User Guide

Iridium Communications Inc. Information Contained in this Guide
9602 SBD Transceiver Product Developers Guide is Subject to Change Without Notice
Revision 1.2 (DRAFT 2)
Iridium Communications Inc. Distribution of Guide Restricted
Proprietary & Confidential Information 31 to Product Developers Only
4.5 Radio Characteristics
Table 13 contains radio characteristics of the 9602/9602N SBD Transceiver.
Table 13: Radio Characteristics
Parameter 9602 Value 9602N Value
Average Power during a transmit slot (max) 1.6 W 1.6 W
Receiver sensitivity (Typical level at module connector) -117dBm -116dBm
Max Cable loss permitted (Note 1) 2dB 2dB
Link Margin – Downlink (Note 2) 13dB 13dB
Link Margin – Uplink (Note 2) 7dB 7dB
Note 1: Cable losses should be minimized. The total implementation loss for an antenna, connectors,
cable, lightening arrestor and any other RF component between the transceiver and the antenna should
not exceed 3dB. The total cable loss between the antenna and the modem includes losses in the
motherboard. Implementation loss higher than this will affect the Iridium link performance and quality of
service. Solutions with a loss higher than 3dB will not meet the requirements of Iridium Solution
Certification.
Note 2: Link Margins are given assuming a free-space propagation model.
4.6 S-meter Performance
The numbers “reported over the AT command interface indicate the signal strength of the ring channel.
Care should be taken when using the S-meter readings for comparisons between devices. Of particular
note are the following:
1. There is a 0.5 dB tolerance on calibrating the S-meter.
2. Each bar represents a 2 dB increment
3. Multiple ring channels can be present at the same time so units can lock to different signals.
4. The Test Interface Card (TIC board) implementation adds about 0.6 dB loss in the antenna path.
5. If the reading is near the decision threshold it would be easy to see a 1 bar difference