Mode Globalstar

Globalstar: channel activity and Doppler (content is not decoded).

Group	Satellite & navigation
Default frequency	1618.25 MHz
Default sample rate	10 Msps
In the mode list	Satellites, 1.6 GHz

Step-by-step: Tutorial-Globalstar

What Globalstar is

Globalstar is a satellite phone and IoT network on L band. Its downlink is spread and encrypted, so OnAir only monitors activity, power and Doppler.

Frequencies and settings

Globalstar L-band downlink, 1610 - 1626.5 MHz, 13 CDMA channels of 1.23 MHz (receive only).

Setting	Value
Start frequency	1618.25 MHz
Tuning range of the mode table	1600 to 1640 MHz
Sample rate asked	10 Msps
Lowest working rate	3 Msps
Channel width	10 MHz

OnAir takes any frequency you type; the numbers above are the mode's starting point and the range its table describes. In the app the shortcut label is Satellites, 1.6 GHz.

What OnAir shows

Activity monitor only: per-channel power, SNR, occupancy and Doppler (spectral centroid), a Doppler track against time with the pass planner's Globalstar satellites drawn over it, an event log. The downlink is spread and encrypted: nothing is decoded or decryptable.

The mode's own tab has these screens: Channels, Doppler, Events. The other tabs (Overview, Receiver, Scan, History) are described on the Main window page.

Tips and caveats

• Checked with generated signals and impairments; recordings of real signals welcome.
• Which radio: No: this mode needs a radio that samples at 3 Msps or more, and an RTL-SDR reaches about 2.4 Msps.
• Try it without a radio: most modes include a built-in synthetic test signal, so you can open the screen and try the controls first.
• Receiving and the law: Receiving satellite downlinks is generally legal. Encrypted or spread content is not decoded, and voice codecs that are patented are not shipped with OnAir. See Legal.

Related pages

• All modes, Satellite & navigation
• Supported radios, Troubleshooting, FAQ
• More in Satellite & navigation: GNSS, Inmarsat-C, Inmarsat Aero, Iridium, Meteor-M LRPT, GOES HRIT, Elektro-L, Orbcomm, QO-100, CubeSat telemetry