IRIDIUM
ANTENNA
INSTALLATION
&
USER
MANUAL
4
Assuring Quality of Iridium Service
Iridium is committed to providing subscribers around the world consistent, reliable, quality voice
and data access all day every day. The Iridium satellite system is monitored for call performance
from numerous locations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in order to achieve this.
There are conditions that can compromise the quality of the service you may receive. These
include:
Obstructions
Cabling
RF Interference
1. Obstructions
The antenna must be able to “see” the entire sky from approximately 8 degrees above the
horizon. Nearby tall buildings or similar structures, heavily leafed trees and mountains can all
degrade performance as they block the signal between the antenna and the satellites. Having a
completely open view of the sky plays a very important role in maximising performance, as the
Iridium satellites cross the sky from North horizon to South horizon during a connected call.
All surrounding obstructions must be lower than the top of a fist extended at arms length and the
bottom of the fist placed on the horizon. Iridium performance is immune from natural
environments such as clouds, fog, rain, snow, wind and smoke.
