
On the roadmap
IndieRF Stability
Rollett K, μ, and source/load stability circles from 2-port S-parameters
FAQ
Straight answers for search — and for engineers.
- Are IndieRF tools free?
- Yes. Every tool is free to use in the browser. Sign in if you want to save or download results, export a cascade, or post in Notes discussions. Local autosave still keeps your canvas if you refresh.
- Who builds IndieRF?
- One independent RF engineer. Features are prototyped with AI, then the equations are checked against hand calculations and the UI is curated for a modern bench workflow — not a generic SaaS dashboard.
- What is an RF cascade calculator?
- A cascade calculator computes how gain, noise figure, intercept points, compression, and dynamic range accumulate through a chain of RF blocks. IndieRF RF Cascade Analyzer does this on a nodal schematic instead of a spreadsheet row, using Friis NF and reciprocal IP3 along each source-to-sink path.
- How do I calculate cascaded noise figure (Friis)?
- Friis refers each stage’s noise factor to the input through the preceding available gain. In RF Cascade Analyzer, open a receive path and read Cumulative NF at each node. Passive loss at 290 K contributes an equal noise figure. The tool is a matched scalar model, not a full S-parameter noise-parameter solver.
- Is there a free alternative to spreadsheet RF cascade analysis?
- IndieRF RF Cascade Analyzer is a free, browser-based nodal alternative to Excel cascade sheets and to high-priced system simulators for first-order Gain, Friis NF, P1dB, OIP3, IM3, and SFDR. It is not a circuit, EM, or mismatch solver.
- How do I convert dBm to watts or voltage into 50 Ω?
- Use IndieRF dB Power Converter. Power is 10log; voltage into 50 Ω is 20log. The converter also reports kTB noise floors from bandwidth so you can sanity-check a spectrum-analyzer marker.
- How do I calculate 50 Ω microstrip width and insertion loss?
- IndieRF Transmission Line Calculator sizes microstrip, stripline, GCPW, and CPW, including common PCB finishes such as ENIG and gold chip-and-wire. It is a closed-form quasi-TEM model, not full-wave EM.
- Does RF Cascade Analyzer solve S-parameters or mismatch?
- No. RF Cascade Analyzer is a matched, unidirectional signal-flow model. Plot measured S-parameters in IndieRF S-parameter Viewer. TDR from S11 and mismatch interactions remain separate tools so the cascade numbers stay honest.
Optional updates
Use the tools first. Leave an email only if you want a note when TDR Studio ships.
Saving work and posting in discussions already uses a free account. This list is only for shipping news — not a waitlist for access.