Garmin NavTalk Pilot Installation Manual

Contents

DUAL-POLARIZATION AirCell™ ANTENNA INSTALLATION MANUAL Page 2P/N 190-00189-12 Rev. A2. INSTALLATION2.1. INTRODUCTIONCareful planning and consideration of the suggestions in this section are required to achieve the desiredperformance and reliability from the installed equipment. Any deviations from the installation instructionsprescribed in this document shall be accomplished in accordance with the requirements set forth in FAAAC 43.13-2A.2.2. ANTENNA PLACEMENT CONSIDERATIONSThe AirCell antenna (CI 5000-1) is designed for belly mounting, but must be mounted at a point on thefuselage that allows a clear view to the horizon in all directions. This antenna should be located on theforward portion of the fuselage, rather than the rear, as the cell-to-cell handoffs are more effective whendone forward of the aircraft rather than aft. If the antenna is mounted under the wings, the reception is thenreduced or obstructed as the aircraft banks. In this case, it would be better to mount the antenna aft of thewing if there were no space forward of the wing. However, NEVER mount the antenna on the upslope ofthe tail. The fuselage will block almost all forward reception. Care should be taken to assure that theengine nacelles hanging down from the wings do not block the view to the sides. Blade antennas should bemounted on the centerline of the aircraft to minimize performance differences from side to side. It is alsoimportant that the antenna mounting surface be maintained within 5 degrees of horizontal, since theantenna is designed for horizontal polarization and performs best when mounted on a horizontal surface.Best OKNO!BetterFIGURE 1. Cellular Antenna Installation ConsiderationsAn AirCell Antenna should not be located in the vicinity of other antennas on the bottom of the aircraft. Inparticular, other antennas should be kept at least 18” and preferably 36” fore and aft of the AirCell antenna,and none should be mounted to the sides of the AirCell antenna. Of particular concern are horizontal wireelements such as older style ADF antennas or “bent wire” comm antennas and long wire ADF senseantennas still seen on older aircraft. Even though visually they do not seem to block the AirCell antenna,they will still significantly disturb its performance.2.3. CABLING AND WIRINGCheck that there is ample space for the cabling and mating connectors. Avoid sharp bends in cabling,particularly the antenna cables, and routing near aircraft control cables. Cabling should not be routed nearcomponents or cabling which are sources of electrical noise. Do not route the antenna cables near any ADFantenna cables.The FCC has imposed strict requirements on the performance of the NavTalk Pilot System to preventinterference with ground cellular networks. To maximize the range of the system, prevent interference withground cellular, and maintain the best reception, AirCell requires that finished coaxial cable assemblies aretested for loss and VSWR.The total cable loss from the antenna to the cradle cable must be less than 1.5dB at 900 MHz and no morethan 1.4:1 VSWR. Very long cables with loss higher than this amount may affect the airborne phonesystem performance under maximum range conditions. For installations requiring airborne phone coaxialcable lengths greater than 40 feet, consult AirCell Customer Service at 1-888-286-9876.