117-00008 Rev 3.0 Flightcell® DZMx Installation Manual
Page 17 of 75
Effective Date: 18 February 2022
DZMx Antennas
Flightcell supplies a range of antennas, the choice of which will depend on DZMx modem
configuration:
»
Single Iridium modem: Use a Flightcell dual Iridium/GPS antenna, ANP_00043
»
Dual Iridium modems: Use a Flightcell Iridium/GPS antenna, P/N ANP_00043, and a
single Iridium antenna, ANP_00045.
»
Single cellular modem: Use a Flightcell cellular antenna, P/N ANP_00033.
»
Dual cellular modems: Use a Flightcell dual cellular antenna, P/N ANP_00031 or two
cellular antennas, P/N ANP_00033..
Installation of Iridium and GPS Antennas
Installation drawings for the DZMx antennas are available on the Flightcell website at
The Flightcell Iridium/GPS antenna and Iridium antenna should be installed on the top of
the aircraft where they will have an unrestricted view of the sky, mounted as close to
horizontal as possible. The following should be considered when determining a mounting
location:
»
Maintain good separation from other antennas. Preferred separation is 750mm from L-
band (GPS), TCAS or transponder antennas, but a lesser separation can be applied if
there is limited space on the aircraft.
»
On a helicopter, the antenna can be installed below the rotor blades, but avoid
installing it close to the rotor hub, as the hub and inner rotor can block the antenna’s
view of the sky.
»
Keep coax cable lengths short to minimize attenuation of transmit and receive signals.
Installation of Cellular Antennas
A Flightcell cellular antenna should preferably be installed on the underside of the aircraft
to provide best connection to the cellular network. Typical location is below the cockpit to
minimise antenna cable length. The minimum recommended separation between the cell
antenna and other antennas is 600mm.
Guidelines for Antenna Cables
Iridium antenna cables must be selected to keep signal loss within accepted levels. Total
signal loss on the Iridium connection between the DZMx or Iridium phone cradle and the
antenna should not exceed 3dB at 1645MHz.
