User's Manual

1-1
User Manual PN 84468 Rev H
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for your recent purchase of a Thales MissionLINK
®
product. Powered by the Iridium
global satellite network, it is the only system with truly pole-to-pole coverage for voice and data
communications. This USER MANUAL will cover a basic overview as well as advanced
features for the Thales MissionLINK
®
systems including the Certus 350 MissionLINK and the
Certus 200 MissionLINK.
Additional information can be found in the following documents:
• The Thales MissionLINK installation process is covered in the Installation Guide for the
MissionLINK (Document # 84465)
• The Thales MissionLINK Quick Start Guide (QSG) (Document # 3402174-1)
NOTE
Some figures in this manual depict a representative antenna that
may be either a Certus 350 antenna or a Certus 200 antenna.
Functionally, either antenna can be used for the operation described
in the figures.
ABOUT THIS MANUAL
This user manual is intended for anyone who intends to operate and configure the MissionLINK
system. It covers both the Certus 350 and the Certus 200 system operation and features. It,
however, cannot cover all topics and advanced features. For questions or topics that are not
covered in this manual please contact your service provider or Thales at www.Thalesdsi.com.
THE IRIDIUM SATELLITE NETWORK
The Iridium satellite network is comprised of 66 Low-Earth Orbiting (LEO), cross-linked
satellites, providing voice and data coverage over Earth’s entire surface. The satellites operate in
six orbital planes, 781 kilometers (485 miles) from Earth.
This ensures that every region on the globe is covered by at least one satellite at all times. Each
satellite is cross-linked to four other satellites; two satellites in the same orbital plane and two in
an adjacent plane.
The Iridium NEXT satellite constellation replaced the legacy Iridium satellite constellation with
faster data rates, more capacity and better voice quality.