Mode Iridium

Iridium satellite downlink bursts, needs an L-band antenna.

Group	Satellite & navigation
Default frequency	1622 MHz
Default sample rate	10 Msps
In the mode list	Satellites, 1622 MHz

Step-by-step: Tutorial-Iridium

What Iridium is

Iridium is a constellation of 66 low-orbit satellites for satellite phones and data. Its L-band downlink near 1626 MHz carries pager messages, ring alerts and signalling.

Frequencies and settings

Satellite phone network.

Setting	Value
Start frequency	1622 MHz
Tuning range of the mode table	1610 to 1630 MHz
Sample rate asked	10 Msps
Lowest working rate	2 Msps
Channel width	10.5 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, 1622 MHz.

What OnAir shows

Satellites on a map, pager messages, ring alerts.

The mode's own tab has these screens: Map, Messages, Ring alerts, Bursts. 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: Probably not: an RTL-SDR tunes up to about 1.7 GHz. A HackRF (1 MHz to 6 GHz) or another wideband radio is the usual choice for this frequency range.
• 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, Meteor-M LRPT, GOES HRIT, Elektro-L, Orbcomm, QO-100, CubeSat telemetry, Globalstar